Photograph

PHOTOGRAPHY/VIDEOGRAPHY

Photography

You should choose a reputable, professional photographer specializing in wedding pictures. Begin your search for a photographer far in advance of the wedding date (up to a year or more) as many of the best photographers are booked up to a year or two ahead of time. Ask to see entire albums of recent weddings they have done. Find out what exactly is included in their "package price" – number of shots, time photographer will work, if album is included, website posting, proofs included, etc. Most photographers will take an engagement picture long before the wedding. This could be handy especially if you want to have an oil painting made from it. Many will include the engagement photo free if you book your wedding with them.

Meet with the person who will actually be taking the photos. Explain the formal and informal photographs that you want taken. Discuss any church restrictions, and ask your photographer to be as inconspicuous as possible. Also, appoint a friend or cousin to help the photographer round up special people, etc. so that your day isn't spent worrying about getting everyone together. Many couples today are having their posed church pictures taken before the service so as not to hold up the families/friends afterward.

Following is a helpful guide to be sure all those happy memories are captured on film. Create your own list in EZ Wedding Planner with the Photography List Free Form. You can copy/paste any of the below list into your personal list.

Before the Ceremony

• Bride in dress.
• Bride putting on veil.
• Bride with mother.
• Bride with father
• Bride with both parents.
• Bride with honor attendants.
• Bride with bridesmaids.
• Bride with grandparents/godparents/special friends.
• Bride with brothers and sisters.
• Bride touching up makeup/hair.
• Everyone getting flowers.
• Bride leaving house.
• Bride and father getting into car.
• Groom alone.
• Groom with best man.
• Groomsmen getting boutonnieres.
• Other ____________

At the Ceremony

• Guests outside the church.
• Bride and father getting our of car.
• Bride and father going into church.
• Ushers escorting guests.
• Groom's parents being seated (or in procession).
• Bride's mother being seated (or in procession).
• Soloist and/or organist.
• Groom and groomsmen at altar (or in procession).
• Giving-away ceremony.
• Altar or canopy during ceremony.
• Each attendant as procession begins.
• Bride and father waiting for procession to begin.
• Procession of groom with his parents/bride with her parents. During the Mass or service, the photographer should be most discreet and not distract from the central action taking place.
• Bridal party at the altar.
• Bride and groom exchanging vows.
• Ring ceremony.
• Groom meeting bride.
• The kiss.
• Bride and groom coming up aisle.
• Bride and groom on church steps.
• Bride alone in the church.
• Bride and groom amongst the guests, wedding party.
• Bride and groom getting into car.
• Bride and groom in back seat of car.
• Other ________________________
• _____________________________

Posed Shots Before the Reception

• Bridesmaids looking at bride's ring.
• Bride's and groom's hands.
• Bride and groom together.
• Bride with parents.
• Groom with parents.
• Bride and groom with honor attendants.
• Bride and groom with children.
• Bride with her attendants.
• Groom with his attendants.
• Bride, groom, all the wedding party.
• Bride, groom, all the parents.
• Other

At the Reception

• Bride and groom arriving.
• Bride and groom getting out of car.
• Bride and groom going into reception.
• The receiving line (posed).
• The receiving line (candid).
• Bride and groom in receiving line.
• Bride's mother in receiving line.
• Buffet table.
• Friends serving punch.
• Bride and groom at bridal table.
• Parents' table
• Entire wedding party at table.
• Bride and groom dancing.
• Bride and her father dancing.
• Groom and his mother dancing.
• The musicians.
• Bride and groom talking to guests.
• Guest book table.
• The cake table.
• Bride and groom cutting the cake.
• Bride and groom feeding each other cake.
• Bride and groom toasting.
• Throwing and catching the bouquet.
• Groom taking off bride's garter.
• Throwing and catching the garter.
• Wedding party decorating car.
• Bride changing into going-away clothes.
• Groom changing into going-away clothes.
• Bride and groom saying good-bye to parents.
• Bride and groom ready to leave.
• Guests throwing rice.
• Guests waving good-bye.
• Rear of car when leaving.
• Other_________________

Shortly after the wedding date, your photographer will notify you that your proofs are developed. Many photographers use digital cameras and can have all of your photos displayed on your wedding day. You and your new husband can then select the shots you will want enlarged for your album. Keep in mind that your wedding photographs are an investment for your memory and for your new future. They also make nice gifts for friends and relatives who share in your joy and love!

