A Photographer's Guide to Wedding Planning

If you’re recently engaged and starting to plan your wedding chances are you’ve already read a bunch of wedding planning articles or made a smart move and hired a professional wedding planner. I’m definitely not a wedding planner but I have been a part of many weddings and have a few tips to share from a photographer’s perspective that you or your wedding planner likely haven’t thought of.

Getting Ready

I don’t think the getting ready location is usually first on the list of wedding planning items but if you’re opting to have a photographer there for that part of your day then its definitely something to take into consideration. Bad lighting can make or break photos so opt for a place that has lots of nice windows. Space can also be an issue. If you’re getting ready with your 10 bridesmaids in a hotel room there will be very limited room for me to move around and take photos. Also, doing a ten second tidy before I get there will work wonders for your photos. Room cleaning is not included in my fee and I can’t Photoshop wet towels off the floor (guys, I’m talking to you). A nice space doesn’t have to break the bank, use a friends awesome apartment or rent a cool pad on Air Bnb.

Timeline

This one deserves a whole blog post to itself but basically if you’re not already consulting with your photographer in regards to your timeline call them immediately. Only your photographer will know how much time to allow for family photos and portraits and what time of day has the best light to get those epic magic hour shots.

Ceremony

Ok this is a big one that nobody ever thinks about, except your photographer while they’re cursing at their computer. Lighting during your ceremony can be really tricky. If its a bright sunny day and you’re facing the wrong direction you’ll be squinting in every photo or if your guests are facing the wrong direction they’ll be squinting in every photo. If you’re getting married against a bright window in the middle of the day you’ll be silhouetted and your faces will be dark. If there’s an exit sign behind your head it will take 37 hours to get rid of it in every photo. Also, mark a tiny spot on the ground where the middle of the arch is. My biggest pet peeve is when the bride and groom are standing slightly off centre in every single photo. Another strong suggestion is having an unplugged ceremony. Devices are super distracting and definitely take away from the intimacy of your vow exchange. Its also pretty much impossible to Photoshop your Uncle Bob and his giant camera out of the aisle. You get the point, there’s a lot to consider… talk to your photographer!

Reception seating chart

The most hated part of wedding planning, the seating chart. This seems like a weird thing for your photographer to care about but we actually do. Similar to the ceremony, lighting can really make or break your reception photos so talk to your photographer about the best place for the head table to be. Also, we want to capture every tear out of your sweet parents’ eyes which can be hard to do if they’re tucked away in a dark corner. Sit all the VIPs in the nice light up close to you. Also, your photographer will be starving by dinner time so make sure that they’re seated in the room with you in their sight line. I once had to eat dinner in a storage closet and run out every two minutes to make sure that I wasn’t missing anything important.

decor and details

This should mostly be left up to you and your wedding planner but I’ll throw my two cents in. All that stuff costs money, a lot of it. If you have a fat stack of cheddar then go nuts, but most people don’t. This doesn’t mean your wedding can’t still be beautiful. Invest your money into thoughtful details that will make an impact. Place all the good stuff up near the front, at the head table and the front of your ceremony venue. In these places it’ll be in every photo. You can spend money on a beautiful arrangement for the bathroom but I definitely wont be taking a photo of it.

Hopefully that shed some light on the intimidating process of planning your dream wedding. Your photographer wants to take and deliver the absolute best photos for you and will be happy to help you and answer any questions you have throughout the process. They are a valuable resource so make sure you check in with them as you’re making all of these big decisions. Happy planning!