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I've taken the liberty of compiling a few hints and tips that you might consider when planning your wedding. These tips provide a few guidelines and considerations that will help me create great photographs at your wedding and generally assist me in making sure that you're thrilled with the images that I'll provide as your wedding photographer.
If at all possible, try to arrange it so that your ceremony and reception are held at the same location. The logistics of moving the wedding party and family from one location to another can often add complexity and stress to your day. Most importantly, problems in this movement can sometimes negatively impact your schedule. Although most couples hire me after the venue has already been selected, this consideration is still something you should think about when planning the your "getting ready" locations.
Talk to me about your wedding day timeline before you finalize everything with your planners or venue. If you let me help consult with you on the organization of your day, I can provide you with certain insights gained from years of experience photographing weddings. This conversation is important to ensure that your schedule has enough time set aside for the photographs that will eventually become the foundation of your future memories. I generally have this conversation with you a few weeks prior to the wedding when I call and confirm all of your wedding details.
It's sometimes helpful if you can provide me with magazine photos or e-mail me imagery that is similar to what you'd like me to capture on your wedding day--even if those images are from your own engagment session! This communication feeds my creative process and inspires me to create special imagery based on the styles you prefer.
If your wedding is held outside, your ceremony's timing is going to be very important. For photography, the quality of light improves as the day wanes and nears sunset. Just before the sun falls below the horizon is the best time for taking photographs. So, if we plan to take your family and romantic portraits during the last hour and half of daylight, the timing for the end of the ceremony should be scheduled accordingly, working backwards from sunset. And don't forget that you'll need to consider the time needed to greet guests and family after the ceremony in addition to the ceremony itself. For more information, please see my article titled Ideal Light & the Magic Hour.
If you want great photographs of your wedding, you'll sometimes have to sacrifice some of your time with your family and guests to get them. In most cases I prefer thirty (30) to forty-five minutes set aside for formal family portraits and a minimum of sixty (60) minutes for creative portraits. However, if you can allot me more time for the creative portraits, you're certain to have some truly exceptional photos to choose from after your wedding. In an ideal world, I'd prefer two (2) hours for creative portraits although I'm often happy with ninety (90) minutes.
Make sure you’ve designated the person who'll serve as the "event guide / coordinator" during the wedding. This person is responsible for making sure everyone is where they need to be when I need them to be there. It's very helpful if you can review the schedule and timeline with everyone at the rehearsal and make sure everyone is on the same page in terms of the photography.
About two weeks before the ceremony, I'd suggest that you send me the list of all of the family groupings you'd like me to photograph during the time immediately following your ceremony (e.g. "1. bride + groom + groom's mother + groom's father + groom's sister"). For more information about putting this list together, please see the supplemental article titled Wedding Photographs: Making Your List.
After you've developed your family photo list and I've had a chance to review it, you should provide this information to your "event guide/coordinator." They will be responsible for the list and for making sure that the folks who need to be in the photo are available and cooperative. In most cases this role is best served by one or more family members who know the parties involved--not a professional wedding coordinator. Please remember that you should provide this list to your event guide/coordinator directly since I won't be able to maintain responsibility for providing this list to the appropriate parties. I'd also recommend that you assign someone to back that person up and give them a copy of everything too. You might find this hard to believe but 7 out of 10 times, the person designated by brides will fail in his or her duties (for a variety of reasons; they are not always personally at fault).
Even though we live in Southern California, you should plan for the unthinkable--rain. If it does rain during your event, and you're brave enough, we can use that as an excuse to create some truly unique wedding portraits. I'm not afraid of getting wet and neither are my professional cameras. However, if you want to stay dry, make sure we have alternate locations available for our photography. Beautiful umbrellas make for amazingly photogenic accessories.
Please consider hiring me to photograph your rehearsal, your rehearsal dinner, and/or your farewell breakfast. For the rehearsal related moments, not only will this allow me to get a closer preview of your event, but it will also allow me to scout your location and capture candid moments of friends and family before that special day. It can also allow me to offer you last minute advice that might make for better photographs during the event. Your wedding party will also appreciate the exposure. This also has the added benefit of allowing them to become more comfortable with me as your photographer, making for more relaxed photos for everyone on your wedding day. And in regards to the farewell breakfast (if you are having one), your closest friends and family will be very relaxed and comfortable with me as your photographer. This allows me to capture some amazingly candid and special moments.
Don't forget to include me on your mailing list for the save the date announcements and wedding invitations. I'll often photograph those announcements and invitations and use them in my album preparation. You'd be surprised how difficult it is for me to find someone with a pristine invitation on your wedding day!
