Dallas Wedding Photographers - Preparing for a Wedding Part 2: The Ceremony

Preparing for a Wedding Part 2: The Ceremony by Jake Aldrich of Epic Dallas Wedding Photography




Ceremony Photos

Many wedding ceremonies these days are quite short, usually under half an hour. However, there are still many people who get married with a more traditional ceremony. Whether the ceremony is a traditional Vietnamese wedding, or a Catholic ceremony with a mass, or even both, it’s important to be prepared for everything that’s going to happen. Dallas wedding photographers know that there are many different customs and traditions involved in wedding ceremonies, so planning with the bride and groom before the ceremony is important. Meeting with them during the planning process is a great idea, but make sure to double check on the day of the wedding for any last minute changes for which to prepare.

Another thing to consider when shooting the ceremony are whether or not the venue or church have any specific rules for photographers. It’s important that you check with either the venue’s event coordinator or the person in charge at church before the ceremony starts. While many wedding chapels and non-traditional venues like lodges and hotels are not very strict with photographers, churches usually have their own set of rules. Prepare for any number of restrictions, from not using flash to not being able to move around. Dallas wedding photographers have several different lenses in order to cope with movement restrictions. Museums are another location where flash is usually prohibited, as it can be damaging to the art. Finding out the rules before the ceremony will save you the embarrassment of being called out in the middle of the vows, or the worse possibility of offending someone and losing future business.

As a final note when shooting ceremony shots, keep in mind that there are certain shots that can be recreated afterwards from a closer perspective, such as the first kiss or the ring exchange. For this reason, it’s a good idea to shoot these events wide during the ceremony, as the closer post-ceremony shots usually turn out better.