Pre-wedding Photography

KnottieTaylor

We plan to have our photographer attend our pre-wedding dinner the night before. The dinner will last 2-3 hours max.

It will be cocktail attire and only including immediate family and both parties.

Anyone else have their photographer at this type of dinner or their rehearsal dinner? What kind of photos did you end up with? Was it awkward having them there? I told her I'm looking for fun candids that night, so I'm also looking for ideas on what activities we could host at this dinner to fulfill that desire.

Thanks!

climbingsingle

We had our photographer for the afternoon and evening the day before our wedding. We climbed that day, and he met us at the ridge to photograph us climbing. We got amazing pictures.
He then came to our venue and photographed our rehearsal and then the dinner following. Our dinner was super casual - we had just one large table for all of us, and he sat with us. We had a really fun time. It wasn't awkward having him there, but he was a friend of my aunt's and we got to know him well before the wedding. 

We didn't have any activities planned, and we still got great candid shots. I'm not sure what kind of activities you'd like people to do while dressed up? Are you thinking about games similar to ones that are played at showers? Personally, I'm not a fan of forced activities like that. But I guess that's really a know your crowd type of thing. 

KnottieTaylor

No. Definitely not games, I'm not a fan of anything of the sort.

I'm looking for ideas for an indoor pre-wedding dinner. If there's shots of everyone raising their glass and having fun, that's totally fine.

Just looking for anything additional we could add.

climbingsingle

Knottie1448952431 said:

No. Definitely not games, I'm not a fan of anything of the sort. I'm looking for ideas for an indoor pre-wedding dinner. If there's shots of everyone raising their glass and having fun, that's totally fine. Just looking for anything additional we could add.

Yeah, I don't know anything you can add. The type of candid shots you're talking about usually just happen naturally. People chatting, laughing, having fun - you can't force that. You could ask some people to give toasts. That's really the only thing that is coming to mind. 

photokitty

Like Climbing said, you can have the hosts give a toast. You can give your bridal party their thank you gifts, and the parents if you are giving them gifts. Otherwise I'd stick with candid shots.