Photographing Arrivals and Greetings at the Wedding Ceremony Venue
Bride Gloria’s face is a picture of anticipation. On arrival, she takes a while to sit in the car, compose herself, and take everything in. This gave me a unique chance to take a fantastic sequence of emotive wedding photographs.
Travelling to the Wedding Ceremony Venue
I try to leave the preparations a while before the bridal party. This allows me time to arrive at the ceremony venue (whether a church, register office or other location) about twenty minutes before the bride arrives. I then have a chance to take some establishing shots of the details, venue, the groom, and his party – particularly any nerves that may be apparent from his side!
I choose not to drive between the venues and often travel with guests who are going or a booked taxi. I occasionally travel with the bride and her father, as below.
I caught a black London taxi with the bride, Lindsay, and her father—don’t worry, they were on time. This was a fantastic photo opportunity, as I ended up with dynamic story-telling shots like this—gold dust for any wedding photographer.
Consider the Venue>> Danson House for your Civil Wedding.
Kolbe isn’t the sort of person to be nervous, but in this photograph taken at Porchester Hall in London, he certainly looks it. Maybe I just shot him in a thoughtful moment – either way, his bride loved it.
Photographing the Groom’s Nerves…
Brides often ask me how the groom was after I’ve seen him at the venue. They are frequently surprised when I tell them how nervous the groom appeared. I can only put this down to the enormous magnitude of the wedding day and its importance. It can reduce the most composed and usually relaxed person to a nervous wreck. I love to photograph this if I can. The bride will not usually see this side of her groom and it is lovely when I can photograph her apprehensive fiancé.
Dale was nervous throughout this waiting time before his bride arrived. I caught several intense shots, such as this one where his buttonhole gets attached. As an aside, the bride Helen’s brother is attaching it, which makes the shot even more special.
There is more button-hole action a few moments after the previous shot. I often go wide to get a better environmental overview.
What the Bride Will Not See…
Many other goings-on happens as guests arrive that the bride will miss out on. It is your photographer’s job to ensure that these are documented. If there are any critical shots that you would like them to capture, be sure to tell them. Do bear in mind that every wedding is different, so some shots may not be possible.
Throughout the arrival time, there are many guest greetings and meetings that the bride won’t be privy to. It’s my job to capture some of these to give her a complete picture of her day.
Arrivals are the first time that many guests will see each other, and it is an excellent time for your photographer to take some meet-and-greet shots. Your wedding photographer should always be on the lookout for some scene-setting shots that will act as a link in your book or just a memory of your day.
I like at least 20 minutes to photograph the groom and guests before the bride’s arrival.
A more up-close shot shows some wedding happiness with the bride’s stepfather and best man in the pub, which is a popular place for the groom and guests to meet.
Another pub shot shows more of the bar and guests relaxing with a drink before the ceremony.
For religious wedding ceremonies, guests typically meet at the church. Here, the vicar hands out the order of service as friends and family arrive. These are great scene-setting shots.
Discretion is critical when photographing some natural shots of the wedding greetings. Shooting from behind something (in this case, a row of guests) works a treat!
This is a favourite photo: Children are always good fun to photograph, and this pair made a beautiful portrait as they played at the front of the Fitzrovia Chapel.
Photographing the Arrival of the Bride
A must-have shot is the bride’s arrival. I try to take a sequence of shots depicting this event and continue to shoot while she and her party compose themselves at the entrance and eventually walk down the aisle. Methods of transport vary greatly, from London taxi cabs to limousines, family cars to Rolls-Royces, as at the wedding at Brompton Oratory below.
The Bridal car pulls up at the venue, and the bridesmaids and close family look on. Notice the crowd of tourists gathered at the gates.
Seconds later, she steps out, aided by a bridesmaid. These three photos were part of a 15-photo sequence.
Wedding arrivals aren’t all Rolls-Royces and Vintage Cars: Laura arrived in her father’s family hatchback, and the occasion was no less remarkable for it.
I love the bride Debbie’s expression in this photo as she arrives in the rain. You can tell her eagerness to get into the dry!
Tanya was very late for her wedding at Asia House in London. Her face in this emotive photograph says it all!
Paloma left her preparations a little late and had to dash to nearby King’s College Chapel for her wedding ceremony. This kept me on my toes, trying to keep up while recording the short journey.
Small Breaks from Convention
Arriving Together
These days, many couples choose to break from convention, and that’s a good thing. It’s your day, so do what suits you, including how you arrive at your ceremony venue.
Traditionally, the bride arrives last and walks down the aisle to join her waiting groom. But nowadays, many couples choose to arrive together with little fanfare, particularly at small register office weddings.
