Some people really dislike the organising part of their wedding and find it stressful. My wife and I loved it. We used to have “wedding Sundays” where we would just sit down, normally with a glass, and do some research or try and secure a supplier. Obviously the first thing to do is find a venue so you can work around a date. After that, finding a photographer is pretty high up on peoples’ lists – I have had bookings 3 years in advance!
So you’ve decided you want a photographer to cover everything throughout your day. My All Day coverage is an excellent value for money package for Kent Wedding Photography costing only £950.
With this package you get approximately 9 hours of coverage for your wedding day starting with the bridal prep and ending with your evening party. From this, you can expect to receive about 500 photos, fully edited photos delivered on a USB stick up to 3 weeks after your wedding – this is usually a lot faster during the low season.
On the USB stick, you will also receive a highlights slideshow of your day and each photo will come in 4 versions (high and low resolutions, both in colour and black and white) so that you can print and share them with family and friends as many times as you want!
One of the most frequent questions I get asked during a ‘Try Before You Buy’ meet-up is, “So what actually happens on the day?” So here’s a rundown of what happens at a “normal” wedding.
I start about 2 hours before your ceremony to capture your bridal prep. If you are getting married somewhere different to your venue, then I tend to add on another 30 minutes to factor in the travel time. The prep can be quite a hectic time, especially if there are lots of bridesmaids, so I tend to stick to one or two places in the room and use various lenses to capture the build-up. Obviously I am not there when everyone puts their dresses on, so this is the perfect time to go and get some photos of your venue set up (if your wedding is all in one place). As well as this, if the boys have arrived, I will quickly grab the groom and his entourage for a few nervous photos!
It’s wedding time!! During this part, I really like to stand up front so I can photograph the laughter and/or tears that may come. This is when you really start to forget I’m there. I get told that very quickly I almost become invisible - I’m 6’1” so not sure how I do that but it’s great! If there is one tip I would give any would-be wedding photographer it would be, wear soft-soled shoes. Nothing worse than hearing footsteps during the I do’s.
Once your ceremony is nearing the end, I quickly jump up and get some of you signing the register. I usually do a few shots, some natural ones and some looking at me. Here’s a thing most people don’t know… I am not allowed to photograph the actual register as it has other weddings on (data protection and all that) so the signing of the register photos are almost always on a blank page with a fake pen!
You’re married!!! Congratulations! Time to get a kiss off every one of your guests!
Now this is when I really start the candid shots. People are usually very smiley and happy at this point so I can get some great shots of people who are completely unaware I’m there.
After you get a chance to see some of your guests, we move onto the group shots. Before your wedding, I will ask you to email me a list of every formal group shot that you would like. I bring that list with me and then go through it on the day that way you will get the photos you really want. This is when getting someone who knows the majority of your guests would be amazing! They can go round and quickly grab guests so that this part runs a lot smoother and quicker.
Let’s be honest, we’ve all been at a wedding and thought that the group photos took too long. That’s why I like to keep everything under 20 minutes. You don’t want to be stuck with me - although I’m awfully lovely to be with – and you will want to get back to your guests.
Once you are ready, then we head off, just the three of us for your portraits. If you've taken advantage of my 'Try Before You Buy' pre-wedding meet-up, you'll know what to expect. If we didn't do that, then this is very relaxed. There's no serious posing or getting you to stay in positions for what seems and eternity whilst I take multiple photos laying on my back, I just get it all ready while we walk in-between shots and then get the photo for you. Again, there's absolutely no need to keep you for any longer than needs be and there will be a queue of drinks waiting for you at the bar!
For me, the rest of the day is mainly edge of the room candid shots. I try and get a photo of everyone who came to your wedding and the wedding breakfast is usually a great time to do this. You’ll see me walk around the room multiple times so that I can get a photo of each table from different angles.
As we head into the evening, we get to the cutting of the cake and first dance. This usually happens within 5 minutes of each other but there really aren’t any set rules. A bit like the signing of the register, we do a few natural and a few looking at me for the cake cutting.
For the first dance, you just take the lead and I will be there to frame it. If your guests join in, then I get stuck right in to grab some great party photos.
As your party really kicks off, I am still there snapping away. I only leave once I am happy with the photos I’ve got but this is usually around the 8:30pm mark, but this really isn’t a set in stone end time.
And that’s it; your perfect day is drawing to a close. As soon as I get home, the photos come off my camera and they get backed up onto multiple drives for safety. I get to work on them as soon as I can, which is usually within a day or two.
Hopefully by now, you have a real idea of what you can expect from me as a Kent Wedding Photographer. If you would like to book a ‘Try Before You Buy’ meet-up, get in contact and we can arrange a date as soon as possible.
Christopher Bell Photography is a wedding photographer based in Kent - serving Kent and surrounding Canterbury and Ashford. Find out more about his wedding photography packages and pricing. Kent Wedding Photography Awards Finalist 2019.
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