Wedding Photography
The wedding photography is one of the most important parts about your wedding day. I would definitely recommend taking the time to choose your photographer wisely, but don’t take too much time because they get booked up so quickly. You may find that your wedding venue has their preferred / recommended photographers so this can offer a good option for making your decision. If the photographer has worked at your wedding venue before then they will be familiar with the venue and will have some ideas for locations and backgrounds.
The beauty of the internet and social media is that you can look at the photographer’s websites and their dedicated social media profiles to get a feel for the photographer’s style and how they will approach your wedding day photography. Don’t forget about recommendations, this is how we secured our fantastic wedding photographer, Ailsa Bee Photography.
Our Wedding Photographer
We were really lucky to already know a brilliant photographer, Ailsa Bee Photography. Ailsa captured my brother and sister-in-law’s wedding, and had also done baby photographs for my best friend too – so she was very highly regarded and recommended. We made sure that we booked Ailsa as one of our top priorities.
Ailsa’s approach to both of our wedding days was absolutely perfect. She was very discreet and captured the most unique, timeless, breathtaking moments. Our wedding photos are phenomenal and a joy to look at (this is a weekly treat) and a beautiful reminder of our momentous wedding day.
The standard of Ailsa’s work can be seen from the photographs on this site which are from our actual wedding days.
Wedding Photography Tips
Make Your Photography Wish List
Sit down together and take the time to go the important photos that you would like to capture on the day. This can include the special couple shots that you would like to achieve, different combinations of family and friends, and the wedding guests group shots. Send your wish list to your photographer (and even the best man) before the wedding so that they’ve got time to familiarise themselves with your requirements.
Usher / Groomsmen Tasks
Assign the task of ‘chief herders‘ to your loudest, most sensible groom’s party members. Give them the responsibility of shouting out who is needed for your special shots, this saves time and allows your photographer to concentrate on capturing the special moments. Also, it’s more than likely your best man will already know what your family and close friends look like!
Wedding Breakfast Photos
If your photographer has got time, I’d recommend asking them to get a photo of each of the guest tables at your wedding breakfast. It can be tricky for you to get the time to go around each of the tables during the wedding breakfast, so this will allow you to capture this moment so that you can see them when you look through your wedding photos.
Unofficial / Guest Photography
Our wedding guests captured some wonderful photos and one guest in particular used it as an opportunity to dedicate her photography skills to quietly capture some unique moments.
Following the wedding, we set up a Google photo link for our guests to upload the photos that they’d taken at our wedding. It’s fantastic to see the fun moments that were captured from a range of angles.
The Wedding Videography
Wedding videos aren’t for everyone, but I’m so pleased that we decided to have one for our wedding. The wedding video gives you the chance to see all the parts of the day that you miss; before you arrive at the wedding, whilst you’re having your official wedding photographs done etc. A family member kindly offered to film our wedding day and he did an exceptional job. The fact that he was already known to a number of our guests and had a rapport with them, meant that our guests were at ease and happy to be caught on video.
Whether you choose a professional videographer or have a family or friend perform the task, each option will have its own advantages but it’s definitely one of the best things ever, and I’m always watching mine.
MY WEDDING WISDOM
THE PHOTOGRAPHY HINTS AND TIPS
Photography Wish List
Sit down and take time to plan your wedding photography wish list. Leaving it until the wedding day is too late.
Think About Backdrops
Plan for photos to be taken in different areas, you don’t want all your photos to be with the same backdrop.
Photograph The Youngsters First
If you’ve got children and young members as part of your wedding day, get their photographs done as soon as possible. Once they start playing and enjoying themselves, you’ll find it difficult to get them to cooperate!
All Weather Photos
Be realistic about the weather on your wedding day. If there’s any rain in your forecast then try and have a contingency plan in place.