Once again, one of the top regrets of newlywed couples is having not spent enough on a wedding photographer for their wedding day. Of course, being a professional wedding photographer you’d most probably expect me to say that. But don’t take my word for it. Recent survey results by The Registry Site, as reported by In Style magazine confirms:
Throwing confetti at the happy wedding couple is one of the great wedding traditions. It’s said to date back to Ancient Egypt where it was believed showering the just married couple with seeds would bestow the gift of great fertility upon them. However, as great as confetti is, and as a wedding photographer I do love to document those fabulous confetti showers, it does leave behind bit of a mess for someone to clean up afterwards. For that reason, a lot of wedding venues have strict restrictions on the use of confetti.
As a wedding photographer I’ve seen and heard a lot of wedding toasts and speeches in my time. Some good, some bad and a few that were exceptional. So I definitely think I’m pretty well placed to give a few tips and advice on how to deliver a great wedding toast. I previously posted about when to do the wedding speeches, but here I’ll tell you more about wedding toasts and how to deliver them. History of Wedding Toasts It’s been argued that wedding toasts date all the way back to the 6th century BC. Glasses would be raised and clinked – causing the contents to spill into one another’s vessels, a reassurance that the drink wasn’t poisoned. This is most probably what the phrase “good health” comes from. The wedding link would come from the old tradition of warring tribes and conflicts being ended by marriages between clans – and thus toasting was then a reassurance of peace on all sides. The term ‘toast’ itself was first coined by Shakespeare in the Merry Wives …
So you’ve booked your wedding photographer, what next? After all, there’s months to go until your actual wedding date. Do you just wait for them to show up on your wedding day and start clicking away? Actually, no. So here are my 5 top tips for working with your wedding photographer up to your wedding day. Stay in touch Make sure you stay in touch with your wedding photographer throughout. Keep them informed of how your wedding planning and arrangements are going and keep them informed of any changes that may arise. And definitely ask for advice during this time, even if it has nothing to do with photography! Wedding photographers are usually the most wedding experienced of all your wedding suppliers, after all there’s no other wedding vendor who spends as much time with you on your wedding day. So we usually know about about weddings and have good links with others in the wedding industry. So use your wedding photographer like a free wedding planner and tap them for as much advice, tips …
So you’re getting married. You’ve most probably sorted the wedding venue and what you’re going to wear on the wedding day itself. Now your thoughts are likely turning to booking a wedding photographer. After all, everyone has one, don’t they? But maybe you’re wondering why. Why spend potentially thousands of pounds on a photographer to take photos of your day? After all, your guests will be taking photos all day, why go to that expense? Especially when one or two of them might be semi-decent photographers in their own right. Well, let me give you 5 very good reasons why professional wedding photography matters. 1. One hundredth of a second that lasts a lifetime. When I capture those moments, emotions and stories of your wedding I’m re-telling your special and unique wedding story. A story you can revisit, cherish and enjoy months, years, decades or even generations later. Not you just between yourselves, but with friends and family…even family and friends who don’t even exist in your lives yet. It’s one of the most important …
A question came up recently about copyright and a couple’s wedding photography. I thought it would be useful to write a short post clearing up confusion that clearly exists around the subject. From the outset, you need to understand that a wedding photographer always retains the copyright to the images they produce and it would be highly unusual for the photographer to give up that copyright in any circumstances. This is industry standard and usually the only wedding photographers who would give away their copyright are rank amateurs or inexperienced photographers who may not understand the consequences. Normally, the terms around copyright are outlined in the wedding photography contract but even where no contract exists UK Intellectual Property Law states that the moment a photographer clicks the shutter of his camera he owns the copyright to that image. Think of it a bit like some music you purchase. You don’t own the copyright to that music, but you do have the right to listen to it when you like and play it to others (within …
If there’s one thing that comes up at nearly each and every wedding I attend as the wedding photographer, it’s the groom and grooms-men all struggling to tie up a cravat. It can all be very reminiscent of getting ready for that first day at school. Most probably much of this is down to wedding day nerves, as it’s not too dissimilar to actually doing up a tie, so I thought I’d dedicate a post on how to tie a cravat. I must admit though I didn’t realise there were actually 3 different ways of doing it. The process for tying a casual cravat and the traditional wedding cravat is very similar, except with the casual cravat you’re looking to create a puffed out look, whereas the wedding cravat tends to be smooth and flat. There’s also the Scrunchie Wedding Cravat, which starts off as a traditional wedding cravat, but an extra step is added at the end to tuck the front flap into the knot, as if you were tying a tie. Anyway, rather …
