Party Time
This is the time of the day you want to kick back and have lots of fun, I document this part(y) of the day much like I do any other aspect – with the same documentary approach, but I thought it was worth a quick mention, since it’ll probably be the last part of the day I photograph for you, and at some point during this portion of the evening I’ll be waving (or hopefully hugging) you goodbye and leaving you to party the night away while I head home to back up the files and begin the process of going through everything.
As ever, for some weddings, this won’t be relevant – maybe for shorter coverage or intimate weddings, so take from this what’s helpful for you and your event.
How I photograph the first dance
Couples either seem to fall into two camps – those that have a choreographed first dance, have spent ages practicising and it’s a BIG DEAL or those that want it to be over in less than 30 seconds, preferably in the dark. The ideal thing to photograph is somewhere in between; take it a little slower, delight in getting to be with one another for a second and enjoy it. It’ll be over in a flash.
I’ll probably set up a little bit of lighting for added drama and impact, but don’t worry, it’ll go off as soon as the serious business of having a good time begins.
Of course some of the couples I work with opt not to have a first dance at all (that’s actually what we did at our wedding) but if you want a rocking dancefloor you need to spell it out for people that its OK to dance, otherwise they’ll be politely nodding their heads and tapping their toes around the dancefloor all evening – a couple of ideas on how to actually do that:
If you have a band or a DJ, have an official ‘first song’ – get them to announce that you won’t be having a first dance and you’d love it if they got on the dancefloor.
Or maybe get everyone in on it – similar to the above, invite everyone to join you for a first song – “we want everyone on the dancefloor with A & B”
How I document the party
By joining in, getting up close and personal on the dance floor; knowing when to anticipate the serious moves and mosh breaks and by genuinely having a good time. At this point of the day I’m trying to blend in with your guests, getting all the funny moments as everyone goes wild. It’s one of my favourite times of the day.
How much coverage do I need?
There comes a point at every wedding when it’s time to say goodbye – how late you have me stay depends a little bit on the length of coverage you have booked, and what time you have me begin, but it’s worth thinking about a little. We’ll confirm start and finish times when we go through your individual day.
My feeling is that too much coverage of the evening a) has the potential to be expensive bribery material and b) means that the single longest part of the day is the dancing (e.g. your drinks reception, when we’ll get loads of candid images, do groups, get lots of lovely details AND some shots of you is usually only 2hrs max) which feels a bit disproportionate. For me, I think the sweet spot is around an hours worth of coverage post first dance/whatver your equivalent is.
That is unless you have something planned – maybe your super cool friends are DJing after the band’s first set, or a Colombian ‘Hora Loca’ or you have a surprise oompah band (all things that have happened). Just let me know and we’ll ammend your schedule appropriately.
I hope this little pre-wedding series of emails has been helpful! The next step is completing the Photography Plan, which I’ll send to you shortly, and putting in place a plan for your wedding day! I can’t wait to run through it all with you.