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      In recent years, it has become fairly common for Bride and Groom to meet before the wedding and do the formal photographs with parents, family, and the wedding party prior to the ceremony. I am enthusiastically in favor of this approach in many cases and believe it makes a lot of sense for many couples. Not only is it very practical, it is actually nicer and more memorable for the Bride and Groom.

     You (the bride)  have always had this fantasy of his seeing you for the first time in your dress as you walk down the aisle. Why? Because this is an archetypal image in wedding mythology and because you imaging that this is a particularly memorable moment.

     Unfortunately, for a lot of couples, it isn't!

     Many Brides and Grooms say they do not remember the ceremony. They DO NOT REMEMBER the ceremony! Now why might that be? Because they are anxious, because they are trying to remember what they are supposed to do and say, because they are trying not to cry, because they are self-conscious about being up in front of a lot of people, and so on. In short, there is so much going on and they are concentrating so hard that they are simply not psychologically able to step back and take in the beauty of the process.

     The issue is not whether he sees you for the first time in your dress. Of course he will. The only issue is where and under what circumstances he will see you.

    Imagine, for example, that you are in some lovely location and we are doing some portraits. By pre-arrangement, the Groom comes to this location and sees you there. Imagine that he runs over and kisses you and tells you how beautiful you are and how much he loves you. Imagine that you have a few moments for yourself at the beginning of the day. And then we do some portraits of the two of you, the wedding party, and families.

     You give up nothing by seeing each other before hand. You actually add a memorable moment just for yourselves at the beginning of the day.

   And, by the way, doing your formal photographs prior to the ceremony has a lot of other benefits! You do the portraits when you are fresh, when your make-up is fresh, when nobody has anything else to do. The portraits themselves tend to be nicer. Also, this frees you up to spend much more time with family and friends during the cocktail hour. And isn't that what a wedding is all about? Why in the world would you want to take an hour out of the middle of your day for photographs if you could spend the time with those you love instead?

     The choice is yours. It does not matter to me which way you do it. My concern is to help you get the most out of your wedding day and you pictures.