Wedding Photography Checklist

For most people’s lives, getting married is one of the grandest milestones they will ever experience. People only get married once and we, of course, want the best. But in reality, this start of a happy ending takes a bit more work and investment. The couple must take into consideration a lot of things – from people to food or venue and even, wedding coverage.

Often looked over, couples fail to realize the importance of a wedding photography checklist. No matter how amazing your wedding is, if your partner photographer won’t be able to do justice to the photos, it would be a disaster and no couple would ever have the chance to go back in time for a redo! To prevent such mishaps, Bellamy Loft prepared this short but intentional list for photographers.

We designed this list to preserve sweet and candid moments, important highlights, and basically capture photos that tell a story. This is best for couples who are more into details and wants amazing photos to look back to. Without further ado, here’s the checklist!

PRE-CEREMONY PREPARATION

Covering a wedding is like telling this sweet story of a happy ever after in real life. Though there’s no need to capture the rollercoaster ride of how a couple came to this point, it is still a great idea to cover the pre-ceremony preparations. This adds more of a human touch to this picture-perfect event and adds more anticipation and depth to the story. Here’s a cheat sheet to go through during the preparation coverage.

Bride getting ready – having her hair styled and getting make up done
Still life shot of the bride’s gown, shoes and jewellery
Still life shot of the something old, new, blue, and borrowed
Detailed shots of the bride’s and bridesmaids’ bouquets
Candid shot of the bridesmaids getting dressed
Mother buttoning up or zipping the bride’s gown and helping the bride with finishing details such as veil
Full-length shot of the bride in her gown and bride looking at herself in the mirror
Bridemaids reacting to the bride in her gown
Father seeing the bride in her gown
Bride with her parents and siblings and with her bridesmaids
Groom getting ready with his father and groomsmen
Groom with his parents and siblings
Groom with best man and with his groomsmen
Groomsmen putting on boutonniere or ties
Close-up shot of the wedding bands

The Ceremony

This is the main event and where the couple exchanges a vow for a lifetime together, filled with hope and love. It’s important to capture the beauty of the venue and guests during the ceremony as listed here on the wedding photography checklist. This is just a guide and you can freely take more shots you feel would be great. Remember, these are the photos couple more often look back or even have printed to be framed at home later on.

Exterior and interior shots of the venue before the guests settle in
Groom walking in the aisle with his mother
Close-up expression of the groom while waiting for the bride
Bridal party walking down the aisle
Bride and her escort waiting to walk down the aisle
Close-up of the bride before she makes an entrance
Groom reacting to the bride as she walks down the aisle
Bride’s escort giving her away to the groom
Bride and groom at the altar
Candid shot of the parents watching the ceremony
Wide shot of the ceremony from the couple’s point of view, and the altar from the guest’s point of view
Special moments such as candle lighting and readings
Close-up shot of the bride and groom as they recite vows and while exchanging rings
Very important: THE KISS!
Close-up shot of the couple after the ceremony
Candid shot of bride and groom with their family and bridal party

The Reception

The reception is everyone’s favourite part of the event. This is where the fun is – there’s food, drinks, music, and more to enjoy. Capture the authenticity and lively spirit of the event. Make every shot you take count!

Exterior and interior shots of the venue before the guests settle in
Still life shots of place cards, table setting, centrepieces, decorations, and favours
Very important: THE CAKE
Hors d’oeuvres and drinks
Guests showing up and signing the guest book
Bride and groom arriving at the reception
Candid shots of guests during the toast
Bride and groom sipping champagnes and speaking with guests
Bride and groom’s first dance
Bride dancing with her father and groom dancing with his mother
Parents and wedding party dancing
Musicians, DJs, or entertainers performing
Guests dancing
Bride and groom cutting the cake
Bouquet toss
Newlywed’s vehicle and while couple leaves the event

Beyond having this remarkable wedding photography list, it is still important to get an excellent wedding photographer that you can trust. Sometimes, the value of work is more than just the price tag. Make sure to work with people, like Emblaze Photography, who understand you as a couple and as individuals. This will help them capture your best self and bring you outputs that express your personalities too.

Wedding Photography Checklist