This is the second part of the blog series I am writing. If you missed the first one, check it out here. I have decided to write this series to educate my clients and readers about wedding photography from the perspective of a past bride and wedding photographer. If you have any questions and/or comments, feel free to leave it at the comment box at the end of the post or send us an email to hello@helloinspira.com. We are open to suggestion/question for future posts of this series.
Now, let me put it out there: When I got married, we didn’t hire our photographer to cover the getting ready shots.
I didn’t hire her to do the first look either.I have never brought up the idea to our brides to book us to do both of the above either. I personally think if they value it, they will book me on the spot or at least discuss the possibility of doing it. This time, I am going to be proactive and discuss the benefits of having the getting ready shots on your coverage. As I looked through our wedding folders last week, I realized how precious those images are. There are always those quiet moments when the bride soaks in the reality of the day eventhough everything around her is so chaotic. I always anticipate that moment and the look on the bride’s face. And then, there is that glow on her face as she got into her dress and she realized that this is the day that she has waited all her life, to marry her bestfriend. Also, nothing can beat the look of her mother and the bridesmaids seeing her in the wedding dress for the first time that day. The group hug, the prayer and everything that follow are priceless, if not sacred.
When I second shot, I hung out with the guys. This is a totally different scene. I always love the change from calm to panick-y and then back to calm for the groom and groomsmen (or nervous 🙂 ). I am not sure why they always have one of these two, either something went wrong or they thought they were running late. I usually let them be (in that panic moments) for a good one minute or so and then calmed them down. Those shots are priceless. Mind you, they get ready so fast, guys always do. So, when I first entered the hotel room/apartment unit, I asked them to just chill out and borrow everything from them: the suit, shoes, rings, written vow (which was rarely done so I would get a shot of him writing it down), invitation, bouttenaire and do my stylized detail shots of them. And then, I would go ahead and took shots of them hanging out. About an hour before we have to leave for the first look or ceremony, I would ask them to get ready. They only needed five minutes to do so but putting the tie on sometimes took more time and I would get great shots of this. I would then take natural and posed shots of them. Crossing it off the list before the day even began.
Let’s go back to my story. I had a memory of what it looks like in my hotel room that morning I was getting married but I have no picture (nor recollection) of when and how I looked when I first realized that was the day I was marrying my bestfriend. It was hectic, alright, and I just remember laughing at and with my bridesmaids, that’s all. I had no photos of the guys got locked out of their apartment (yes, they did! And I bet it was funny!) and then everything on schedule was shifted by thirty minutes. I would like those photos in my wedding album and sort of regretting the fact that I didn’t realize it earlier.
This is not a blogpost that suggests you to book your wedding photographer for longer hours and cover your getting ready shots. This is just a reflection of what I would do differently if I had a chance. Being in over twenty weddings as a photographer taught me a lot in this area. I wished I had read this kind of blogpost from a previous bride and changed my mind on my wedding coverage before it was too late. I personally think it’s worth the investment for this is just one day in your life and you can’t be in two different places at the same time to see it all. And you are probably too busy to notice anyway. Looking at these images will give a deeper sense of the wedding day for you and your spouse and everyone who sees them.
~Love,
Jenn~
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