Consider hiring a professional makeup artist. Although you, your friends, or family may do a great job at makeup, it's best to hire a professional who's trained to provide you with a superior look. Professional makeup artists are also familiar with application methods that will help enhance your appearance in photographs. You also need to give the makeup artist and hair stylist time to do their jobs. If the makeup artist says they need an hour and the hair stylist says they need an hour, plan for three hours. In my experience, generally speaking, makeup and hair styling will almost always take longer than planned--for a variety of reasons. And even though the ceremony won't begin without the bride, starting late can significantly impact the rest of the event schedule and increase stress for everyone. To make sure that you're going to be happy with the makeup and hair style you're going to want, I strongly recommend that you have your makeup and hair done in that style prior to the wedding day (as a test) to make sure it's what you're going to want. If it's not perfect on your wedding day, you won't have much time to make it work just hours before the ceremony.
Ask someone to bring a bottle of champagne and glasses to the bride's "getting ready" room. It makes for great photographs and relaxes the bride and bridesmaids. However, everyone should be limited to one glass to avoid unexpected moments during the ceremony. Someone should also be designated as the spoilsport for the groomsmen since they often have plenty of time on their hands while the bride and bridesmaids are getting ready. And it's likely that they'll want a drink too. But sometimes, for some reason, groomsmen often have problems stopping after that first drink. Remind me to tell you the story about the groom who fell in the lake. Luckily, I was only a witness to the event and not the official photographer.
Make sure the bride's "getting ready" room remains uncluttered. Ask the bridesmaids to help keep the room clean. Since I'll be taking many photos in this room, it's important to ensure it remains orderly. If the room's a mess, my photographic angles will be restricted as will my ability to get some really great photographs.
Make sure that tags or stickers are not present on the wedding party's shoe bottoms. There are a few occasions where shoe bottoms might be captured during the course of the event; labels can prove distracting.
The bride should avail herself of the restroom prior to getting dressed. This will ensure the wedding dress remains pristine for the ceremony.
Ask the bridesmaids to remove their belly-button rings or other piercings prior to getting dressed. Bumps from the rings can often appear in photographs. They should also remove their watches and bracelets to reduce distractions in the photos.
The bride and bridesmaids should plan to wear strapless bras during the day leading up to event. Bras often cause indentations on shoulders that can sometimes take an hour to fade. If the bride or bridesmaids plan to wear strapless dresses, this problem will become especially apparent since those indentations will often appear in "getting ready" photographs and during the ceremony.
The bride (and bridesmaids) should pick out a cute outfit to wear while "getting ready." In most cases, I'll be there photographing the bridal party during this part of your day. And since the bride (and bridesmaids) should always look their best in photos, I recommend more careful consideration of what should be worn during this time. The bride should certainly choose casual comfortable clothing but she should also think about how she'll want to be seen in those photos, some of which are certain to appear in the wedding album album. For really cute getting ready photos ideas, each of the bridesmaids can be presented with matching "getting ready" outfits. For more ideas, I suggest you perform a Google search for bridesmaid apparel. I also recommend that you ask your makeup and hair people to "dress to impress" as they may also be featured in some of the photographs.
Make sure the bridesmaids are ready and dressed before it's time for the bride to get dressed. The photographs of bridesmaids helping the bride get dressed are much more elegant when all of the bridesmaids are already wearing their dresses and shoes.
Once the bride is dressed, there should be no more eating and or drinking around the bride. Water would be the sole exception. This will eliminate the need for a last minute scramble to find something that can quickly remove stains from a white dress.
Consider taking your formal and romantic portraits prior to the ceremony. I know that provides a break from wedding tradition, but taking your photographs prior to the ceremony has many advantages. First of all, you'll probably find yourself much more relaxed and less rushed before, during, and after the ceremony resulting in better photographs and a better overall wedding experience. Also, the bride's and bridesmaid's makeup, hair, flowers, and wardrobe will be fresh. You'll also be able to immediately join to the reception and enjoy that time with your guests instead of being sequestered with me, your friendly neighborhood photographer. Do you know the history of the tradition of not seeing the bride prior to the ceremony? In ancient times, marriages were often considered a business arrangement made between families. Marriages were then a way to consolidate land, power, and wealth rather than celebrate a commitment of love. The bride was often kept hidden to make sure the groom would not disapprove of her prior to the wedding. If the groom saw the bride before the wedding, and then refused to move forward with the ceremony, that would put the family’s financial arrangements in jeopardy. So if you aren't entering into an arranged marriage, please consider taking the formal and romantic portraits prior to your ceremony. But if you'd still like to keep that traditional alive, that's fine with me too! For more information about seeing each other before the wedding please see my article titled Should We See Each Other Before the Ceremony.
If you're holding an indoor ceremony, please consider leaving the lights set as high as is possible (while maintaining decorum). Although lowering the lights may create a more intimate mood, semi-darkness seems to make guests lethargic. It also makes it more difficult for the elderly to view your ceremony. As for the photography, it's much easier for me to capture exceptional photographs with more lighting rather than less.
