Wedding Bible
The Getting Ready
Here are a few simple tips on how to get the most out of these shots...
Location. Pick a room with lots of natural light and as little clutter as possible. We shoot true to life - whatever the room actually looks like is what you'll see in the photos.
The mess. Suitcases, shopping bags, dress bags, your friend's makeup spread across every surface - all of it ends up in the photos if it's in the room. Nominate someone to keep on top of it.
The light. We prefer to shoot with ceiling lights and lamps turned off. Mixed light (daylight from the window + warm bulb from a lamp) does odd things to skin tones. Natural light only, where we can, ideally get ready in a room that has enough light coming in through windows.
Distance. If you and your partner are getting ready in the same place - or close enough - and if time allows then we'll cover both of you. If it’s not logistically possible to get to both of you then we’ll only see one of you. But we always try to capture some moments before the ceremony while they are greeting guests etc.
Letters and gifts. If you're exchanging notes or gifts, wait until we're there to open them - those moments are usually some of our favourite shots of the morning.
Timings. We need to leave 15–20 minutes before you do, so we're at the ceremony venue ahead of you. Worth factoring into the morning schedule.
Indoor Ceremonies
Light. Get as much natural light into the room as you can - and if possible, turn the ceiling lights and lamps off entirely. Same reason as the getting-ready section: mixed light (daylight from a window + warm bulb from a lamp) does odd things to skin tones.
Space. If the ceremony room is small, ask the venue or celebrant to leave enough space at the front for both of us to stand. We like to position ourselves on either side of the celebrant.
Outdoor Ceremonies
Time of day. The kindest light is early morning or late afternoon, but of course most ceremonies tend to be in the early afternoon when the sun is strongest and this can’t be helped. If possible, try to have the ceremony location under the shade of a tree, or with the sun facing the guests, meaning when we shoot facing you from the aisle position, the sun will be behind you.
Weather. British summers being what they are, have a Plan B. We can shoot through a light drizzle but not through a downpour, and your guests probably won’t enjoy sitting in this either. The venue will usually have an indoor backup - worth confirming what it is before the day, so it's a simple decision rather than a stressed one if the sky opens. If you are planning a wedding at a family home then a marquee option is probably the best back up plan.
Church Ceremonies
Churches often come with restrictions on where photographers can stand - sometimes at the front with a clear view, sometimes only from the back, occasionally not inside at all. These rules are set by the celebrant and they're decided long before the day.
If a clear view of the front matters to you, the conversation needs to happen before the wedding, with the person conducting the ceremony. We don't get a say on the day. So ask in advance - ideally in writing - whether your photographers can stand at the front, and push back gently if the answer's no. You're the ones getting married there; you're allowed to.
For our part: we'll work to whatever rules they set. Small kit, no flash, standing still if asked. We've shot in plenty of restrictive churches and you can almost always still get good photos - it just makes the conversation worth having.
Unplugged Ceremonies
An unplugged ceremony is where guests are asked to put their phones and cameras away during the ceremony itself - the celebrant usually announces it at the start. We're firmly in favour, for two reasons:
You actually get to see your guests' faces in the photos - properly, not over the top of an iPad someone's holding up in row three. And we get a clean shot of you walking down the aisle, rather than a tunnel of phones leaning in for everyone's own version.
Guests are welcome to photograph the rest of the day to their hearts' content. We just ask they let us handle the group and couple shots, and stay seated during the ceremony itself.
A real example of what happens when guests are told it's a free-for-all. The choice is yours - but we wanted you to see it.
Confetti
Confetti is one of our favourite parts of the day to shoot. A few things that make it really work:
Type. Paper confetti flies the furthest and stays in the air the longest - by far the best option if you want dense, magazine-style shots. Small dried petals work too, though they can be hard to see against busy backgrounds. Avoid large petals - they fall too fast to catch in the air, and the tunnel ends up looking sparse.
Quantity. Buy more than you think you need. Then buy more again. There's no such thing as too much confetti - only enough for one good throw, or enough for several.
Briefing the guests. Have someone make a quick announcement just before - ask everyone to focus on throwing rather than filming. Otherwise half the tunnel will be holding their phone in one hand and forgetting to throw with the other.
Pace. Walk slowly. We'll usually walk backwards as you come towards us - take your time, look at each other, enjoy it. Or alternatively, gather everyone behind you and throw all at once for a different kind of shot. Both look great.
Couple Photos
Two windows work best: a quick 5-10 minutes before the meal, and another 10-20 during golden hour (the hour before sunset). That's plenty - we don't need an hour, and you probably don't want to be away from your guests that long.
The shoots themselves are easy. We find a quiet corner, walk and talk for a bit. The photographs happen on their own. It's also one of the only times during the day you'll have a moment to yourselves, which is usually when couples remember they're actually married.
Group Shots
We get through group shots faster than most photographers - something guests are always happy about. A few things that help:
Keep the list short. Pick the group shots that matter most. Usually that's parents, siblings, grandparents and bridesmaids/groomsmen - the people you'll want to look back on in twenty years.
Nominate a herder. Someone organised - often a sibling, sometimes a planner - who knows who's who and can round people up. We won't know your family yet; they will. Give them the list on paper, in advance.
Location. We'll pick a spot away from the main crowd. Keeps things quick, stops guests trying to take the same shot on their phones, and stops your great-aunt wandering off mid-shoot.
Timing. Allow 3 minutes per small group shot. For a whole-wedding photo (everyone together), we need a window or a balcony to shoot from above - about 10 minutes for setup and shoot.
The Reception
The room. The reception room looks its best before anyone walks in - fresh candles, untouched table settings, perfect flowers. Worth giving us 10 minutes to photograph it before the guests are let in.
Feeding us. This sounds petty but it matters: ask the caterers to feed us at the same time as you, not after. If we eat when you eat, we don't miss the start of the speeches, an unplanned toast, or that moment of mingling that turns into the best photo of the day. The cleanest way is asking the caterers to count us as guests, not vendors.
Where we sit. A quiet spot away from the main tables suits us best - somewhere we can put the cameras down, review the day, charge batteries, and scout the light for golden hour. We're working, not socialising, so we won't take a seat at a guest table even if you've kindly set one.
If we're getting more than one course. A main and a dessert, please. We're a few hours in by then and the sugar helps. 🍰
Speeches
A few things worth knowing in advance.
We recommend not splitting them between courses. It's the single most reliable way to make a wedding day run late. Speeches always take longer than people expect, the kitchen struggles to time food around them, glasses have to be refilled before each one, by the time they are finished you've lost golden hour and pushed the first dance back by 45 minutes. We've seen it happen at most weddings where speeches are split. If you'd still rather do it that way, that's of course fine - we just want you to have heard it first.
Our preference is speeches before the meal. The tables look beautiful and untouched in the photos, candles are freshly lit, glasses are full, and no one has half-eaten plates in front of them. It also takes a lot of pressure off the kitchen and means the speakers can get any nerves out of the way and then fully enjoy their meal.
Allow at least 40 minutes. People love to talk, and your dad will go over his time. Build in the buffer.
First Dance
Requests for the DJ or band:
For the first dance specifically, ask them to turn off the coloured disco lights and use warm light only. Coloured lights on skin look great in the room and terrible in photographs.
Lasers off the entire evening. This one isn't a preference - laser light can permanently damage camera sensors. Most DJs already know this, but it's worth flagging in advance so there's no awkward moment.
Same applies to coloured up lighters around the room during dinner and dancing. They tint everyone's skin orange, pink, or blue and it shows up in every photograph of every guest. Warm white light is your friend.
