The Pre-Wedding Photoshoot

This is the second in a series of articles all about how we prepare for your wedding photography. To read more of this series, please go to the index on Preparing for Your Wedding Photography.

A couple of months before your wedding, we will be in touch with you to arrange a pre-wedding shoot. The location is up to you, although if you are short of ideas then there are plenty of options near us, as well as having the option to use our studio for part of the session.

Although it’s optional, it’s FREE with all our wedding photography packages and we highly recommend you do it. You can usually expect it to take a couple of hours from start to finish.

Not only will you walk away with a lovely set of non-wedding images that aren’t your usual smartphone selfie, but you will also be better prepared for, and hopefully more relaxed about, your wedding day.

On your wedding day, apart from the session that you set aside for the Bride and Groom couple’s photos, we predominantly shoot in a documentary style (i.e. leave you to your own devices and stay in the background), photographing the day as it happens. Even so, there are times when it can be helpful to know just why exactly people say “the camera adds ten pounds”… yes, it can do, but it can just as easily get your ‘good side’ and make you look your absolute best, most stunning and downright irresistible.

What’s more, the tips we give you don’t just apply to your wedding. Whether you are lounging by the pool on your honeymoon, bungee-jumping over the Grand Canyon from a helicopter or visiting a local pig-farm, you can be sure that you will always look incredible!*

*Disclaimer: We cannot be held responsible for the ‘crazy all-over-the-place hair’ or ‘covered in mud’ looks not being as amazing as you thought they would be… The pool? Well, everyone always looks great by the pool.

The pre-wedding photo shoot also lets you get used to our way of working. Dasha and I have a very distinct style of working (she’s the boss, I just take the photos) and our main aim is for you to be comfortable in front of the camera. I can relate to that, because one of the reasons I got behind the camera was because I didn’t used to like standing in front of it!

We do also sometimes use the pre-wedding shoot as an opportunity to be a bit more experimental and try new things.

By the end of the shoot, you should be nice and relaxed about your photos for your big day and be able to get on with worrying about something else (is the dress/suit too small, are the shoes shiny enough, is mum really wearing that crazy fascinator??).

Once you receive the photos (usually a couple of weeks after the shoot), it also gives you the chance to be honest with us about which ones you do or don’t like. Everyone has their preference and we give you a licence to be picky with these photos. They are there for you to tell us what you want from your wedding photos. If a particular pose or angle isn’t what you want, now is the perfect time to tell us… don’t worry, we can take the criticism!

Some couples like to use the photos from their pre-wedding shoot for their wedding, as part of a guest signing book, or a framed picture, or even as part of a video slideshow. In such cases, you just need to let us know in advance and we’ll be sure not to spoil the surprise by blogging about it until after the wedding.