Consider distributing a note with the invitation or by ushers (at the ceremony) that states: "Please enjoy the ceremony and leave all photography to the hired professionals." By including this detail, you can eliminate some of the following issues: 1) you'll reduce the number of people stepping into the aisle with their point and shoot cameras during the processional and recessional; 2) reduce the number of individuals taking flash photographs during the ceremony which ca distract the celebrants; and 3) reduce audio noise during the ceremony (the beeps, clicks, and clacks).
During the ceremony, both during the processional and recessional, the wedding party, guests, and escorts should be encouraged to walk slowly. Remind the wedding party and family about this several times before the wedding. To ensure you have great photographs, I'll need to take multiple photographs of each couple as they come up or down the aisle. For the recessional, when the bride and groom reach the mid-point, it's a great idea to stop and kiss (and perform a dip if you have it in you). Your guests will love it and I'll get another fabulous photograph!
If you're using an aisle carpet runner, your selection can be very important. Not only does it serve as a foreground element in many of your photographs, but it's also central to the décor of your ceremony space. When you select the aisle, make sure you ask to personally view it prior to its use. If you're having an outdoor wedding, you should ensure that the carpet is thick and won't bunch when it's laid out on uneven and soft ground. Make sure you have someone designated to adjust and straighten the carpet after the family members and groom walk down the aisle. If you are at an indoor location, you can even purchase special tape for the bottom of the carpet. Make sure you are prepared because several times I've seen folks use duct tape to tape down aisle runners at the last moment. As you might imagine, that's not very attractive. Avoid using a paper aisle runner at all costs!
The beauty of your ceremony photographs can be easily compromised if you don't pay special attention your audio setup. First of all, one of the most troubling physical items present in many ceremony photographs is a microphone stand. I've found that these stands are often placed directly in front the Officiant. If this is the case for your wedding, this means that almost every one of your alter photographs will feature the stand--which of course won't make for the most attractive photographs. Check with the folks handling your audio and see if they can provide the Officiant with a wireless lapel microphone, preferably one that is sensitive enough to register your voices in addition to his/her voice during the ceremony. If you plan to exchange vows, ask the audio folks to also provide you with a wireless hand-held microphone. The hand-held wireless microphone that can be placed in an unobtrusive location and then retrieved when it's time to exchange your vows (and no, that doesn't mean I’m recommending that you should place the microphone on a nearby microphone stand off to one side). In addition to your microphone considerations, you should also consider your speaker placement. You should make sure that your speakers are placed well outside the left and right boundaries of your congregation / audience / wedding party. From a photographer's perspective, this will allow me to frame you, the congregation, and your wedding party and also exclude the speakers in your photographs.
There are many occasions when you might try to fit as many people as possible into your ceremony space. However, when you take that approach, photos of the ceremony look crowded. To help ensure that the ceremony doesn't appear cramped in your photos, if you're having an outdoor wedding, place the first row of seats far enough from the alter to provide plenty of room between the wedding party and your first row of guests. A good rule of thumb is to plan for at least fifteen (15) feet. The same consideration should also be given to the width of the aisle. During the processional and recessional many guests lean into the aisle with their digital cameras or video recorders. If your aisle is narrow, these guests will be prominently featured in many of your photos. Therefore, if possible, try to ensure that your aisle at least ten (10) to twelve (12) feet wide. This planning will help reduce your guests' impact on your processional and recessional photos.
If you're using rose or flower petals on your aisle, make sure you have enough petals to cover the aisle, runner, or the aisle edges. If you have too few petals, the aisle will look somewhat unappealing in your photographs. In other words, when you purchase your flower petals, you should consider moderate to heavy coverage rather than opting to purchase the bare minimum.
Consider providing bubble bottles to your guests, especially those sitting on the aisle. Ask them to blow bubbles at the bride and groom during the recessional (but caution them against blowing bubbles during the ceremony). It makes for some really fabulous photographs!
If you haven't yet selected your Officiant, please remember that whomever you select will be prominently featured in almost every photograph taken during the ceremony. Therefore, if you have a choice, select an Officiant that is relatively attractive and about the same height as the groom. This will help ensure that photographs taken at the alter are as pleasing as possible. If you are really bold, I'd even suggest that you ask the Officiant if he or she would step slightly to the side before asking you to kiss your fiancé for the first time. If the Officiant makes this slight adjustment, his or her action will help me have an unobstructed view of only the bride and groom during the kiss.
You should ask the Officiant how he or she plans to hold/carry the notes or text related to the ceremony. In weddings I've photographed, I've seen the Officiant use oversized binders, colorful books, and even manila folders. In each of these cases, the quality of the photographs at the alter was negatively impacted due to the distracting nature of these items. Small black books or binders (without significant decoration) are often ideal.
