So, the big day has arrived. You are at the wedding venue at the prescribed time, you are ready with gear in hand, batteries charged up, and possibly if you are lucky, a second shooter ready to go. Suddenly, it hits you. You are in charge of preserving this sacred day. A wedding day that has taken hours upon hours of tedious planning, a day that the bride has been looking forward to since she was a little girl. A day that can never ever be recreated. Do you feel a little bit panicky? I do too. Every time. I find that it is really helpful to me to have a prefabricated list of must have shots before the panic overcomes my ability to think clearly.

Plan of Action

As often as possible I like to have a pre-wedding consult a few weeks prior to the actual wedding day with the bride and groom. We sit down and discuss the timeline for their event, the ideas they have, and any must have shots and portraits that they would like on their wedding day. Not only does this give me a detailed list to work from when doing the formal shots, but it often gives me a glimpse into the family dynamics and relationships between the people who are going to be attending.

The Must Have Wedding Shots

Aside from any photos on the bride and grooms list and obvious formal and informal shots during and after the ceremony, here are some shots that I always try and get throughout the day.

1. Bride with bridesmaids getting ready.
2. Bride’s bouquet.
3. Any jewelry that the bride will be wearing.
4. Wedding dress before the bride is wearing it.
5. Mother of the bride helping bride prepare.
6. Groom getting ready.
7. Father of the Bride seeing his daughter in her wedding dress.
8. Mother of Groom pinning on flowers.
9. Ceremony site before the guests arrive.
10. Details at ceremony site.
11. Reception venue.
12. Any and all little details at reception venue.
13. Ring shots.
14. Food, cake, table settings.
15. Wide ambiance shot of the reception
16. Grandparents dancing.
17. Getaway car.

Some of these shots have to be orchestrated; sometimes I need to coach the bridesmaids on where to stand and how to help in order to get the best shot, sometimes I need to send a second shooter off to make sure I get the reception site before the guests come in and of course there are lots and lots of important shots in between. The point is, readers, it helps to have a plan, a cohesive guide to follow when the panic starts to set in, so you can get through the day and leave feeling confident that you got everything that your clients need to help them relive their time in the spotlight. So before you head out to shoot that next wedding, sit down and make a list of photos you do not want to leave without snapping and I promise, the panic will be so much more manageable!