YOU'RE ALL BOOKED IN!  SO WHAT HAPPENS NOW? 

Firstly let me say thank you again for choosing to book me to capture your special day.  It's going to be awesome and we'll have a great time on the day, capturing your amazing moments so that you can relive them as memories forever.  This little page will give you an idea of what to expect now that you've booked and also some little pointers that will probably help you out with your planning, so that you can get the best pictures possible from your wedding day.

THE SPACE BEWEEN NOW AND THE WEDDING…

Most couples, probably like yourselves, have booked with over a year to go before the wedding.  That means there will be some time until we see each other again to talk through the final plans.  As seen on your invoice/ agreement the final payment is due on the 1st of the month before the wedding.  I'll be in touch 2 weeks before this due date, to give you a little reminder that the balance will be due and you can then confirm the coverage time that you will need for your day.  We can also start looking at dates for a get together to talk through your final details.  There's a form I use that I will link you to, which allows you to fill in the details and times prior to the meeting and so together at the meeting we can work out what time we'll need for certain shots, though I'll cover this in a little more detail below.  However, you don't need to be a stranger in-between meeting times!  Feel free to follow me on my Facebook page, Instagram, or even add me up as a friend.  That way you'll be able to keep up with my latest work and see what I've been up to!

Yes… That is a Jeff Goldblum cut out!

Yes… That is a Jeff Goldblum cut out!

TELL YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY

Telling your family and friends isn't a way to promote me, but simply a way to educate them about my style of working.  As a documentary style wedding photographer I always encourage keeping family formals to around 8-10 key shots while the rest of the photos are natural, un-staged photos of you and your guests having an awesome time.  As soon as they know this is the way I work then they won't be surprised when there isn't a shot list of 30+ family formals which will take well over an hour.  The number of couples I meet who have said they've been to a family or friends wedding and the family shots went on and on and everyone got bored, isn't my style.  My style is to capture the natural moments while allowing for some family formals.

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HOW LONG DO WE NEED FOR PHOTOS?

While planning your wedding have a think about the timings of the day and what you'd like to get out of it. Most weddings would have 1 hour and 30 minutes between the service ending and the calling in for the wedding breakfast or speeches. You’ll be surprised at how quickly that time goes however and don’t forget, if you’re late then you’re eating into that time. I personally would advise 2 hours to allow for extra breathing and wiggle room.
Here are some of the sections from the day and the timing I'd advise you might need.

Bridal preparations
I'd say allow at least 90-120 minutes for bridal preparations so I can get nice pictures of the dress, shoes etc as well as shots with the makeup being done and everyone having a great time.  Don't forget to factor in travel time to the service and I'll have to leave before you so that I can get parked up and into place.  

Family formals
These usually take 20-30 minutes depending on the number of shots.  As mentioned earlier I try to keep this list to 8-10 key shots which take an average of 3 minutes per picture.  The form you'll receive to input the final times will ask for a helper in gathering the correct people for these, ideally someone who knows most of the people so that it will speed up the process for you.  

My recommended shot list is:

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1 - Bride and Groom with Brides immediate family (parents and siblings)
2 - Bride and Groom with Brides parents
4 - Bride and Groom with both sets of parents
5 - Bride and Groom with Grooms parents
6 - Bride and Groom with Grooms immediate family (parents and siblings)
7 - Groom with Groomsmen
8 - Bride and Groom with Bridesmaids and Groomsmen
9 - Bride with Bridesmaids

Natural photos
All my couples say they want natural photos of people having a good time and being themselves.  I usually say allow at least 30 minutes to get these photos before the wedding breakfast.  Getting them before the wedding breakfast is usually the best time as it's usually lighter and everyone is greeting and mingling after the service.  Trying to get these at night and having to use a flash makes it very obvious that I'm in the room and people don't tend to relax and be themselves as easily.  

Room details
Everyone puts so much effort into getting the room looking amazing and how they want it, so it's aways nice to capture the room before guests go in there and move everything around.  I usually need 5-10 minutes to capture the room details like the cake, name cards, centre pieces, card box, flowers, chair overs etc.  

Couples portraits
Getting nice shots of the two of you to treasure, is also great for giving you both some time to yourselves.  I'd always advise around 15-20 minutes minimum before the wedding breakfast and again later before the evening guests arrive.  That way we can explore a few different locations and also shoot in different light conditions.  For winter weddings it's always worth doing more earlier while it's light and maybe a little less later on when it's dark.  This is the perfect time for you to both be yourselves and for us to have some fun!  Being in front of the camera can be a little strange but don't worry, I just want you to be yourselves and to have a good time so that's all we'll do :) 

First dance and into the night
Most would aim to do the cake cut into the first dance and hour after the evening guests have been told to arrive. Check what time your evening buffet is also being served as you don’t want to be dancing for a few minutes then going straight into food as you won’t have any pictures of people dancing. Most evening buffets are served around 9pm which means the dance floor may die down a little from them.

Being apart of the wedding allows me to get closer to the action.

Being apart of the wedding allows me to get closer to the action.

ON THE DAY OF THE WEDDING…

By then we would have met and talked through the times and plans for your wedding day whether that was face to face or via a video call. We would have worked out my arrival time, the times throughout the day and the time that I will be leaving.  (Should you need extra time on the night this can always be arranged).

Remember, my style is documentary so I won't be asking for fake smiles or awkward handshakes, I'll be capturing your story as it unfolds naturally. I’m not one to stand in the shadows during your wedding day or lurk a mile away with a large lens. People relax around you when you’re part of the wedding. I get involved with the guests so that when I’m standing real close with a camera, they don’t notice or mind that I’m there. That way, we get the real magic!

At the end of the day I won't ever vanish into the night without saying goodbye and grabbing a hug also :)

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AFTER THE WEDDING…

After the wedding you'll be working on your tan while I'll be busy editing away in my little office.  Turn around of images is usually between 4-6 weeks depending on where we are in the season but I LOVE to put a little sneak peak online as soon as possible.  This could be a single picture, a grid of images or evening a short blog post.  I usually post these on my Facebook page, my Instagram account or they sometimes hit the blog on my website.

If you've ordered an album already then I'll ask you to pick your favourite images for the album.  This is done easily though an online gallery of your images.  If you've not order an album but would like to, then simply get in touch and I can add your images to the site so you can pick the ones you love.  

Remember, photography, like any art is subjective.  You might not love every picture that I shoot on the day or even like the way I've shot a particular shot.  As photographers we are artists and sometimes we see something and think it's amazing but then others don't see it.  Take Justin Bieber for example.. Some love him, others hate him.  The bonus with digital images means you can simply remove anything that you don't like and keep the ones you love.  By booking me and seeing my work I'm sure that means we're already on the same page ;)