The Ceremony. The moment you have been preparing for for the last several months...or years. All your planning culminates into this gathering of your closest friends and family joining together to witness one of the top moments of your life. Everyone is smiling and happy....or maybe even crying tears of joy. You don't want to miss a beat. You yearn to remember of every second of it. Seeing your bride or your groom for the first time.....
But we all know that remembering everything can be tough. There is so much going on...and let's admit it: Most of the brides and grooms are not focused on the decorations or the songs or even pastor. They are focused on one thing: the beautiful eyes of their spouse to be. So how can you be sure your photographer captures all those moments you "don't want to miss?"
The simple answer? PLAN AHEAD!!
1) Talk with your photographer about everything that you want captured in your ceremony. If your photographer has done many weddings, he or she should have a pretty good idea of what is "normal" for a wedding ceremony...so he should know to capture the ring exchange, the kiss, the unity candle, etc.
BUT...if you have something special in your wedding, let your photographer know! For example, if your long lost cousin is coming back to visit the family for the first time in 8 years and has agreed to sing at your wedding and you would like to document it, let your photographer know that you would really like some great pictures of your long lost cousin. If you are doing something out of the ordinary - like jumping rope right after you say your vows for some strange reason - prepare your photographer so he or she will be prepared to capture that special moment.
2) Now this one is my personal preference. When I got married, the only picture I have of my dad and I walking down the isle...my eyes are closed! Now, my theory is that you only walk down the isle with your dad for him to give you away once, so make sure you get a great photo of just you and your dad moments before he walks you down the isle. Honestly, this is easier when you have two photographers, because one can stay with you and your dad prior to the ceremony while the other is capturing your wedding party as the enter the sanctuary. Even if you don't have two photographers, make it a priority to get a nice picture of you and your dad's faces smiling at the camera. Maybe that's not important to everyone, but I still regret that I don't have a decent photo of me and my dad.
3) OK. This one is a bit controversial....let me just begin by saying that when I got married, I was the bride who DID NOT want to see my fiance before the wedding. Even is high school for the dances, I LOVED that moment when my date came in to see me for the first time. The look on his face either made or broke the entire evening for me. When the doors were opened for me to walk into the sanctuary on my wedding day, the first thing I looked for was Josh's face to see what his reaction was....and it was a good one. Made my whole day.
So with all that said, you know that I completely understand that point of view; however, from a photographer's point of view, I think a little differently. Formal portraits can be some of the most beautiful and most creative photos from your wedding. If you take all your formal portraits BEFORE the wedding, it frees up so much more time for your photographer to be creative. There is no pressure on your photographer to finish quickly and get you to the reception. He or she can take their time to pose you and your spouse-to-be and make sure he is getting beautiful photos of you both. I also suggest that you take about 15 minutes prior to the beginning of your portrait session to spend with just you and your spouse-to-be. Have that "Ah-Ha" moment just between the two of you and no one else...except maybe your photographer who may or may not want to capture that awesome moment for you. This is a great idea, too, because you and your fiance can have a moment to say, "Hello, you look awesome! I love you!"
Now, I've heard that seeing your spouse before the actual ceremony does not take away from the moment when the doors open and the bride walks down the isle. It's up to you!
4) This one is a MUST! Before your wedding day, create a list of formal photos with your photographer that you want to take on your wedding day. Your photographer may have a list created for you already that you may want to add to or take away from. Why, you ask? Well, it just helps the mass chaos run more smoothly. If you have a solid list of photos, you don't run through them all and then ask, "Did we get my step-mom and my real dad together with BOTH of us?" You just know you did because your photographer is following the list. Plus, you run the list by both your parents to make sure everything they might want is on there as well. This takes away from both sets of parents saying, "Can we take this one with this person and then add so-and-so? And then can we add this? Oh, and then I want one with just my family....." Those are the photos that can take a simple 30-minute photo session and can change it to an hour long photo session.
Well, there you go. Four simple tips on how to get exactly what YOU want on your wedding day. After all, it's all about you, right?? :) Check back next week for my tips on getting great photos during your reception!
The simple answer? PLAN AHEAD!!
1) Talk with your photographer about everything that you want captured in your ceremony. If your photographer has done many weddings, he or she should have a pretty good idea of what is "normal" for a wedding ceremony...so he should know to capture the ring exchange, the kiss, the unity candle, etc.
BUT...if you have something special in your wedding, let your photographer know! For example, if your long lost cousin is coming back to visit the family for the first time in 8 years and has agreed to sing at your wedding and you would like to document it, let your photographer know that you would really like some great pictures of your long lost cousin. If you are doing something out of the ordinary - like jumping rope right after you say your vows for some strange reason - prepare your photographer so he or she will be prepared to capture that special moment.
2) Now this one is my personal preference. When I got married, the only picture I have of my dad and I walking down the isle...my eyes are closed! Now, my theory is that you only walk down the isle with your dad for him to give you away once, so make sure you get a great photo of just you and your dad moments before he walks you down the isle. Honestly, this is easier when you have two photographers, because one can stay with you and your dad prior to the ceremony while the other is capturing your wedding party as the enter the sanctuary. Even if you don't have two photographers, make it a priority to get a nice picture of you and your dad's faces smiling at the camera. Maybe that's not important to everyone, but I still regret that I don't have a decent photo of me and my dad.
3) OK. This one is a bit controversial....let me just begin by saying that when I got married, I was the bride who DID NOT want to see my fiance before the wedding. Even is high school for the dances, I LOVED that moment when my date came in to see me for the first time. The look on his face either made or broke the entire evening for me. When the doors were opened for me to walk into the sanctuary on my wedding day, the first thing I looked for was Josh's face to see what his reaction was....and it was a good one. Made my whole day.
So with all that said, you know that I completely understand that point of view; however, from a photographer's point of view, I think a little differently. Formal portraits can be some of the most beautiful and most creative photos from your wedding. If you take all your formal portraits BEFORE the wedding, it frees up so much more time for your photographer to be creative. There is no pressure on your photographer to finish quickly and get you to the reception. He or she can take their time to pose you and your spouse-to-be and make sure he is getting beautiful photos of you both. I also suggest that you take about 15 minutes prior to the beginning of your portrait session to spend with just you and your spouse-to-be. Have that "Ah-Ha" moment just between the two of you and no one else...except maybe your photographer who may or may not want to capture that awesome moment for you. This is a great idea, too, because you and your fiance can have a moment to say, "Hello, you look awesome! I love you!"
Now, I've heard that seeing your spouse before the actual ceremony does not take away from the moment when the doors open and the bride walks down the isle. It's up to you!
4) This one is a MUST! Before your wedding day, create a list of formal photos with your photographer that you want to take on your wedding day. Your photographer may have a list created for you already that you may want to add to or take away from. Why, you ask? Well, it just helps the mass chaos run more smoothly. If you have a solid list of photos, you don't run through them all and then ask, "Did we get my step-mom and my real dad together with BOTH of us?" You just know you did because your photographer is following the list. Plus, you run the list by both your parents to make sure everything they might want is on there as well. This takes away from both sets of parents saying, "Can we take this one with this person and then add so-and-so? And then can we add this? Oh, and then I want one with just my family....." Those are the photos that can take a simple 30-minute photo session and can change it to an hour long photo session.
Well, there you go. Four simple tips on how to get exactly what YOU want on your wedding day. After all, it's all about you, right?? :) Check back next week for my tips on getting great photos during your reception!
á bientôt!
