Wee Idea #2- Weddings

Ok, its that time of year again isnt it. People getting married over the next year or so are looking for a wedding photographer who can do this, can do that and can make their wedding look like something from the pages of Hello (or something like that!)
People in general seem to think the whole wedding photography game is an easy lark...many photographers see it as a quick buck to keep them going while they pursue their own ideals, be they arty or otherwise.
The general public think the wedding photographer is just a person who turns up on the day..gets everyone to line up and magically gets the bride, and groom, to look wonderful on the day.
Not so.

A wedding photographer has to be amazingly proffesional, quick and accurate.
They have to be confident, not only in taking top quality pictures, but also in dealing with people, getting them to do what he or she needs them to do in order to get the best possible results.
Unfortunately i dont have any images to compare and contrast at this point, as they are all still in storage in Ireland (I'll try and get some emailed to me over the weekend and get them up) so all i can do at the minute is share my experience/advice at this stage.

After the initial booking, price negotiations etc this is how my timeline tends to work.

Around a month before the wedding i have my first meeting with the bride and groom to be. Preferably this would be within the confines of my own office, this way you dont get a gaggle of grannies, aunties and mothers all wanting a piece of you and you can properly find out what the couple want from their day.
It is important at this stage that you let them know that the wedding is THEIR day, this way they dont get bullied by relations to get this picture and that picture both in the run up to the wedding and on the day itself....make sure they know that this deal is between you, and them..no one else.

Once you find out what style and look they are going for, show them examples in order to let them know your limitations, at the end of the day sometimes people with little or no experience in photography can want some absolutely impossible ideas put into play.

Once this is dealt with you must then find out the COMPLETE order of service, try and get them down to as exact a time as you can, letting the couple know that in general...the more on time they are, the more chance they have of getting the pictures they want.
Now obviously some couples will want you at the brides house, or the grooms house before the wedding so remember and factor all of this in to your timescale and theirs, ill stick with your standard church to meal formula for the moment.
By the end of this meeting you should know the following.

Where the church is
Where the reception is
Exact times of the service, meal etc
Travel time between Church and Reception
How many people in the bridal party (bridesmaids, flower girls, groomsmen, paige boys etc)
Who is travelling in what car.
Any special arrangements that the couple definetly want/need within their photos.

You should also do the following.
Make sure that the Groom will arrive at the church early. In most cases 1 hour before the service, with groomsmen paige boys and parents.
make sure that the Bride will be at the church at the earliest point possible, with full entourage.
Arrange another date...a week or so before the wedding in order to rubber stamp any last minute ideas or changes.
make sure that the couple know its their day once more. tell them to have a hink about who they need in their group shots and to inform those people not to dissapear away to the bar to early!

3 weeks before the wedding arrange a chance to visit the church/registry office/beach whatever that the service is taking place. Arrange some time to speak with the Priest/minister/registar/rabbi etc who is taking the service and find out their approach to the service in terms of photography...some dont like photographs at all...others allow them at certain times during the service, others dont mind as long as you are inconspicuous during the ceremony.
Check the lighting within the building, check the scenery outside and find out where is good/not good for taking you shots.
Do this at the reception venue also, find out if their is a room the hotel uses in the case of bad weather etc etc etc.

1 week before the weddingmeet with the couple again...this time it can be done in their own home/parents home as it gives them a break from the general chaos and also gives you a feel for their relations personalities and what they look like when your searching for them!
This time your job is to put them at ease, let them know that they are in control of this and that they have given you all the information you need to make sure you capture their day the way they want it.
Get the list of names that they need in their group shots, wish them all the best, and be on your way.

The day of the wedding be at the place which is holding the service at least half an hour before you expect the groom to turn up, take a few test shots, guage the light etc. Take some scenery shots, some shots of inside the church etc.
when the groom arrives you have some time to play around here, make sure you get all the shots you need outside the church.
Use this time to make a connection with the groom and his party...take some fun shots with them, looking at their watches joking and having a laugh etc untill around ten minutes before the bride is due to arrive when you tell the groom to go and have a fag or and go inside to await the bride.
By this time the guests will have started to arrive, get some shots of them arriving, standing talking, entering the building...you cant underestimate how priceless these shots can be...use every second you have!

The bride arrives, your usually in a bit of a rush here...so make sure you know in you head exactly the shots you need..the bride getting out of the car, her father giving her a kiss on the cheek as he leads her into the building, the parents the bridesmaids etc etc.

The service begins and depending on what arrangements you came to with the person presiding over it you have an hour or so to fill.
If you are shooting the service. make sure you get the key point...exchanging the rings, the couple exchanging vows..some of the guests, use every second and every angle you can.
If your not allowed to shoot...make sure you get lots of nice scenic shots, the building itself, get some detail.

After the service the bride and groom leave the church where you will be waiting at the front door to get the shot of them framed by the door etc. (i know there are lot of cliched shots here, but if you get the cliches it leaves you more room to manoeuver with your own style).
Now lots of Irish weddings go for the whole reception line thing...which in general is an annoyance for the photographer, but use it!
Use it to get the hugs and kisses between the couple and grandparents etc. handshakes between mates etc etc etc.
Also use it for more photos of the guests as they mingle outside the building, at weddings you get family members who havnt seen eachother for years (weddings and funerals!) theyll hug, theyll kiss theyll laugh and smile...they all make great images.
Kids will run around with eachother in a completely different world, try and capture it!

after the reception line ends quickly get the couple back inside the building where they can do all the posed shots with the register etc, all the group shots can be done here giving you more time with the bride and groom at the reception (and leaving you less hassle in dragging people from the bar!) get as many as you can before heading off to the reception

at the recetpion you are really running out of time at this stage so you need to make sure you are organised, get the group shots you have left to do, out of the way quickly and then copncentrate on the couple themselves.
make sure you are posing them in ways that look natural...there no point in these shots unless you do.
use props, a bench an ornate lampost, a flower bed...whatever you can (you will have checked all this during your visit to the venue weeks ago remember!) one of my favourites from my own wedding was taken inside an old red phone box in the ground of the hotel.
At this stage the couple will be anxious to move onto the next stage of the day...so relax with them, chat with them...make sure they have a good time when posing for you.
either at this stage or outside of the the service you will have been noticed by the inevitable uncle who is a "keen photographer" and knows more about it than you...avoid him at all costs you dont want to hit him with your camera!

The couple will be called inside before the meal....this is your cue to go into the dining hall were the guests will be taking their seats, try and get a few shots of the table decorations at the top table, if you have time take a shot at every table when they fill up, some nice detail shots of the decoration in the room and on the tables never goes amiss.

One last shot of the top table before they sit down...and a shot of the newly weds just as the sit and you can go to the nearest pub and congratulate yourself on a job well done!

OK iv typed this up raggedly while trying to do umpteen other things and there are probably some glaring ommisions to the piece but I, and hopefully others can help fill them in as we go along eh?

Oh yeah...and then there is processing.........;)