It’s a leap year and the 29th February will soon be upon us, the traditional date when ladies can propose to their men. So if you are planning on a wedding proposal to your man this year, here are 7 useful things for you need to know or think about when it comes to leap year proposals. #1 Where does the tradition come from? It’s argued that the leap year tradition of women proposing to men goes right back to Ireland in the 5th century and a lady called St Bridget. As legend has it, our Bridget wasn’t too happy about how long she had to wait around for a man to ask for her hand in marriage. So Bridget sought out one of the most powerful Irishman at the time, St Patrick, and explained why she was so miffed. St Patrick had some sympathy and agreed that from thenceforth all women could propose every leap year if they were fed up of waiting around. Of course, Bridget would later go on to write a diary …
Ahem, okay, there’s no subtle way of talking about this, but when you’re a bride wearing a full on wedding dress it can be quite a task using the bathroom on your wedding day. I know I’ve certainly been approached and asked advice on this delicate matter from brides in the past…I assume because they think I’ll know from having covered a lot of weddings rather than thinking I may have had personal practical experience of the problem! Thankfully, those lovely people over at Wedding Magazine have written an article giving 5 useful tips on using the bathroom in your wedding dress so do check it out. After all, you can never be too forewarned! If you have any other tips or advice on navigating the bathroom in a wedding dress, I’d love to hear in the comments box below.
So what’s the etiquette for using a smartphone camera at a wedding? A lots been said recently, both online and in the media, about the use of smartphone cameras at weddings. In fact, the BBC News Magazine recently asked, Are smartphones ruining weddings? I’ve seen and heard a number of professional wedding photographers complaining on social media how guests jumping up and getting in their to take photos on their smartphone cameras are ruining certain shots by the official wedding photographer. Now, as always, there’s always an alternative view. There are those couples who want a candid and photojournalistic approach to wedding and big day and see photos of their guests jumping up to get shots as an integral part of the actual wedding story. As a documentary wedding photographer (also known as a Wedding Photojournalist or Wedding Reportage Photographer) myself, I definitely sit in the latter camp. However, ultimately there is no right or wrong answer to this. It comes down to what you both want and your personal choices for what is your …
Tradition of Wedding Cake Cutting It’s one of the big traditions of the wedding day – like the first kiss, best man’s speech and the first dance – that everyone looks forwards to. As a wedding photographer it’s one of those parts of the day I know I have to capture and document for your wedding story. You will have spent time thinking about and ordering your wedding cake: the style, the flavours, the icing, the decoration etc. as well as including it as an important part of your wedding budget. But there’s one thing I do notice having been a wedding photographer at a lot of weddings now, when it comes to cutting the cake, a lot of wedding couples aren’t sure on the traditions and etiquette around cutting the wedding cake. So I thought it would be useful and helpful to pull together 10 important things you need to know about cutting your wedding cake. 1. Wedding Cake Traditions Wedding cakes are a tradition that grew out of the ancient ritual of baking …
Why You Shouldn’t Just Consider the Cost of Wedding Photography When it comes to booking your wedding photographer, it’s very easy to just look for the cheapest option available. I know it’s a cliché but wedding photography really is one of those areas where you get what you pay for. Of course, you will have a certain budget, and will want to work within that, but invariably if you allow cost to be your ONLY consideration when booking your wedding photographer you could end up making a disastrous decision. You don’t have to look too deeply online to find wedding photography horror stories where a couple have simply gone for the cheapest wedding photographer they could find. So here are my 5 top tips to also consider when booking a professional wedding photography, to ensure you make a properly thought through and considered choice when booking your wedding photographer. 1. Style of Wedding Photography Don’t make the mistake of thinking there’s just one style and approach to wedding photography. Broadly speaking there are 3 approaches: …
When should we do the wedding speeches? As a wedding photographer one of the things I often notice that wedding couples often can’t decide upon is when to do the wedding speeches. Then, of course, it’s also one of those things that some couples never really think about – not realising there are actually pros and cons on when to do the speeches. So here are my views and tips on when to have the wedding speeches during the wedding day – solely from myview as an experienced and professional wedding photographer. 1. Before the wedding breakfast. This is becoming increasingly popular. Undertaking the wedding speeches and toasts before anyone starts eating often means those who are doing the speeches can get them done and then enjoy the wedding breakfast without the nerves and apprehension of a speech to come. After all, you’ve put a lot of thought into the menu and paid a lot of money for it and this approach ensures everyone gets to enjoy it. The downside of doing the speeches first …