Your Ceremony
Your ceremony is one of the most intimate, and often the most meaningful, parts of your wedding day. It’s the moment everything leads up to and the reason your friends and family have gathered together to celebrate with you.
Because of how important this part of the day is, we’ve put together a few simple tips to help you get the most out of your ceremony images and make sure these moments are captured in the most meaningful way possible.
Faces
One of the most important things we want to see during your ceremony is faces. Not just yours, but also the faces of the people who came to celebrate with you. One way to help with this is by considering an unplugged ceremony. Many couples choose to have their officiant make a brief announcement asking guests to put their phones away, be present, and truly experience the ceremony. This helps everyone stay engaged in the moment and allows us to capture genuine reactions instead of a sea of phones. Of course, out of all the faces there, we especially want to see yours. One small thing to think about is how your ceremony space is designed and where you’ll be standing and facing. This isn’t just important for photos, but also for your guests. It’s worth taking a moment to talk with your decorator or planner to make sure the setup won’t unintentionally block you from view. And specifically for brides, if you’re planning to wear your hair down or styled over one side of your face, it can help to stand on the side that allows your face to be visible to your guests during the ceremony. Small details like this can make a big difference in how connected everyone feels to the moment.
Traditions
Every ceremony is different and it's very common to include or exclude traditions based on your preferences. We feel that the ceremony is so intimate and sacred so we definitely don't want to interfere or direct anything during your ceremony. But we want to make sure we're prepared to capture everything that's important to you. So Once you've decided how your ceremony will go, make sure to relay that information to your photographer and cinematographer to help us have the best possibility of capturing those moments.
LOCATION RULES
We’ve photographed many ceremonies over the years, and one thing we’ve learned is that every location has its own guidelines for photography and video. Some venues allow us to move around more freely, while others, especially churches, can be much more specific about where we can stand and when we’re able to photograph or film. Even within the same church, the rules can vary depending on the officiant. Some are more flexible, while others prefer a more structured approach. Our recommendation is to speak with your church or ceremony location ahead of time to understand any guidelines they may have. Once you have that information, simply pass it along to your photography and cinematography team. That way we can plan accordingly and make sure everything runs smoothly without any surprises on your wedding day.
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE MOMENT
Again, we truly feel that the ceremony is such an intimate and meaningful part of the day that our goal is never to interfere with it in any way. Even though the ceremony itself is organized and planned, we always encourage couples to simply be present and experience every moment as it happens.
As you go through your ceremony, try to approach it as if no cameras are there at all. Focus on each other, on the words being shared, and on the people surrounding you.
Our job is to quietly document what’s real. The more you allow yourselves to fully feel and experience those moments, the more meaningful and genuine your ceremony images will be.
