How to Prepare for Your Wedding Photography Planning Session
Your wedding photography is so important and, like most things in life, planning makes perfect. As effortless as beautiful wedding photography looks, huge amounts of time and planning goes into creating the perfect images of your day. Your wedding photography planning session is our opportunity to go through every detail of your celebration to ensure every moment is beautifully captured.
I like to schedule in our planning session for about two weeks before your date. This window of time means that all last minute decisions have been decided and it’s nice and close to the event. One of the most common questions I’m asked when scheduling the planning session is '“What information do I need to have ready?” Well, I’ve create a handy checklist of everything you need to have decided and considered as we reach your wedding photography planning session.
The Wedding Photography Planning Checklist
1. A full schedule of your wedding day activity
Wedding photography usually begins well before the ceremony and it’s important to think about the full schedule of your day. Consider aspects like when will hair and make-up arrive and travel times between prep locations and venues. Knowing the detailed schedule of your day means that I can ensure I know exactly where me and my team need to be as your day progresses and also provides an opportunity to ensure there’s enough time been allowed for your photography requirements. If there are any surprises planned that you need to keep discreet, please do email the details.
2. Contact details
I know we’ve emailed, FaceTimed, liked each other’s Instagram posts and have a contract with all these details added but weddings are booked months, if not years ahead and things change. This is a great opportunity for me to double-check I have correct telephone numbers and email addresses for you both and that you also have the right details for me.
3. Full addresses of all venues and locations for the day
A long time ago I photographed a wedding where the venue changed between the booking date and the actual shooting and it’s this overcautious triple-checking step that meant I went to the right place on the day. (Phew!) What can I say, this experience has stayed with me and I like to check details and I want them all, the full address and postcode please.
4. The wedding party
Knowing the names and roles of the wedding party is so helpful, it means that I can address the most important people by their names and know who I need to speak to during the day.
5. The Key Details
Every couple is unique and I will always endeavour to document all the key details of your day. However, it’s important that I know about anything that is particularly important to you both. Elements that might deserve a little extra camera attention are worth mentioning. This could be physical details of your venue, decor or attire. It might be a specific shot that you must have for your wedding album or even a little extra lens attention extended to a specific guest. Examples from previous couples were things like; lace detailing on the veil that had come from the Mother of the Bride’s dress, the flowers that had been lovingly created by the Bride’s sister, A photograph of four generations getting ready together on the morning. I’ve even been sent a Pinterest board that had been under construction for two years. I’m here for it all.
5. Your group shot list
Weddings are those rare times when we gather all our nearest and dearest together and it’s so important to get those all important group shots. While I will never place restrictions on your photography, I always advise that this list kept as short as possible so that you and your guests can enjoy as much of your day as possible. The post-ceremony section of your day is your first chance to see all you favourite people and finally enjoy a drink and a nibble too. With group shots and couple photos usually happening in this relatively short amount of time, I would advise that 6 group shots is the perfect number, especially as it can take around five minutes per shot to gather the right people and position everyone. The below list is the most frequently requested group shot list and at 5 minutes per shot, this will take 25 minutes of your wedding day time. Any additional shots will extend this window.
The couple with the wedding party
The couple with Partner 1’s immediate family
The couple with Partner 1’s extended family
The couple with Partner 2’s immediate family
The couple with Partner 2’s extended family
The couple with all wedding guests
When you prepare your group list, it’s really helpful to have a detailed list for each shot so that I can ensure I have all the right people per shot. Something like the below is perfect.
The couple with the wedding party - Maid of Honour (Carrie), Bridemaids (Charlotte, Miranda and Sam), Best Man (Robb) and Groomsmen (Jon and Brandon)
6. Nominate a helpful person
While we’re talking about the group shots, it really helps this process run smoothly if there is a person (or two) that can help me to gather the right people quickly.
7. The little things I need to know
Is there anything else that I need to know ahead of your day? You might want to share details of your key suppliers. It might be parking issues that I need to be aware of or complex family dynamics. It’s also your chance to share any personal photography insecurities and anything else too.
After our wedding photography planning session…
Once I have all these details, I will pull all the information together into a final document and share it with you so that you know exactly where I will be at every moment of your day. Of course, I’m always available for any questions that you may have along the way.
Happy planning,
Victoria