PhotographyDavid ⤫ Liebst
@davidliebstphotography
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Firstly I would like to start by saying a huge thank you to the both of you for inviting me to be part of your day, and for trusting me with such an incredibly important part of it. I do not take the responsibility lightly and want you to please rest assured that I am going to work tirelessly to ensure that you will not only love the photography element of your day, but that you will adore your photographs.
I hope you find the guide below useful but if you have any questions about any part of your day that isn't answered here then pease do get in touch any time.
2/1.5 hours of morning prep photography is usually more than enough. In this time I will aim to capture:
- Photographs of your venue
- Photographs of you and any people with you having their hair and makeup done.
- Detail shots (Dress, Robes, Shoes, Jewlery etc.)
- Candid shots of you and the people with you.
- Quick portraits of you before heading for the ceremony
- Guest arrivals
- A reveal shot if you would like one.
When I arrive I will come and say hello and see that all is well with you before I set to working through capturing your morning and the elements listed above. If you are both getting ready in the same place I will be able to capture parts of both of your mornings. With a Bride and Groom the timings are nicely separated as the groom is always ready earlier than the bride, so I can step away from her for a few pictures of the groom (10-15mins) to get some shots of button holes being placed and possibly a few portraits of the groom. With same sex weddings we will need to figure out the timings ahead of time or look at a second shooter.
When the bride is ready to put her dress on I will step out of the room and wait to be called back in for when she is ready for me. Once I am back in the room I will capture a few portraits of you in your dress before we move on to capture any reveal shots that you want. I will check in with you on the day if you would like one and if so, I will organise everything around these on the day so we keep them as organic as possible.
Your H&M team will likely want to have you ready about 1hour to 45 minutes before your ceremony. This will allow time for the photography elements as well as any slippage that might occur. You may need to be ready slightly earlier if you are getting married at a different location to where prep is happening. The reason for this is I need to arrive at the ceremony location 20 minutes before the ceremony is due to take place. For example if the ceremony venue is 20 minutes away then I will need to leave 40 minutes before the ceremony starts to ensure I arrive with enough time to set up.
I aim to capture:
-Pictures of the ceremony space/church and any deatils
-Candids of the the groom and guests anxiously awaiting the bride.
-The arrival of the bride
-The bride walking up the aisle
-If possible, the grooms reaction
-The wedding ceremony
-Signing of the registry
-The Walk back down the aisle.
-A confetti shot if you are having one
-Bride and Groom driving away if you are heading to another venue.
Depending on where you are married, there may be regulations about photography so it is important to check with the venue/church/registry office if they have any restrictions on photos being taken during the ceremony. I will have a chat with the officials/vicar just before the ceremony as well to make sure they are happy with where I plan to stand and move about. Where ever I am, I will always try to be as unobtrusive as possible and will only usually move around at appropriate opportunities like the start of a hymn or reading for example.
Before the ceremony, make a note of what order you would like the bridal party to move up the aisle - will you go first or last? Also, it's important to leave enough room between you (ap-prox 3m) just so everyone can get a good look at you.
Drinks receptions should ideally be between two to two and a half hours long. Everyone will want to speak to you in this window as it's the first real chance they have had to congratulate you on your wedding. You will also have put so much time into planning this part of the day so you want to give yourself the time to enjoy it! If you have chosen to do group photos on the day then the drinks reception is when we will go through them. I always suggest doing them at the start of the drinks reception as it seems to be when people are most ready for them. 10 groups shots will usually take about 20-25 minutes to take so its important to choose wisely and to have people assigned to give me a hand with them. Once the groups are done I will leave you to enjoy your wedding guests while I work on candid photographs of all of you enjoying the day. Your wedding breakfast space will now likely be ready so I will make sure to take some photographs of that and all the lovely details before the guests are seated.
About 10 minutes before the guests are called through for the wedding breakfast I will come and see if you would like to step away for 20 minutes for some portraits of the two of you. This is a great time for this as we are using what I think of as dead time in the day so you are not missing anything important. These 20 minutes can be so lovely for the two of you as it's really the first time in the day that you will get some time alone together. After the portraits I will have you back and ready to be announced into your wedding breakfast about 10 minutes after the guests have been asked to be seated.
I love making portraits for people, and feel they can be some of the most emotive pictures from the day. If you are nervous in front of the camera don't worry - we will have discussed the portraits carefully during the consultation so you won't have to do anything you don't want to.
I am always working working around you schedule but in an ideal world I will suggest 2 or points through the day for the best pictures.
The first is usually right when the guests have been called through to be seated for the wedding breakfast. We will take a walk for 20-30 minutes around the venue to look for some good light and locations to take some pictures in, keeping things relaxed and natural. I will give some light guidance to make sure you are looking your best, but mostly I will just take pictures while you enjoy the moment. The second time will be in the evening after the meal and before the first dance. I will always have my eye on the sky, and sunset opportunities can sometimes mean the light moves in and out of perfect very swiftly so we may have to be quick.
Here I am to capture:
-Your entrance to be seated for the wedding breakfast
-Candid photographs of you and your guests enjoying the wedding breakfast.
-Photographs of the speeches
-Your second round of couple portraits (hopefully sunset!) after the meal.
During the wedding breakfast there are some wonderful opportunities to capture portrait style photos of your guests enjoying each others company so I will be in and out of the room around the meal courses.
If you are having speeches, then the wedding breakfast is a great time to have them. They work best at the end of the meal as they will be received the best by your guests, who will now have had a beautiful meal and a drink or two. If you have anyone set to give a speech that is particularly nervous, it is kind to let them deliver their speeches at the start of the meal. Once the speeches and meal are over you move into a lovely little window of a second drinks reception. It's at that point that we would hopefully step aside for a few sunset portraits if you would like them.
Here I aim to capture:
- More candids of guests
- The Cake cut followed by the first dance
- Epic moves on the dance floor by you and your guests
- Sparklers and/or Fireworks
-Possibly some dramatic light portraits of the two of you (5 mins)
As we move into the evening you may wish to cut your cake, have a first dance and treat your guests to sparklers or fireworks. For the cake cut and first dance what works really well is to ask your band or DJ to gather everyone around for the cake for the cutting. 20:00 tends to be a good time for this as it will allow for any evening guests to arrive. The cutting of the cake is considered good luck for all who witness it so it's a lovely way to include your evening guests. Once you have cut the cake you can move directly onto the dance floor for your first dance and the band or DJ can ask all of your guests to gather to see your first dance. Your guests will then join you on the dance floor and your evening party will be in full swing.
Sparklers work well at about 21:00, just as the evening food is about to be served. The band or DJ can ask everyone to step outside for them and I will help to get them lined up in a tunnel for your walk. Fireworks can then happen at the same time of be saved for later in the night as a final closing celebration of the day.
Craig from Pristine Videography
The Herefordshire Flower Studio
Proper Confetti (order online)