Your Couple Photos
Today’s post is all about my approach to getting some photos of the two of you – when, where and how; and a few tips for microweddings too.
I’ve kept this broadly logistic, but I want this part of the day to feel fun for you – to get to spend some time together amidst the chaos of the day. I want to keep it fun and relaxed, and for the photos to reflect the two of you and your relationship and your wedding celebration, not be my cookie cutter interpretation of the day. As such it’s a it of a collaboration – bring yourselves along, wholeheartedly, for 10 or 15 minutes, and I promise you’ll have some beautiful, creative, natural photos of the two of you.
This time round I thought I’d pop all you need to know into a video.
If you can’t bear to watch this thumb chat at you for 14 minutes, then here’s it all in a nutshell.
Timings
I usually aim to do your couple photos during the drinks reception. Ideally at the end while everyone is taking their seats, but we’ll come up with a bespoke plan when we review your timings for the day.
Ideally we’d also try and do a ‘golden hour’ session too at some point just before sunset – now the weather might not always be playing ball, and I can’t guarantee an incredible sunset but I do think it’s nice to try and do some extra photos after dinner – usually speeches are done, things are ticked off, alcoholic beverages may have been consumed; and you’re both generally more relaxed.
If your wedding is during a heatwave in June or July, when it’s really light until really late, and the midday sun is really blinding – it can be nicer to wait until the sun is a little lower, a little softer and it’s a little cooler.
Where
In most cases we can go for a short walk, either around the grounds of your venue, or nearby, depending on whether it’s City or Country. I’m usually looking for things that are a bit unusual or interest me visually – meadows, blue skies, wild nature, lakes; or nice light, interesting colours and textures, things that tell a story about the city you’re in. By sticking close to the venue, it means you can maximise the time you have to enjoy yourself and with your guests.
If there’s a location you really want to include in your photos, that’s totally fine and we can do it, but you must make sure you allow enough time. For some weddings, travel between locations has to be built in, and it’s not a huge problem to stop and take some shots but the time is takes can easily start to creep up if you need to, for instance, park up and head deep into a park. You can easily spend 15 minutes simply walking to your location.
If you are in the same location all day and want to go off site, make sure there’s transport ready and waiting. If you’re in London and thought you’d just grab an Uber to somewhere and Uber back and make it in time for everyone sitting down for dinner – don’t do it. It really will eat a huge chunk out of your day.
If there’s somewhere you want to include, I can help you plan it to make sense.
Microweddings
If your wedding only has a handful of guests, or maybe you’re just a short coverage booking – here’s what I’d recommend.
If your ceremony is at one location (e.g. A Town Hall) and you’re then heading for food or drink elsewhere, then after we’ve done confetti and some group photos, I’ll usually take the two of you off for some photos for around 20 mins. It can be a good idea to find somewhere to park your guests during this time, maybe identify a nearby pub or coffee shop they can go to, or see if your venue can accommodate them ahead of the scheduled arrival time. If it’s all in the same place, then its simple – they can be entertained with a drink or two!
First looks etc
These are definitely more popular when I work with couples where at least one comes from the US or Canada, where they are fairly commonplace. Though lots of Brits seem aghast at the concept.
They can be really lovely if you want the moment you first see each other to be lovely and intimate rather than at the top of the aisle, and they can also work well if your timeline is a bit of a stretch. If you have a late ceremony, and don’t want to spend too long on drinks, it can be a total blessing to both couple photos and perhaps group photos of the the way beforehand so you can concentrate on having fun – similarly – if your wedding is in winter, with a later ceremony – you might choose to do it that way so that you can make the most of the natural light!
I hope that helps you seamlessly plan some time to get some awesome photo of the two of you into your wedding day. As ever, if you have any questions, or want to discuss how to plan time for some photos into your day ahead of time, then just let me know.
