Come the wedding day there are so many moving parts and the more ins and outs your wedding photographer knows about the day the better it is for everyone.
Is there any rules the photographer should follow during the ceremony.
Whether you are getting married in a church or in a vineyard. You should always ask the priest or the officiant their rules for the photographer. Can the photographer move around during the ceremony ? How close can they come to the front ? Is flash allowed inside of the church. All these things I ask the officiant before the ceremony starts but asking in advance is also wise because if there is something extreme the photographer has to figure out they have time to plan for any potential conflict possible.
Is there any quirks with the venue.
Are you getting married in a tent or inside a hall ? Depending where you are getting married photographers have gear that works better in certain environments. If you are having a tent wedding with a clear tent versus a white tent determines the type of flash a photographer may use. Light reacts differently when it moves around a room. If it is a bright room with walls and ceilings that are white photographers will have no difficulty producing great quality images. If it is a room that is like a barn with wood everywhere a photographer needs to know these things so they can bring the appropriate gear to ensure the best images possible.
Is your ceremony an unplugged ceremony
Will you allow guests to take photos or just enjoy the ceremony without any electronic devices. Sometimes when a bride walks down the aisle guests tend to move into the aisle which can result in guests appearing in images with their cellphones. I always plan for this and take pictures in a way so we don’t see this but a photographer always appreciates what they may be up against come the ceremony.
Is there enough time set aside for family photos and formal photos.
In a perfect world family photos should be around 30 minutes in length and formal photos should be approximately 1 hours or longer. In that hour is 20-30 minutes of wedding party photos and 20-30 minutes of bride and groom photos. This allows the photographer to get the most out of the location you are having your pictures taken in. Also keep in mind if you are taking pictures at 2 different locations there is driving time to be considered.
Is there a time before the reception starts where the photographer can take detail shots of the hall and other parts of the venue without guests being there ?
If you are hiring two photographers for your wedding day one of the photographers will take detail pictures of the hall before guests arrive to ensure you get the images with out purses or suit jackets being in the pictures.
