The Formal: The formal consist of about 50 shots that will be taken before the wedding.   Since most brides don't wish to be seen by the groom until that magical moment when they take that walk down the isle, we have found it best to organize this period into three sessions.  The photographer arrives two hours early, sets up the photographic equipment, and photographs the bride and her attendants first.  This will take about forty minutes. After she is dismissed, the groom and his groomsmen are brought in and they are photographed.  We plan for about forty minutes during this session.  We have now photographed most of the formal before the wedding so there will be no lengthy wait for the all-important guests at the reception.  All that's left are group shots after the ceremony that will only take approximately thirty minutes.

If, however, the bride has no reservations about being seen by the groom before the marriage, all the formals' can be taken before the wedding and the wedding party can go immediately into the reception.  Just be sure everyone in the wedding party (including parents and minister) has an understanding to meet at a certain time before the wedding so all pictures can be taken then.

Also, it's important to understand that timing is very important.  If members of the wedding party are just a little late for their pre-wedding pictures, there may not be enough time to photograph before guests begin to arrive and pictures may be regulated to the after ceremony session making for a longer delay of the reception.  The more time we have to photograph before the wedding, makes for better, more beautiful pictures.

In the interest of giving you images that you will cherish, we would also appreciate your guests not filming while we are working during the formal.  We attempt to make yours the best pictures possible, and while we are not competing for your images (you own the digital images) we find that when others are photographing while we work, causes distractions and delays.  Also a stray flash can trigger the flash system and we have found this to cause problems with our equipment’s sensitive, electronic circuitry. We encourage your guest to take their pictures after the session please.

The Ceremony: The ceremony is the ‘grand finale’ of all your plans and preparations. We feel it is the most solemn time of your event and we try not to distract from this special moment. We strive to photograph from the sidelines and try to be as unobtrusive as we can. Flash is kept to a bare minimum. We want everyone’s attention to be focused on the moment, not on us. The number of shots can vary depending on the lighting and angles but generally, this is about 20 to 30 shots.

The Reception: Your reception is a time for festivity and enjoyment.   All the anxiety of planning and organizing are over and now's the opportunity to truly enjoy a time of gaiety and celebration.  Pictures taken at this time will be more candid and less posed.  We like to look for the spontaneity of the moment.  Pictures may include scenes of the happy couple dancing, laughing with friends, and generally enjoying themselves and their guests. Of course, many brides will want the all-familiar pictures of 'cutting the cake, throwing the bouquet, tossing the garter' and other familiar traditions.  We find that about 30 exposures works well for this coverage, but you may want to include more shots, so please let us know ahead of time if you anticipate the need for more pictures.