What to Expect from Your photographer on wedding day–A walk through a wedding day with tips and tricks to making your wedding day go smooth with the best wedding photography possible.
Let me begin by saying everyone will be a bit different….but this is how I roll which has been evolving for the last four years through shooting hundreds of weddings.
I will arrive after having a hearty breakfast and look around the site. Generally I am early. I check in with you the bride and snap just a couple of what’s going on in the room right then shots. Then I dive in with the details. I will ask ahead of time for you to have them ready for me. I need the entire invitation set (save the date, RSVP, invitation, directions, and envelopes) the dress, the shoes, the rings (his and hers plus your engagement ring) perfume, jewelry, bridesmaids and bridal bouquet, any special matching gifts you have given the bridesmaids, the bridesmaid dresses, any heirlooms, borrowed, blue, new, and old items you might be using on your special day.
After these details I will snap some more candid shots of you getting ready. As you finish with hair and makeup I might ask for some set up images of the mascara going on, you putting on your earrings, and mom putting on your necklace. I will want all of the bridesmaids dressed before we begin to get you into your wedding dress. Ideally you sit down in a clutter free room on a nice couch or chair to put your shoes on for a photo. These are the most beautiful preparation shots as they are shot with the intention of the final photograph. Please add more time than you think you will need for preparation as it seems to fly by. Once you are ready I will shoot a couple of window light bridal portraits if there is time.
Meanwhile my second photographer is with the men. She will begin with his details. She needs the suit, the ties (if they are gifts to the men) cufflinks, special socks, shoes, and anything you might have given the groomsmen. After she has finished with the grooms details she will move on to photographing the men just hanging out….whatever they might be doing (sometimes its drinking and watching football, sometimes its golf, sometimes its being nervous and just waiting) she is looking for the photo of the groom tying his tie in the mirror or his dad or best man helping him get his tie tightened. The men’s and women’s preparation photographs are where we are trying to show your personalities and tell the story of your wedding day.
Hopefully you have decided to do a first look as this will allow you to go to cocktail hour, and spend the most possible time with family and friends that the day will allow. If we have decided to do the first look it is generally about two hours before the ceremony time. The reason for this is so that there is extra time built in where you can retouch your lipstick and be tucked away from the guests who haven’t seen your amazing dress yet. The way the first look goes is my second photographer will take the groom to a location at the site we are in where we have decided the light is the best with the best possible background we can find. The light is really the key for the first look as it is the most about your faces when you see each other for the first time. I will then bring you down to him and you will walk up behind him tap him on the shoulder and he will turn around and cry or smile, spin you around, kiss you with passion….however you two would react without anyone watching. This it the beauty of this moment-you don’t have to worry about what anyone else is thinking—it’s a very personal moment between the two of you.
At this point we would bring the bridal party to join in with us. We have already decided what locations we would like to use—and we will quickly begin setting the bridal party in the positions we want. Generally there are three looks for these photos I am looking for—and I will shoot them each in a couple of locations if there is time ideally in the same general site area. The key here is fun, personality filled bridal party photographs that document the relationships you have with these people and the enjoyment of your wedding day. From here we will breakdown to women and men separately and finish with the bridal party as individual shots with the bride and her maids and the groom and his men. After this we photograph the bride and groom together. Hopefully these images are where you two can interact comfortably….and I begin to show the romance, enjoyment, and intimacy of your relationship.
At the ceremony we will be shooting with our long lenses to the sides of the ceremony….looking for laughter, and tears from the bride, groom, Maid of honor, best man, parents of the bride and the groom, and grandparents. We are out of the way and while we do move around during your ceremony we do it so no one notices.
After the ceremony it is time for the family photos. I choose to shoot them at this point in the day as everyone is there and I don’t have to wait for people to arrive, no times could get crossed….its just very easy to let everyone know family photos are immediately following the ceremony please stay. Generally the family photos take between 20-40 minutes. The general thing I tell my brides is I will photograph anyone you want me too (or mom wants me too) but my go to people are parents, siblings, siblings spouses and kids, grandparents, and occasionally a godparent who is very important. I will happily do cousins and aunts and uncles if asked. So I begin with my largest grouping on either the bride or the groom’s side. From that I do the grandparents first so they don’t need to wait around or stand around very long, then I begin breaking it down in smaller groupings so you always end up with photos of just you and your mom, you your mom and dad, you your mom, dad, and groom, you and your siblings etc. I then will do the same thing for the other side of the family. Usually we have talked ahead of time about stepparents, long term girlfriends etc.
Following the family formals we go to the cocktail hour. I am going to photograph the reception details and cocktail hour details. During cocktail hour I will be looking to photograph couples, families, and the bride and the groom with the groups of people you two are talking too.
The reception is pretty much candid moments. I recommend doing the cake cutting as early as possible, and doing a dance like the hora that will get everyone involved and out on the dance floor. I do find that receptions have a wonderful feel and energy when there is a band. If you like to dance ideally you spend an hour after dinner chatting with people and then you are able to let loose and have a good time with your friends on the dance floor as dance photos are always better with the bride and groom present.
I hope this is helpful with what to expect from your photographer on your wedding day. I believe the photographer has a very important job to do and in order to cover your day in the most all encompassing way they need to know at what points to be in charge and at what points to just document what is happening.