A well-planned wedding and sensible schedule are crucial if you want to get the best photographs possible, and if you want to really enjoy your wedding day.

Nobody can be as good as, and nothing can really replace a professional wedding planner. We urge you to work with one! But brides who are planning their own weddings often turn to their photographers for basic advice.

In the next few weeks, we’re going to share some of our experience about how to get the most value out of your photographer before he or she takes a single shot.

This week – here’s why you might want to consider your wedding photographer as a planning resource, if you’re working without a planner.

1. Photographers observe what others may miss

As wedding photographers, we get to observe weddings like almost no other vendor in the industry. We’re often with the bride and groom from the start of their day until the very end of festivities. And we’re almost always involved with the bride and groom in a long lead up to the event, which can be more than a year, and for months and perhaps years after that.

2.Photographers see both perfectly planned and badly planned weddings

We’re trained observers of people and events. We’ve seen breathtakingly beautiful and perfectly orchestrated events. And of course there are the ones where people just muddle through. But sometimes we capture an event where things don’t go right. Good photographers should not boast to clients about ‘wedding disasters’ they have seen. But that said, experienced shooters have all seen wedding plans gone astray. The number one problem we see are poorly thought out schedules where people try to do too much in too short a time. Sometimes vendors don’t perform to expectations. A smart bride will want to unlock some of those secrets – not to revel in the misfortune of others, but to avoid making similar mistakes herself.

3. We can recommend other fantastic vendors

Following on from the above, wedding photographers often keep in touch with other vendors that impress them. We know the difference between a drop dead gorgeous bouquet and a dime store variety, and we know where to source both. Sometimes a live band, or a vintage wedding dress or a ring totally blow our minds. We know great hair and makeup artists and wedding planners. Smart brides will ask their photographer for any recommendations, then do their own research.

We’ve updated our recommended vendor page today with some new links to planners and a wonderful florist in Hamilton. Check them out!

4. The wedding day plan is usually fluid when the photographer is booked, and solid afterwards.

A vague wedding day plan often becomes a lot more concrete once a bride has worked out some details with her photographer. When should the photographer start and end the shoot? How are group photos best taken and when? When should they do a first look, first dance, cake cutting? Is there an optimum time for the ceremony? Where should the bride and groom get ready? How much time is required for a couples shoot on the wedding day and where does it fit in the schedule? These questions are often worked out – yes, even the ceremony time! – in conversations between the bride and the photographer. This is partly because developing a concrete plan for the day is a must for the photographer to work out how many hours must be committed to the project to meet the bride’s expectations, and how much to charge. To work out the difference between an 8 hour and a 14 hour photography project, basic wedding planning decisions need to be made.

When brides fully understand this, they can make the most out of their exchanges with photographers, and work out a wedding day plan that’s best for them, using the resources they have available.

Next Week – How your ceremony time determines the shape of your wedding day