Beware of the instant picture availability with digital cameras. We were at a wedding where the photographer had a laptop which he downloaded all the wedding pictures at the reception. The bride/groom and all the wedding party spent most of the reception looking at their pictures and didn't mingle with the guests. They even had to be coached to get on the dance floor because they were so consumed with looking at the laptop pictures. Your reception is a time for you to enjoy and mingle with the guests you invited. Let everyone have a good time and save the picture viewing for later.

Videotape Services

Videotaping, the newest fashion in wedding memories, promises to become as much of a tradition as still photographs. The equipment is lightweight and portable, allowing as much flexibility and scope as you want and are willing to finance. Tape players have fast forward and rewind features for pinpointing your favorite scenes any time you're feeling nostalgic. And lots of videographers put your wedding video on DVD with music and the bells and whistles.

How to Order

Select your wedding and reception sites before interviewing companies to be aware of restrictions on videotaping activities or lighting and power problems. Some religious denominations prohibit videotaping; others allow it but restrict auxiliary lighting to maintain a dignified atmosphere. Low lighting may not rule out taping but the quality will be grainier.

Videotaping wedding services require careful comparisons. Look for broad experience in commercial and industrial work and other wedding references to find the seasoned professionals. Keep a record on the worksheet of the information you gather.

Preview samples of the company's past work. Ask for a description of the proposed scenario and how many cameras are necessary to do it well. Productions range from a single camera shooting from one angle to several roving ones. The best tapes tell a story rather than show unrelated clips. Although you want to rely on the professional's experience, a good producer wants to know your expectations and preferences.

Encourage the video producer and still photographer to coordinate their plans beforehand for maximum, effective use of each medium.

Two types of productions are available. One, the least expensive, uses one camera in more stationary positions. Shots are taken as the action unfolds and there's no post-production work. That means no editing, no customizing and no music although you have the option of adding these later at additional costs. The church shots, for example, are taken with one stationary camera. If a bridal party member gets in the line of sight or you and the groom have to turn your back to the camera, that's what the completed tape will show.

More expensive productions use at least two roving cameras and remake the tape by editing. The cost increases with the complexity. An elaborate production may cost five or six times that of a simple, unedited tape.

Videotape Techniques

Directors have a variety of techniques at their command. Color tape and dual audio (microphones) are available. Your wedding music can be taped during the festivities and dubbed in later. Some tapes start with titles and a montage of two-to-three second clips, and it's possible to include interviews with friends and relatives.

What it Costs

Total cost will depend on equipment, how long the crew works, what graphics are added, and the tape length, sound dubbing, photographic special effects and editing which is often the biggest cost. Equipment ranges from "home movie" video cameras to high resolution, broadcast quality cameras. Generally, companies charge an hourly rate, though some set a flat fee. Decide what your wedding budget will allow and choose within those limits.

Why Video

Many churches are promoting the use of video today because it offers the most realistic memory of your wedding. You will be most nervous during the ceremony – perhaps so nervous that you might not remember the details afterwards. A video allows you to sit with family and friends later to view the wedding, sharing the many wonderful highlights together.

The reception, on the other hand, is full of fun and excitement. So many people to greet, so many things going on – even some family members you may not have seen in years. What a perfect way to remember the faces, the fun, the moments – like your wedding waltz, your favorite song, a special toast, a stolen kiss…My recommendation on videotaping the reception is to pay by the hour and save every inch of film, unedited. You will be happy you did.

Copies of the videotape make great gifts for friends far away. The video can also make an anniversary very special. The memory of your wedding can live on and on.