Choosing a venue is so hard! Do you have the Ceremony at your church? Then the Reception…is it at the same location, or do you choose to move locations? Or do you opt to have both at one Venue, and not do the church thing at all? Will you break Grandma’s heart if you do that?
These are a few of the things every bride is thinking when she first starts the Wedding planning.
And not to add to your list of internal questions…but did you know that as a photographer, I have a preference?? I do!!
For me, it boils down to logistics. If you have your Ceremony in one place, and your Reception in another, it is very difficult for me to capture each place properly! It’s not impossible mind you, it just makes my job a bit harder;) But these are things we will discuss while planning your timeline, making sure that I have ample time for both if you choose two separate locations, so don’t hear that I won’t shoot a Wedding with two different locations, I WILL! My preference is one. Here is a few reasons why One location can be preferable for both Ceremony & Reception.
DETAILS MATTER
You planned your details out, down to the napkin rings. I want to be able to showcase each piece that you thought thru so carefully! I should be able to capture all of your details, the things you have planned for so meticulously, before I even begin shooting the “getting ready” images! When we go over timeline, one of the things I stress is to have both the Ceremony and Reception area ready to go by the time I arrive on the scene. This means roughly 3-4 hrs prior to the Ceremony beginning. This gives me a chance to capture both areas without anyone in them, without jackets and purses strewn about.
TIMING IS EVERYTHING
Weddings have so many moving parts. The timeline we create helps us put together a large puzzle. We always add in some wiggle room in case things don’t go exactly as planned (which is the case with the majority of weddings!). If you do not have One location for both Ceremony & Reception, we then have to build in travel time. I want to be able to tell a story that flows well when shooting your wedding, and this includes all of the portraits. If we have two locations, we have to include the necessary time to travel to, say your gorgeous Reception site to take all of the portraits/bridal party pictures etc before the Ceremony. And this can definitely work, but sometimes this creates some stress. Getting in and out of a vehicle in your wedding gown, isn’t exactly easy! And alot of brides don’t realize how stressed this makes them feel on their wedding day. Having everything in one location eliminates the stress of travel.
IT WILL COST YOU
When choosing to have your Ceremony in a different location, even at your home church, there is usually a cost involved. Some churches allow members to marry for free, but those are few and far between. The majority of them charge at least a small fee. Having your Ceremony & Reception in one location could save you money!
Either way, it will be an amazing event because it is YOURS!
Leave a Reply