Wedding Photography and Videography Forum

Photos Before the Wedding

We are getting married at 5:30pm on Friday, October 22nd at a local vineyard (MD).  I have read the Farmer's Almanac and the sun is predicted to set around 6:15ish.  Should I break with tradition and get our photos before the wedding, thus letting the groom see me in the gown before I walk down the aisle or will photos after the wedding be fine (catching what's left of the sunlight)?

BStan

Re: Photos Before the Wedding

  • benmel31benmel31 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Either way your pictures will be beautiful.  You'll get great sunset/twilight shots.  I am sure your photographer will know how to work with the light.

    Consider your pictures before the ceremony though.  Both my FI and our photographer convinced me to do pictures before hand.  It will be set up so the photographer sees my FIs face as I come to meet him for our pictures.  That way we will still get those first moment pictures.  Also, this way we will get most of our shots done prior to the wedding and not miss the cocktail hour.  My FI convinced me that we will have more time to enjoy our own reception this way.

    Just something to consider.  Hope it helps.
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  • edited December 2011
    Do the pictures before. Light starts to fade and hour before sunset. If it is couldy, sooner than that. Pics can be taken outdoors when it starts to get dark, but you will not see the outdoors.  Why get married in a vineyard if you will not be able to see the vineyard in your pics?  I am seeing my FI ahead to get pics in the daylight. My photog showed me this album to show what happens as it gets dark out. All the family photos were taken outside the same place as the ceremony overlooking the water. Look what starts happening to the beautiful view of the water as time goes on. Family pics start at around the 1min 10 sec mark.
    http://www.inanyeventproductions.com/video/album1.wmv
  • edited December 2011
    @ capecod...your pics are amazing

    Thanks for the feedback.  After more discussion with my FI, we've decided to take photos before the wedding.  Your're right....why get married at a vineyard if we can't see it in any of the photos.

    Thanks,
    BStan
  • edited December 2011
    I personally, as a photographer think it's a great idea.
    One, you get to spend some INTIMATE personal time together ALONE instead of
    a congregation of hundreds of people. And we as photographers can be there unobtrusively to capture a close up look in his eyes when he sees you for the first time. Although we try to accomplish this at the wedding, it's not always possible. Sometimes the churches/venues have us so far from the ceremony that it's hard to get the up-close emotion necessary.
    Two, time isn't the biggest factor when you meet ahead of time.. you tend to have plenty of time for the photos instead of racing to the reception after ceremony.
    Three, as many weddings as I've shot - tradition isn't really tradition anymore. We are encountering a new surge of girls making their own traditions to pass down to their daughters.
    I have to say - some of my favorite images are of the before the ceremony couple images.

    I have polled my brides and asked if it diminshed their experience and if they regretted it. I've never had one say she regretted it. Most of them say it helped calm their nerves and weren't so anxious and nauseated before the ceremony if they had met prior.

    I've been shooting for 6 yrs now and that's a LOT of brides and their experiences they've shared.

    Hope this helps provide insight from this direction.

    Best of luck! xo
  • edited December 2011
    I personally, as a photographer think it's a great idea.
    One, you get to spend some INTIMATE personal time together ALONE instead of
    a congregation of hundreds of people. And we as photographers can be there unobtrusively to capture a close up look in his eyes when he sees you for the first time. Although we try to accomplish this at the wedding, it's not always possible. Sometimes the churches/venues have us so far from the ceremony that it's hard to get the up-close emotion necessary.
    Two, time isn't the biggest factor when you meet ahead of time.. you tend to have plenty of time for the photos instead of racing to the reception after ceremony.
    Three, as many weddings as I've shot - tradition isn't really tradition anymore. We are encountering a new surge of girls making their own traditions to pass down to their daughters.
    I have to say - some of my favorite images are of the before the ceremony couple images.

    I have polled my brides and asked if it diminshed their experience and if they regretted it. I've never had one say she regretted it. Most of them say it helped calm their nerves and weren't so anxious and nauseated before the ceremony if they had met prior.

    I've been shooting for 6 yrs now and that's a LOT of brides and their experiences they've shared.

    Hope this helps provide insight from this direction.

    Best of luck! xo
  • edited December 2011
    As a photographer, I would recommend pictures before the ceremony as well. The problem with doing them after the ceremony is that you will end up having your pictures taken, for the most part, in the dark. With flash, that's doable, but it's not going to look as good because you'll have a very dark background once the ambient light is too low, and you'll have a very flashed look. I often recommend that my brides take their formals beforehand so that we have better light to work with. If you don't mind breaking from tradition, you will get better pictures, no question.
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