Part 3 of THE BEAUTY OF CAPTURING MOMENTS RATHER THEN RECREATING THEM – THE CEREMONY

Part 4 can be found here: ROMANTIC PHOTOS: THE BEAUTY OF CAPTURING MOMENTS RATHER THEN RECREATING THEM 

Part 2  can be found here:  THE FIRST LOOK: THE BEAUTY OF CAPTURING MOMENTS RATHER THEN RECREATING THEM 

Part 1 can be found here: GETTING READY PHOTOS: THE BEAUTY OF CAPTURING MOMENTS RATHER THEN RECREATING THEM

I love shooting the ceremony. For me it is so romantic, deep in emotion and beautifully breathtaking. From the moment all the guest see the bride for the first time walking down the aisle in her radiant wedding dress to the moment the groom sweeps her off her feet for THE KISS… all of it warms my heart. It is the sealing of a love story designed to last a lifetime.

Obviously on a wedding day you can’t ask everyone to freeze during the ceremony so you can get the perfect shot. So here the beauty of capturing moments rather then recreating them after the ceremony truly comes into play.

5 Tips to capture the ceremony as it unfolds
1. We know our must have key shots – they are second nature to us. Below is the basics of our list for a full hour wedding mass, it changes depending on the type of ceremony we are shooting, but this covers all the must haves.
* groom greeting guest as they arrive
*casual moments between family + friends as they enter the church and sit down
* the tender moment of the bride with her father before they walk down the aisle
* flower girls
* ring bearer
* wedding party as the process down the line
* bride + her father walking down the aisle
* grooms reaction to seeing his beautiful bride
* the father giving away his daughter
* the brides mothers face at that time
* the grooms parents expressions
* opening prayer
* readings
* gospel
* homily
* statement of intentions
* exchange of vows
* blessing and exchange of rings
* liturgy of the eucharist
* communion – bride + groom receiving followed by the guest receiving
* the final blessing
* THE KISS
* family + friends reactions
* bride + groom exit

2. Anticipate. We anticipate all the above moments and are ready for anything to happen. For example, the bride struggling to put on the grooms ring, super cute moment. The groom giggling from nerves as he speaks his vows or perhaps tearing up. The mother of the bride dabbing away her tears with a kleenex as the bride and groom kiss. All these moments can only be captured as they unfold.

 3. After you have each key shot glance around to creatively capture reaction shots.

4. Move Move Move. You will see this a lot. We always stay active during the wedding. I move around behind the guest so not to be a distraction. No one sees me moving, but I am always on the go so I can grab the shot I need from the best location possible. Brandon stays in the front and quietly moves at key times during the wedding. I will go more into this on another post.

5. MOST IMPORTANT. As the bride and groom exit the church I follow them! Brandon will stay at the back of the church and capture photos of everyone exiting the church or ceremony location. However, I will follow the bride and groom to capture their first few moments together as husband and wife. It is a quiet moment when they get tucked away and the true emotions they are experiencing are revealed.

Below is the grooms daughter, Helena, running up to both Erin + David seconds after the ceremony was over filled with excitement. A perfect beautiful moment just dripping of true emotion.  

After Melissa + A.J.’s wedding ceremony they snuck into the private chapel off of the church for some quiet prayer and deep admiration for the sacrament they just received. The sweetness of this moment fills my heart with so much peace + joy. 

After Jessica + Charles skipped their way down the aisle after their “I Do”, Charles lead Jessica to a secluded little place off to the side by the trees to sneak in a BIG KISS. Jessica’s face says it all.