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WEDDINGS: HOW TO NOT GET OVERWHELMED

Quick Guide
Written by Ĺudmila Borošová
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 Wedding – the most beautiful word for all couples, the
worst nightmare for photographers. Is that true? Why is
that? Can you actually make yourself prepared? How?

Let’s dig into that and make you as prepared as you

possibly can be to enjoy the big day as well!

This guide won’t make you a wedding professional, only

experience will! Of course, I don’t consider myself the
biggest pro out there. But what I do know about is how to
calm myself down, manage the situation a little bit better,
and generate satisfaction not only with my photographs
but with the services as well.

I’ll be focusing on making your life simpler.

Today, we’ll cover the following:

· Four steps in finding balance with the couple

· Four steps in finding balance with yourself

Photograph by Ľudmila Borošová

Recommended Reading: If you’d like to learn

how to create amazing portraits, grab a copy of
Photzy’s premium guide: The Art of Portrait
Photography.

WEDDINGS: HOW TO NOT GET OVERWHELMED // © PHOTZY.COM 2


Photograph by Ľudmila Borošová
WEDDINGS: HOW TO NOT GET OVERWHELMED // © PHOTZY.COM
GET CONNECTED
TO THE COUPLE
Step One: Get Personal – Meet
and Talk!
Before you even start planning out the
whole thing, meet up with the couple and
see how you fit. You will be responsible
for capturing the memories of the biggest
moment of their journey thus far as a
couple, and it means not only fitting
within their set budget. You should have a
similar mindset considering the vibe, your
editing preferences and, most of all, you
should fit as friends. It’s understandable,
because you’ll be with them in the
happy and tough moments throughout
the day (and sometimes days!) to create
something beautiful together. There will
be times where you’ll need to calm down
the bride when the flowers are destroyed,
or when she’s stressing out too much
about a forgotten accessory. There will
be other times when you’ll be expected
to joke around with the guests and create
a very open atmosphere. Then, you’ll be
setting the romantic mood for a sunset
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 photoshoot, asking the bride and groom to whisper
in each other’s ears the words of love. You see, you
will be playing different roles throughout the day,
and they need to have much more as a photographer
– they need a partner in crime.
Recommendation: If it’s your first wedding, be open
about it and show them the portrait work you usually
do. Are they still indecisive? Invite them for a pre-
wedding photoshoot with a discount.
Step Two: Educate Them – Great Photos are
Teamwork
During the meeting, be the wise teacher for a
while. Don’t forget, you shouldn’t be pushy with
your ideas, but you should make the couple realize
that you are the one with experience and that they
should fully trust your advice. Educating them means
making them realize a few things that they otherwise
wouldn’t. What are some of these things?
· Unplugged ceremonies – Share an idea of what
it is and how it could be beneficial for them.
Many couples consider unplugged ceremonies
on the input of their official photographer. And
WEDDINGS: HOW TO NOT GET OVERWHELMED // © PHOTZY.COM
why do I say official? Because, as we can all
imagine, family members love being involved
in photography. Do you know that grandma
who takes a selfie instead of the front camera
picture? Or the uncle with a DSLR jumping
in front of you in the aisle? Or the Instagram
mommy giving you her phone to take pictures
on it, instead of your camera? This is a big
moment for the couple, and they want their
closest ones there to share it with them, not with
their phone screen.
· Slowing down a bit – This might sound
obvious, but it’s not. The newlyweds have
been waiting for this moment for ages! Ah,
the exchange of rings, the first kiss, the first
dance… so much so, that they forget they hired
a photographer and let the moment take them
somewhere else. Usually, it’s with their backs
to the photographer with a kiss lasting two
milliseconds. Explain that this will be their most
beautiful moment captured and that in order to
do it properly, they need to collaborate just for
a bit. Don’t worry, they will understand. You’re
saying it for their own good.
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 Photograph by Ľudmila Borošová

WEDDINGS: HOW TO NOT GET OVERWHELMED // © PHOTZY.COM 5

 Step Three: Give Them Space – Prepare a
Questionnaire

Every couple (especially the bride!) has a

different idea of “perfect” and “wedding.” The
best way to understand their point of view is
to prepare a sheet (or digital version in Google
Forms) with various questions regarding the
whole process. What can you ask about?

