Wedding Preparation - Visiting the Venue with the Couple

Why visit the venue with the Couple?

There are lots of reason's that I like to visit the venue of a wedding before the day itself. Where possible I like to do this with the couple getting married.

Whether the couple are there, or not, I like to see what it looks like and to search out good photographic locations. It is also important to find places to photograph when it is wet. It is also helpful to see where the sun is and where the light comes from. All this helps me plan the technical side of the photography for the day.

What it doesn't do, however, is the equally important part of the preparation that is to easy to miss. To shoot a venue I need to understand why a couple chose the venue and what it means to them. And the only people that can tell me this are the couple themselves.

Earlier this year visit to Taunton and bridge. Registry office had scaffolding on the front and wasn't the best location for the bride and groom shots. We needed to find a better place nearby where the group shots could be taken and also for the bride and groom photos. The bride and groom photographs on the day needed to be taken quickly before the couple moved on to the reception some miles away.

The two following pictures show photographs taken at the spot we found in central Taunton. The bride and groom didn't move between the two photographs except to turn round.

Last month for a wedding in Wells the couple and I searched for a spot that they liked by the town hall which was easy to reach and fitted into the schedule and flow of their day. Not a problem in a beautiful City like Wells.

On other occasions, however, it is not so easy. Whilst there had also been lovely places by the church that we had used we had been very short of time as there was a wedding there soon after.

The picture on the left was taken of the bride and groom in a spot surrounded by large buildings that are not very 'picturesque'.

A small little corner that was ideal that we found out on our visit to the venue proved the ideal placce for this lovely bride and groom photograph.

Yesterday I visited Dillington House with a couple. Walking around the venue and sharing ideas and locations for the pictures I could get a very good idea of the couples dreams for their perfect day. For this couple the location is very important to them and as well as the close up and intimate photographs they want sweeping pictures showing the house and gardens and the celebrations taking place their. It was only by visiting with them that I could find this out

So why visit the venue with the couple?

Visiting the venue with the bride and groom helps me understand the story of the day and makes the photography personal and special to the clients. Each wedding is different and needs to be photographed differently and the visit to the venue with the couple is an important part of the preparation so that realistic plans can be made.

Oh yes, as importantly, it helps the couple to be more relaxed about the photography on the day. A major plus point.

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