Tips and Tricks :: Church Restrictions

Hey there! Today we’ve got another Tips and Tricks post that will be a major help to some of you, who are planning on having your ceremony take place within a church. Of course, this piece of advice can apply to everyone, even those having their ceremony in an outdoor location. Typically though, church ceremonies can provide limitations to your photographers and this is something we need to know about, BEFORE the day of your wedding.

 Let’s start with the less common instance, of a ceremony taking place outside or at a non-church venue. Even if the venue itself doesn’t have restrictions on photography during the ceremony, your Minister or Officiant might have their own. So please, make sure to ask your Officiant of any specific rules, regulations or preferences he or she may have in regard to photography during the ceremony. Most of the time we work with Officiants who give us full freedom to stand and shoot from anywhere, but we have run into Officiants who have some strict restrictions for us, limiting our ability to get some classic photos that all couples are assuming we will take. For example, we were asked to make sure we stood behind the hedges surrounding a garden ceremony so we would be out of the eyesight of the guests. This meant we had to stay to the left or right of the ceremony the whole time, and were not allowed to get a full front photo of the ceremony, vows, rings exchange or even the First Kiss. Everything was photographed from the side. Had the couple discussed these restrictions with their Officiant prior to the wedding day, they would have known about our limitations as photographers and not been shocked to find out we couldn’t stand at the back of the aisle. We always LOVE outdoor ceremonies because they do not limit the photos we can take, and we can remain creative in our approach. But every once in a while, even an outdoor ceremony can throw some restrictions our way. So just check it out.

(Usually though, outdoor ceremonies let us come in for a First Kiss photo like this…)

Now to the more pressing and much more common matter of church ceremonies. Even with the most accommodating Officiant, churches have walls! Those walls can limit where we can stand in relation to the pews, the couple, and the lighting. We’re very adapt to photographing in the gorgeous, old, dimly lit, small churches of Southern Maryland but there is a much different approach to how we must shoot these ceremonies in comparison to an outdoor ceremony. Then, many times, we have to add to that method of shooting church restrictions. The most common ones are where we can stand during the ceremony, and when we can actually put our fingers on the shutter button and shoot. Typically, we’re asked to only stand at the front of the aisle during the Bride’s processional, then we must move to the back of the last pew and not move. If there is a balcony, we’re sometimes allowed to have one photographer up there for a different view of the ceremony. (And sometimes the balcony is the ONLY place either of us can stand, which means we cannot get any photos of the Bride coming down the aisle). Usually though, we’re instructed not to walk past the last pew or last guest seated, and we cannot walk along the sides of the pews. Again, we can shoot within these restrictions and we can produce beautiful photos of your ceremony, but the photos may not be exactly what the couple was hoping for. Super close up photos of the ring exchange, a shot of the Groom as he sees his Bride for the first time, and many other classic photos are simply not allowed by the church rules. In more strict churches, we are instructed to only take photos during times that music is being played, so the sound of our cameras is not heard during the service. This becomes a huge problem. Typically music is played twice, maybe 3 times during a ceremony and never during the vows, exchange of rings, or first kiss. You read that right, we have been informed that we cannot take photos during the vows, rings, or first kiss! Imagine our terror when we realize the couple has no idea about these rules, and the ceremony is about to begin.

In the most extreme circumstances (which has happened just twice to us) a church will inform us we cannot take any photos during the ceremony. One church goes so far as to escort us out of the building and ask us not to come back. Luckily, the couple knew of this rule when they booked the church, and they were comfortable with it. Had they not known about this zero photography policy, we can only imagine their heartbreak when they found out the day of their wedding.

Long story short, please do yourselves and your photographers a favor and discuss the ceremony photography restrictions with your church and/or Officiant long before the big day. You may find out the rules are too strict for you preference, and you will have time to decide on a Plan B. At a minimum, you can discuss those restrictions with your photographers, giving them ample time to prepare themselves with a method of shooting that will get you the best photo outcome while working within the rules set forth. We’re very good at winging things and we can think fast in any situation… but with a little time and planning we can really produce.

So please, make sure to talk with your photographer about the ceremony restrictions you may have, and discuss what they will mean in terms of your photography outcome. This is something you really want to know ahead of time.

 

 

Have a great Friday and an awesome weekend!