· Where and when do you meet up with the

couple on the wedding day

· Timetable and important moments not to

miss

· Accessories they wish to have photographs

of (and where you can find them)

· Decorations they wish to have photographs

of (and where you can find them)

· Names of the most important people

attending the wedding

· Pinterest inspirations (posing, atmosphere,

location)

· Story of how the couple met

· And anything else that will help you

capture their story with ease
Photograph by Ľudmila Borošová

WEDDINGS: HOW TO NOT GET OVERWHELMED // © PHOTZY.COM 6

 Step Four: Sneak Peeks

After the wedding’s over, you’ll need to

sort through thousands of pictures to
select and edit the best ones. The best
policy is to send few sneak peeks within
one or two days after the wedding. Don’t
forget about this, because it’s just a small
gesture to reassure the couple that you
care about their experience. I know that
editing the whole session may take weeks
with the workload being so high, but
the couple wants to show at least a few
pictures to their family and the online
world.

I usually choose and edit pictures that

best suit the announcement:

· The first kiss

· Detail of the rings/exchange of the

Photograph by Ľudmila Borošová
rings

· Photo with closest family

· Photo with all guests

· Romantic photo of the bride and

groom from the photoshoot

WEDDINGS: HOW TO NOT GET OVERWHELMED // © PHOTZY.COM 7

 FIND INNER PEACE WITH YOURSELF
Step One: Balance the Equipment
Equipment-related questions dominate the world
of photographers. And while people usually say,
“It’s not about the camera, it’s about my skills,” and
they are somewhat right, you need to give your
equipment a little more attention when it comes to
weddings.
Let’s face it, you need a reliable camera that’s sharp
and fast, and this is what will save you in many
situations! A camera that’s focusing for too long (e.g.
in low-light conditions) will take too long to focus on
a couple walking down the aisle. You can’t take that
risk! Speaking about risks, weddings are full of them.
One of the worst nightmares is your camera breaking
down in the middle of the day, and that’s why you
need to have two on you if you want to take wedding
photography seriously. You can use two lenses at
once and worry less about Murphy’s law! On the
other hand, don’t feed your equipment addiction.
You do not need three huge umbrella lights to carry
around; you’re shooting a spontaneous event, and
no one will be posing for you while you set this up
in different locations. Find the right balance! Here’s
what works for me:
WEDDINGS: HOW TO NOT GET OVERWHELMED // © PHOTZY.COM
· 2x camera body
· Portrait lens (absolutely essential)
· Wide lens (indoor shoots)
· SD cards that have space for at least for 7000
RAW files (choose faster ones to make sure your
camera won’t lag)
· 3x charged batteries
· Battery charger (when the reception begins, I
always charge the first battery I used up, just in
case)
· Reflector
· Prism (for stunning effects)
· Flash (for dancing/receptions)
· Tripod (if you are planning to do long
exposures)
· Laptop + Hard Disk Drive (in case anything
happens and you need to back up your files
immediately)
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 Photograph by Ľudmila Borošová

WEDDINGS: HOW TO NOT GET OVERWHELMED // © PHOTZY.COM 9

 Step Two: Research, Research,
Research

Now, when you have your photography

bag all ready, make yourself comfortable
with research. Creativity-wise, have your
favorite poses ready. Knowledge-wise,
watch as many videos and read as many
guides as possible. Technically, learn
about various camera and SD card errors
and learn how to fix them.

