Planning the Wedding Photography

I normally see my Bride and Groom around two weeks before the wedding. Most ask what should they bring? I normally say that they can make a list if they wish, but my system seems to cover most requirements. Occasionally brides will come with scrap books of images, again nothing wrong with that, but they normally say "we want them like this -nothing posed just natural" the trouble is that 99% of the photos are posed/set up- it just that the Bride hadn't realised it.

The worst is when the couple give you a list with No1. John, Jane, and Fred - No. 2 -John, Johns cousin and Mike. etc. The names mean absolutely nothing to the wedding photographer and are never in any kind of order.!! I tell the couple  to keep hold of their list and see if I miss anybody from it  once I have finished.
The first thing I ask for is the wedding party -just first names - thats Bridesmaids; Ushers and any variations ie groomsmen page boys;flowergirls etc, If they are young I will ask for their approx. age (so that I can second guess who is who on the day- It always surprises them when I walk in and say " Hi Let me guess you most be Hannah and I bet you about 6 .? " I also ask who is giving the Bride away?

I then go to the Brides family ie Mum & Dad and or Step Parents (and I ask if they are all ok with each other for the photos!!!!)-then Brothers and Sisters then respective partners and family. Grandparents are next, very important is how to address them some dont mind others prefer more formal greetings! and I always ask if they are mobile or not. (A lot of the time we will go to them to take a photograph)

Once the immediate family are done I go to the extended family. ie Uncles and Aunts Godparents etc. I say that they can split it up into the 'Jones" Smiths" etc. or we can just put them all on one photograph. (This is the most popular choice) - I repeat this for the Grooms family (after listening to the first part he always has a much better idea of whats to expect!!)

The next section is usually where the couple need their list if they have one. Its where I ask the Bride and Groom for any special shots - shots that I wouldnt know to take without them telling me. ie The bride and Aunty Sheila from Australia or the girls form Uni. whatever they want. I just try and tell them not to have too many in this list has it can be very time consuming and boring if you are just taking two off and adding two on.!!
I remind them that they WILL get the expected shots of flowers,the service, confetti, group, car, cake etc. plus Lots and lots of people milling around enjoying themselves ie the unplanned shots that normally produce the best images, you just cant guarantee who is going to be in the shot.!! hence the previous section.
That normally covers all the photographic requirements of the day and I normally transfer it all onto a small piece of paper which I will discreetly refer to during the day.
This normally looks something like this:-
BM&U
GA
BdMs
-------
BRIDE FAMILY
M&D
B&S
GRANS
UA&C
--------
GROOMS FAMILY
M&D
B&S
GRANS
UA&C
---------
EXTRAS .
All I need to now is to sort out the practicalities ie  times of everything, Where I am going to start? Where is the bride getting ready from? What time are they sitting down for their meal? Are the Speeches before during or after the meal? What time is first dance? etc.

VOILA- That should be that - but I always say that this is just a plan. It can be changed at any time, they can add to it when they suddenly forgot to mention Uncle Brian. No problem let me know before hand or  if on the day I will pretend that I forgot to add it on.!!
By this time the Bride and Groom normally realise that I have covered ALL their choices and are more than happy to add or take away later. All this takes about 20-30 minutes. After this its package choice but thats another BLOG.
All of this is not definitive, It just works for me. It seems a lot but on the day I have a very small piece of paper to refer to for ALL the names and times. It means I never miss anything  IMPORTANT and that leaves me free to think about the Bride and Groom's  special shots.