5 Things Your Wedding Photographer Should Know

With photographing over 50 Weddings in 3 short years, I’ve seen it all! But I’ve also learned a lot along the way! Which has given me the tools to educate my couples and help serve them better. When you book your big day with me (yay!) I send a questionnaire to all my couples because I literally want to know EVERYTHING! And I’m here to share 5 tips/questions in that questionnaire, that us photographers should absolutely know before photographing your Wedding!

1. 1. We want to know ALL the names!

We all know how terrible I am with names… so in my questionnaire I like to ask who your immediate family is and what everyones names are – this also includes your bridal party! I feel so much more confident in knowing who you are as a couple, by knowing your loved ones by name! If you have a big family, this is obviously a very difficult task on top of all the other things we have to remember… but being given this list of names prior to the big day gives us the chance to study it and know who each person is, which helps tremendously during family photos! Isn’t it much more suitable saying “Hey Karen!” rather then “Hey.. you!” 😉

2. Family Relationships

Now that I know who everyone is, I need to know if there is any family drama! Thats right. I can’t stress this one enough when it comes to family formals. If your family situation is unique, I need to know and be sensitive to that. We can’t have Mum and Dad who are divorced, asked to get all nice and cozy for a family picture – AWKWARD! I realize this is a personal issue that can be uncomfortable to talk about.. but it saves the unpleasantness that could occur later…. by me! I’m there to capture the best part of your relationships on your Wedding day, I need to know of any conflicts, big or small!

3. Choreographed Dances? Serenading your Bride? Tell me!

I think I speak for all photographers when I say we HATE being surprised on a Wedding day! No matter what you are planning, if it’s a secret or not, we absolutely need to know! Things such as a surprise dance thats choeographed needs special attention and preparation! It will need to be lit differently than a romantic first dance and I’ll need to know this is happening in order to transition and capture it the best way I can. Keeping these types of things secret, results in you losing out on those special shots being captured properly.

4. Dress Code

You can typically get a rough idea of the dress code just by looking at the theme of a wedding and where it is, but it’s also important just to double check on what is appropriate for your big day. Are you aiming for guests to dress formal? Semi-formal? Casual and laid back? It’s good for me to know! I like to look professional but not in ‘all black-name tag’ professional (You know I love my colourful kimonos!) I dress to compliment my style in a comfortable-moveable way, but I also don’t want to typically blend in with guests.  If the dress code is something specific, let me know!

5. Important Details

You’ve probably been planning your wedding and all those intricate details for at least a year… and after the day has come and gone, you’ll want these images to put into fruition all your hard work! Any details that weigh a little more than the rest, clue me in and let me know! Party favours or desserts made with love in Mum’s kitchen, or those DIY projects you spent all night creating with your bridesmaids. Any location that is sentimental? Or even if you’re wearing your late grandmothers brooch.. I want to photograph all these things that mean something to you!