My Wedding Workflow
Many people have asked me about my wedding day workflow; how I spend my time on the day of. I thought explaining my process would make for a different type of blog post. This post will be dedicated as an overview of my priorities and thought process on the day of the wedding. This is just an overview of the day. In future blog posts, I’ll go into more detail of specific shots that I like to get during each portion of the day.
My wedding day starts a day or two before the wedding day. I spend a lot of time checking and double checking my equipment. I make sure that my flash batteries have all charged over the last couple of days. I make sure that my camera batteries have all charged. Luckily, they charge fairly quickly. The morning of the wedding, I make sure that all of my camera cards have been cleared off and formatted from the previous wedding. Once I am confident that everything is in order, I pack my bag, take it upstairs and give the contents a second check before heading out the door.
My goal is always to arrive at least 30 minutes early. I’ve always lived by the motto that I would rather be an hour early than a minute late. This serves two purposes for me. First, the bride and groom have enough on their minds that day; worrying about whether or not their photographer is going to show up and show up on time is something I don’t want them to worry about. The second advantage is that if the bride is getting ready at the ceremony location, it gives me a chance to talk to the site manager and take a quick look around to see where I may want to take the bride and groom for photos.
I usually start photographing the bride. We all know that the bride is the central focal point of the day and I want to make sure that I cover every aspect of her getting ready. Usually when I show up, she is getting her makeup done. I take the time to introduce myself to the mother, sisters, bridesmaids, etc. I also like to exchange cards with the hair stylist and makeup artist. It’s a great chance to network as well.
I will get a few photos of the makeup artist working on the bride, but most of these shots will be from behind the bride. As with all professionals, makeup artists don’t want an unfinished product documented, which I can absolutely respect. The photos from behind help to tell the story without stepping on the artist’s toes. I keep my head on a swivel at this point, getting photos of people in the room getting ready, different decorations that may be placed around the room, etc. A very important part of this moment for me is getting photos of the bride’s details. This can include different things, but usually, her shoes, jewelry, the bouquet if it has arrived already, a note from the groom, etc. I love details shots and these make great filler photos when I am working on their album later on.
After spending some time in the bride’s room, I get an idea of how much longer she will be, before getting into her dress. Being a guy, I obviously leave the room, but want to make sure I am outside the door as she putting on her dress, that way I can come back in to photograph her bridesmaids and mother lacing or zipping up the back, helping her into her shoes, etc.
In between getting the details and her putting on the dress, I go say hi to the groom and get started on his getting ready photos. The guys are usually ready by the time I get there, which isn’t a big deal. Part of my job is that of story teller. I will have him pull his jacket off and put it back on for me to photograph; I’ll have him loosen his tie and tighten it back up; I’ll have him fiddle with his cuff links. The final product shows the story of getting ready, even if part of it is staged.
Back up in the bride’s room, getting her dress on, this is a great time for capturing emotion. There are lots of gasps, oohs and ahhs, tears. These are beautiful to capture.
Depending on whether or not the couple is doing a first look, determines the next part of the day. If they are doing a first look, we generally have at least an hour before the ceremony. The first look is a staged shot where the bride will walk up behind the groom and tap him on the shoulder. He’ll turn around and see his bride in her dress for the first time. This is a beautiful moment and a must catch photographically, because that pure emotion can’t be recreated. My thought process here is to break it down into small pieces. First, I position the groom with his back to an aesthetically nice background. I’ll have the bride come in behind him and wait while I get some photos. Beforehand, I will instruct the bride on which of his shoulders to tap him and the groom on which direction to turn. This way, he turns in my direction and does not turn his back toward me. When he sees here, I stay quiet and let them have their moment as I photograph them from different angles.
At this point, I will start gathering people for the formal shots. A week or two before the wedding day, I ask the bride for a list of photo groups that she would like. This includes the bridal party, parents, grandparents, etc. I also ask for the name of a person who knows the majority of the people who can help with gathering up the groups. I want to move quickly and efficiently, so that I have as much time as possible with the bride and groom before the ceremony starts. I always like to get the bride and groom back inside with plenty of time to relax before the ceremony starts.
If the bride and groom choose not to do a first look, then after finishing up in the bride’s room, we are usually about 20 minutes or so before the ceremony.
I head down to the ceremony location and get a good look around. I want to see what the center aisle looks like, if there are any side aisles, how I will be able to move around throughout the ceremony. If there is a videographer, I like to know where their cameras are going be set up and what they are recording. It is important that we work together and that I stay out of their shots as much as possible.
After the ceremony, depending on whether the couple did a first look or not, I will either start the formals, or take just the bride and groom for a few more photo spots. Once this is done, we all return to cocktail hour where the bride and groom will mingle with their friends and family and I will walk around following them as they interact. I also take this time to take photos of the guests.
The last thing I do during this time is to go into the reception hall and get photographs of the room, the decorations, etc. Something that has become increasingly popular is for the bride and groom to walk in and have a first look at the room before the guests start entering. This is another opportunity to get private moments of the bride and groom as they enter into the second large part of their day.
As the reception begins and the bride and groom enter for their first dance, the stressful part of my day is over and the more low key portion begins. There are certain portions of the reception that are must-capture, but the setting allows for more time to do so.
The last big shot I like to get and it’s completely dependent on Mother Nature, but for me, if there is a sunset, it is a must have shot. It’s certainly one of my favorites and one that I like to share with the guests as well. I’ll pull couples out to get photos for as long as there is color in the sky.
After that, the rest of my day is relaxing a little bit, mingling with guests, and thinking about anything else I might want to shoot, for inclusion in the album after editing. After I say goodbye to the bride and groom, I head home to transfer the photos to my hard drive and make a backup copy. Depending on how late it is when I get home, I like to edit a few and send them to the couple as a sneak peek.