Sometimes, the preparations and ceremony are in the same building, which is very handy for the photographer as it means they can photograph guest arrivals and the bride leaving her preparations and making her way to the ceremony.
Isha and Alexandros arrived together for their ceremony in Southwark. It’s as special for me to capture as the traditional way of the bride arriving with her father.
Consider the Venue>> Islington Town Hall for your Register Office Wedding.
Rena chose to descend the sweeping staircase alone at Plas Glansevin in Carmarthenshire. The string quartet adds interest to the right of the photo.
Who Will Accompany You to the Venue?
This is covered more in-depth in the next chapter (more specifically, walking down the aisle), but there’s a slight overlap:
The bride’s father travels typically with her to the venue and walks her down the aisle, but there are occasions when this is not possible.
A bride once told me they didn’t think he would want to accompany her. It wasn’t that they weren’t close, just that she didn’t want to put any undue stress on him and wanted him to enjoy the day with no pressure. I encouraged her to ask at least, which she did. He was over the moon, and it was a very special moment. If you’re unsure, ask him!
Sadly, some fathers have passed on or may have health issues that prevent them from carrying out their fatherly duties. In this case, do ask another close family member or best friend. Brothers/sisters, grandparents, uncles/aunts, school friends and even sons or daughters are all OK to ask. There’s no restriction on the relationship to you or the sex of the person if your dad can’t be by your side.
But if you want to arrive and walk down the aisle alone, that’s fine, too. Many brides do that these days (see photos above and below).
As she starts her walk down the aisle, she only has eyes for her soon-to-be husband.
Sometimes, a key family member has sadly passed on. Emma chose her grandfather to accompany her to her church wedding.
Potential for Posed Portraits Before Your Wedding
Whether you arrive together, separately, in a bridal party, or with your parents or groomsmen, there is usually time for some posed portraits outside your venue. I try to keep this short and low-key so you can enjoy the buildup, but some couples like to have a few formal shots on arrival and before the day gets going.
I have a chapter on Posed Wedding Photography for more hints and tips. It covers the subject in-depth.
As they arrived together, I took this portrait of Rebecca and Carl standing inside the ornate doorway of Cardiff City Hall.
This groom was waiting with his grandma, sister, mum and dad. It was easy to shoot and very informal.
I captured these guests in the waiting area of Chelsea Old Town Hall. They were chatting but posed beautifully when they saw me photographing them.
Candid Photos as the Guests Assemble at the Ceremony
In the ceremony room, I try to take photos of groups of people together. These could be couples, families, or individuals. Usually, the guests are seated in rows, making it a bit tricky to take attractive photos, as the nearest person can seem more prominent than those at the other end. I may ask some guests to lean forward or backward slightly to counteract this.
Two generations apart: I love this photo of a grandfather and his grandson at a Cardiff wedding.
Priceless: The groom and his happy grandmother embraced shortly before his marriage.
An overview shot such as this gives a sense of the occasion. The groom looking nervous is a bonus.
It’s often not apparent to people what I’m shooting. The lady on the left thinks I’m just photographing the couple. Little does she know!
Sometimes, there is a lot of waiting. Before Jess’s arrival, Harry plays with his phone while the registrars relax.
The Bride at the Venue Before the Ceremony
After the bride finally arrives at the ceremony venue, there is usually time to photograph her alone or with the bridal party. This is all part of my photographic storytelling of the day. I feel it’s essential to document the bride as she makes her way through the venue and towards her marriage ceremony.
Helen didn’t seem nervous until she arrived outside Winchester House, her wedding venue. I love this candid shot of her peering through the gate into the garden. ‘Think and Thank’ indeed!
In a more frivolous shot, Melissa is happy to ham it up while her father looks on outside the Crystal Palace, South London church.
Many wedding venues have the most beautiful entrance halls and staircases. Rebecca’s face says it all as she climbs the stairs of Porchester Hall.
In a serious shot, I photograph a moment of reflection as Lindsay takes a minute or two outside the ceremony room.
This is a fun shot: At this Camden Town Hall wedding, a cheeky guest takes the opportunity to photograph bride Jess a short while before she is married. A bugbear of mine is fire exit signs and extinguishers in an otherwise pleasing scene… Argh!
A firm handshake from the bride’s father to the groom marks the beginning of their wedding ceremony…
Chapter 4: The Ceremony – & Photography Etiquette – Next>>>>
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Finally, some guests are a little too enthusiastic. David’s mum goes to hug him, but he turns away and nearly knocks the glasses off his face. Funny shots of the wedding arrivals are always good to capture.
