Oh hey, it’s me! This past weekend’s wedding looked a little different for me. I had the privilege of standing next to my best friend as she said I do. Well, I wasn’t exactly standing up front during the ceremony… I was photographing it!
Photographing and being a bridesmaid in a wedding was such a new, exciting experience. And although I am not an expert, I wanted to share a couple of tips when doing so!
(See their wedding blog post HERE).
#1 – Find yourself a solid second shooter.
Because I was a bridesmaid, there was no way I could take every single photograph. After all, I needed to be in a lot of them. That being said, my fiance John came along as my second shooter. I have a second shooter for every wedding I photograph however for this one their role was especially important.
John’s role for Travis and Maddie’s wedding was double what it typically is. He was in charge of candids like my second shooters usually are. He also had to take every photograph that I needed to be in. For this, I would set up the frame and direct everyone, then step in and pose for him to photograph.
Oh, he also had to assist me in other typical duties like holding the veil!
#2 – Set Expectations.
When Maddie first asked me to photograph and be a bridesmaid in her wedding, I had to set clear expectations. With her, it was easy. Maddie is one of my main second shooters and has photographed 30+ weddings with me. Because of that, I knew what was important to her and photographs she really wanted.
Maddie and Travis wedding day was not a typical one. In attendance were less than 30 of their closest friends and family. Their wedding day was intimate and unique. In addition to me photographing their day, two of the groomsmen also had multiple roles. One of Travis groomsmen was their officiant and another the guitar during their ceremony.
It was possible for me to photograph and stand in Maddie and Travis’ wedding because of the size and expectation. If their wedding had been bigger or had their been more in the bridal party, I would have considered having an additional third shooter in order to accurately photograph their day.
#3 – Have Fun and Do your Thing!
Lastly, I made sure to have fun and enjoy the day. After all, I was a bridesmaid and wanted to take in every moment of my best friend getting married.
When photographing, I worked how I would at every wedding and was confident in my abilities. Just like every wedding, Maddie and I had set a schedule ahead of time to make sure everything would be perfect. On the day of, everything went perfectly smooth. Despite my eyes being completely filled with tears most of the day, there weren’t any complications 🙂
Oh, and side note.. consider things you normally would when photographing a wedding. I.e. your shoe choice and getting enough water. But in addition to that, consider the fun sides of being a bridesmaid/photographer. For example, how you’re going to hold your camera and a beer at the same time. Or if the flower girl is a dog… where you’re going to hide dog treats for when you need to get her attention.
To read others like this Friday Feels: A Wedding Photographer in a Bridesmaids Dress!, check out:
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