The Big Day !
One of the biggest days has been put in the diary. The proposal went well, they said "YES" and now for the planning. The venue(s), the guests, the cake, the dress (obviously), suits, rings, honeymoon, planners, food but most importantly (in my eyes), the PHOTO/VIDEOGRAPHER.
The memories, for everyone but most importantly the Bride and Groom will last forever but just to look back on that special day visually is something that will be with you forever. When the vows have been spoken, the venue(s) booked the next Bride and Groom, the suits gone back, the food, cake and drink been consumed, the thing you will have as a constant are the memories and photos/videos.
You, the Bride and Groom do all your research and get everything booked and that's when us as Photo/Videographers come in......
Every photographer is different but usually by a rule myself we'd either have a phone, video or face to face meeting to discuss your day requirements and potentially a pre-wedding/engagement shoot, depending where you are with your journey. You, the client, will have done your research by checking reviews, websites, socials etc so you have an idea what the photographer is all about and the work they do.
When a photographer has got the brief, they will present their standard packages or in some cases, more bespoke offering in the form of a quote by email. Once this has been agreed, the photographers work starts for real. Contracts drawn up, questionnaires sent out to get a real feel for how the day will pan out and then await the deposit to secure the date.
Personally I would go to the venue(s), speak to the wedding co-ordinator and do a general bit of homework before the day.
With two weeks to go until the Wedding, the remaining fee will be paid by the client and then it's GAME DAY !
I give myself plenty of time to get there, grab a drink, get used to my surroundings, lighting, speak to the Bride (if you're doing a pre-wedding shoot). If the Groom and his party are at another location, I would have already established whether a 2nd photographer was necessary or not and they would work with them.
With regards my settings, on/off camera flash etc..... that's for another day but I would obviously need to factor that in prior to the day.
Personally, on a full day I would be there an hour before the hair/makeup and usually leave thirty minutes after the first dance. During the wedding breakfast and after the first dance is the "down time" for the photographer bar the odd drinks breaks in between, at the right, appropriate times.
During the day, I like to make everyone feel comfortable. No awkward poses, no forced smiles BUT I do like to speak to the clients and be a bit creative and if they are of the same mindset, brilliant. You only get to do this once so you don't want the same, boring photos. Candid shots are great because they are natural but I speak to my clients. It's all about communication and how we can push the boundaries of what they feel is not too awkward of cringey.
Once the day is done, I say my goodbyes to the Bride and Groom (and probably the drunk Uncle who is now your best friend and off I go getting ready for the next part of the job, the editing.......
I won't go into this much now but usually from the day after the wedding, it takes around 4-6 weeks to deliver the gallery how the client wants it. Digital only, digital and photobook or digital, phonebook, USB or any other specific requirements.
The "culling process" takes a bit of time. Eyes closed, incorrectly exposed etc....... The client then gets the gallery of which they choose around 200-300 images for editing and once edited we discuss which 100(ish) gets included in the Photobook.
At that point, upon delivery, my job is done. I keep my galleries on my website for one year for people to view and either download or purchase prints.
Thanks for reading and should you be planing a Wedding or Engagement, please don't hesitate to get in touch.
Russ