Photograph by Ľudmila Borošová

WEDDINGS: HOW TO NOT GET OVERWHELMED // © PHOTZY.COM 10

 Step Three: Prepare Your Mind

If you are starting from the early morning,

try to not schedule any exhausting
photoshoots the day before. You’ll need
to conserve energy, pace yourself, relax,
and get a good night’s sleep. I know
you’ll be stressed. It’s a hard thing to
do. Everything happens so quickly, yet
it’s all important. You start overthinking
the event and questioning your abilities.
Don’t. Just try getting to bed at least
three hours earlier than you usually
would, just in case your body decides to
randomly wake you up because of the
stress. There’s nothing you can do about
it anymore. You’re as prepared as you
can be, and the couple chose you for a
reason – they love your pictures. And you
know what? A little bit of stress is always
good for your adrenaline and boosts your
Photograph by Ľudmila Borošová
results.

Recommended Reading: If you’d

like to learn how to create amazing
portraits, grab a copy of Photzy’s
premium guide: The Art of Portrait
Photography.

WEDDINGS: HOW TO NOT GET OVERWHELMED // © PHOTZY.COM 11

 Step Four: Have a Contract

While it will be a day focused on the

love of two people, you can’t forget
about yourself. Never put yourself last,
and always protect yourself. Create a
contract that will cover the basics of your
agreement like deposits and payments
- and much more! When I started out, I
thought that some things were common
knowledge, but they are not. I never
asked for food at receptions, because I
always received it at weddings before...
until one time, when I was on my feet for
eight hours and saw (standing alone in
the corner) guests enjoying their lunch. I
didn’t even have a chair, and I assumed,
wrongly, that all couples think about this.
However, this also highly depends on the
culture and country you’re from. In my
area, it’s customary to have a separate
Photograph by Ľudmila Borošová
table for the band, videographer,
and photographer with refreshments
and lunch/dinner. But just because it’s a
custom, it doesn’t mean that everyone
else considers it. Break down your work
preferences and write down anything that
will help you do the job, from payments
to refreshments to marketing. The
contract doesn’t only protect the couple,
it also protects your job.

WEDDINGS: HOW TO NOT GET OVERWHELMED // © PHOTZY.COM 12

 Photograph by Ľudmila Borošová

WEDDINGS: HOW TO NOT GET OVERWHELMED // © PHOTZY.COM 13

 Self-Check Quiz: Assignment:

1) Is there a reason why meeting with the bride and groom · Create a specific “Wedding” album with posing ideas you
will help deliver the best results? can always go back to for inspiration.

2) What is an unplugged ceremony? · Create forms with questions you want to have answered
before weddings. This will help you in case you already
3) What can you educate the bride and groom on? have an inquiry!

4) What can you ask the couple when planning the wedding? · Create a contract. Use free resources on the internet and, if
you can, get a lawyer to check it.
5) How soon should you send out sneak peeks?

6) Are there any must-haves to include in the sneak peek

album?

7) When is your equipment important and when is it not?

8) What should you put into the contract?

WEDDINGS: HOW TO NOT GET OVERWHELMED // © PHOTZY.COM 14

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Hey there!
Let's get real for a minute... Learning photography can be super challenging! But
we're here to help you every step of the way! Here are 3 of our most useful (and
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Grab 3 free photography cheat Take this 30 second quiz to find out Free access to our library of 250+
sheets that will help you the #1 thing holding your downloadable (pdf) tutorials on
understand the basics. photography back. everything you can imagine.

Download Cheat Sheets → Take Quiz → Download eBooks →

Want quick photography tips?

Check out our friends at DailyPhotoTips.com they'll send you 1 solid photography tip
to your inbox, 5 days a week. So you can start your day right, with actionable tips to
help you on your creative journey. Subscribe now →
(free for a limited time)

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 ABOUT THE AUTHOR Congratulations! You’ve completed
this Photzy guide!

If you liked this photography tutorial, check out

this premium guide to help you create inspiring
portraits: The Art of Portrait Photography.

Ĺudmila is a Slovak photographer focusing on portraiture.

She does photography while finishing her Master’s degree in
Business Administration, specializing in Entrepreneurship. She is
based in Prague, Czech Republic but loves to travel around the
world and share her stories, as well as her photoshoots, on her
IF YOU’D LIKE TO CONTINUE
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