The distance between each member of the wedding party is an important consideration to ensure good photographs. First, you should ask the best man and maid of honor to stand an equal distance away from the bride and groom. I would recommend a distance of about three (3) feet except when the maid of honor takes possession of the bridal bouquet or the best man passes rings to the groom. The rest of the wedding party should stand about fifteen (15) inches apart and maintain that distance at all times. This will ensure that photographs of the bride, groom, and wedding party are always symmetrical.
During the ceremony, when exchanging vows, rings, or kisses, the bride and groom should face each other so that their shoulders are parallel to one another and perpendicular to the congregation. During the ring exchange, the bride and groom should take special care to not hide each other's hands. Also, when the ring reaches the middle of the finger, pause for a moment in order that I have can have enough time to capture the photos. As for the kiss, it shouldn't be rushed. From the beginning and throughout the kiss the bride and groom should lean toward each other. If either the bride or the groom leans away during the kiss, then it will often make for a less than pleasing photograph. Also, when the kiss begins try to maintain your stance so that both of your faces remain visible to the congregation. This will ensure that the back of the bride's or groom's head is not the main focal point of the photograph.
Make sure you personally view and approve the chairs that you plan to use for the guests at the ceremony. In my experience, white wooden chairs make for the best backdrop for ceremony photographs. If white wooden chairs are not available, ensure that all of your chairs will be consistent. If you don't cover this detail with your event manager, some locations may provide you with uncovered or unattractive banquet chairs. Ugly chairs should be avoided at all costs!
Try to arrange for a secluded area or room for the wedding party and family after the ceremony and prior to the formal / family portraits. As long as the bride and groom are visible, the guests will want to stay on hand to congratulate them rather than leave for the cocktail hour at the reception. This can delay the start time for your formal portraits. I know you'll be tempted to greet your guests after the ceremony, but it's often best to reserve that for the reception.
If at all possible, I strongly recommend that you schedule your formal / family portraits immediately after and at the same location as your ceremony. It has been my experience that if you don't schedule these photographs immediately after the ceremony, then there is a good likelihood that some individuals you'd like to have in your photographs won't be present when they're needed. These family members and guests may fail to appear for a variety of reasons. Just some of the reasons I've heard absent guests mention at past weddings include:
If one of these people is unavailable, then many of your planned groupings may be impacted--particularly if the individual is an immediate family member like a mother, father, and/or grandparent. You do have the option of going ahead without that person or you may decide to wait for them to arrive. However, if you wait, then your overall wedding day schedule may be impacted to a greater or lesser degree. One sure way to minimize these issues is to begin your formal / family portraits immediately after the ceremony. Since the guest or family member is typically present at your ceremony, it's much easier to ensure they will also be present and available for yourformal / family photographs.
When photographing a wedding and reception, the enemies to any photographer are poles and other electrical components. Nothing will detract from a perfect photograph more than a pole or wire in the background. Although I'll avoid composing photographs where the background scenery is unattractive, it's sometimes unavoidable when speakers, wires, heaters, signs, or poles are placed near prominent locations including the aisle, alter, head table, or dance floor. When you're hiring your music, electrical, or lighting specialists, make sure they're aware of your concern. Ask them what they plan to do in order to minimize the visual impact of their service at your wedding.
When working on your reception floor plan, try and ensure that you have included an aisle wide enough for you and your fiancé (and your wedding party couples) to enter together--side by side. I've seen situations where little or no aisle exists and you both need to go through a slalom course between tables and chairs in order to reach the dance floor or your head table.
Where you decide to place your cake(s) is very important. At many weddings I've seen the cake placed on a small table in the corner of the room, with nothing but an unattractive wall (or worse) as the background. Remember, the cake will be featured in many photographs; therefore an attractive background will be very important to ensure great photographs. I also recommend that you consider decorating the cake table. As a final note about the cake table, you may want to make sure that there's enough room for guests to comfortably gather around during the cake cutting--with enough room for me to be far enough back from the table to still create a uncrowded pleasing photographs.
When it's time for your first dance, ask your bridesmaids and groomsmen to line one side of the dance floor. This will help create an environment conducive for great photographs as I can also feature those folks in your photographs while you're dancing.
Make sure that the DJ has a wireless microphone when it's time for the toasts. It doesn't make for very good photos when your family and friends are forced to stand near the DJ stand when giving their speeches.
Check to see if the DJ or lighting supplier plans on using any special lighting. You should be aware that when multicolor "disco" lights are used, reception guest faces may feature technicolor skin tones based on the lights being employed.
If you'd like to republish excerpts or the entire article found above, please call Rob Greer of Rob Greer Photography at (626) 523-3123 or send an e-mail with your request along with a URL to where you'd like to publish this information. I'll then send you official permission along with a short biographical note that you can post on your site or within your publication.
(626) 523-3123
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