When Love Becomes Art

Your photographer is your official memory maker-and the creator of keepsakes that will adorn your home. What he or she captures will be with you the rest of your lives, so choosing the right person is very important.

Things You Should Know About Your Photographer
How many weddings have they photographed?

What are their deposit requirements?

What kind of albums do they create?

Do they post their proofs online for you and others to view?

Do they have any type of special effect specialty?



Engagement Photographs
Booking your photographer early enough provides you the opportunity to schedule informal shots. Some couples blow these shots up and have them at their reception for wedding attendees to sign with well wishes. They later hang these shots in their home as a memento.

When To Shoot
Choosing to shoot photographs before the wedding can keep your weddings moving along with you as a part of it (as opposed being gone for 60-90 minutes taking pictures). If seeing the bride before the wedding is a no-no, then consider shooting pre-wedding shots of the bride's and her attendants/family and the groom and his attendants/family separately. Then when the ceremony is finished, you only need to take shots with each other, which takes less time.

Your Shot Checklist
Here is a list of the typical shots most people get at their weddings:

Wedding
Bride in gown (front and back)
Groom
Bride and groom together
Bride and groom with both sets of parents
Bride and bridesmaids
Groom and groomsmen
Bride, groom and entire wedding party
Bride and her family
Groom and his family

Reception
Arrival of the new couple
Receiving line (if you have one)
Couple's first dance
Bride's dance with her father
Groom's dance with his mother
Both sets of parents on the dance floor
All of the wedding party who offer a toast
Cutting the cake
Couple feeding each other the cake
Garter toss and bouquet toss (if you're doing them)
Couple leaving the reception



Unique Ideas
Weddings can be as unique as the couples getting married and photographers sometimes have the best view on some non-traditional things people have done.

Debbie Friedrich of Debbie Friedrich Photography recalled a special moment from her career. "A couple was getting married and wanted to include the groom's son in the ceremony. So, as part of the ring exchange, they both gave the boy a ring on a chain - because he was part of the union, too. It was very touching and a wonderful memory to have on film."

Sandy James of Sandy James Photography said, "One of the most memorable weddings I shot was for a couple who were big into 1950's swing dancing. The whole wedding party and guests all came in vintage 50's attire - the bride and bridesmaids found their dresses on eBay that were costumes from an old 50's movie. They had a big band and the images I was able get of everyone dancing were really fun."

"I was asked to shoot a small wedding with only 45 guests," says Robert Marcos of Robert Marcos Studios, "and we took individual headshots of all the guests and created a montage on the first two pages of the couples photo album - it's kind of the opposite of the group shot, but with the same effect."