Not giving careful consideration to your wedding photography can bring disappointing results.  While a good photographer will be able to turn most situations to their advantage, there are simply some factors that cannot be worked around.  With a few well planned steps, you can help to ensure that your images are the very best they can be.

1.  Always allow enough time.  As a general rule, 45 minutes per photography location should be allocated.  it is much better to cut down on locations, than to try to rush through them.

2.  Be on time.  If the photographer is arriving at 10am expecting you to be ready, and hair/make-up etc is not done, there is little they can do.  A half hour set back here can reallly make the day very rushed.

3.  Keep an area of your home/hotel room clean.  When the photographer arrives to capture your bridal preparations, they will be presesed for time, and will need to adapt to shoot in whatever conditions are available.  Often, the hotel room can be strewn with items of clothing, and other background mess.  Ask someone to clear a section of the room so that these elements will not be in your shot, and the photographer does not waste time trying to tidy things away.

4.  Provide shade at your ceremony.  Nothing looks worse than a bridal party all squinting into the sun with their faces blown out by harsh highlights and deep shadows.  it is the best investment you can make to hire a shade sail or market umbrellas to cover the bridal party during the ceremony.

5.  Do not sit the bridal party down, facing the celebrant, with their backs to the guests!  This is a common problem, and one that can really affect your images.  If you are all at the same height as the guests, and sitting with your backs to them, the photographer has two choices;  photograph you from the front, with the gaggle of guests behind, or photograph the backs of your heads in order to isolate you from the background.  Neither is ideal!

6.  Ask your celbrant to move to one side, rather than stand in between you, and turn yourselves side on to the guests during the exchange of rings/vows.  This really is a matter of personal taste, but its lovely to capture the intimate exchange of vows without the celebrant, his/her file, and a microphone in the way.

7.  Have a plan B in case of inclement weather!  Always have a back up plan so that you are not caught out by unexpected showers.

8.  Keep the list of family formal shots to a minimum.  This can be a very time consuming part of the day, getting family members into groups for the formal shots.  Where possible, combine groups and keep it to around 8-10.  The most creative images come after this, and it's a shame to spend too much time on these more formal shots

9.  Respect the photographers right to do their job and do not allow cameras on the bridal shoot.  Many photographers now have this written into their contracts, so make sure you check with your own photographer.  When too many cameras are pulled out, the bridal party don't know where to look, and it makes it very hard for the photographer to get decent images.  Many a shot has been discarded back in the studio when it because obvious that eyes were going in all directions.  It is in your best interests to allow the photographer every opportunity to capture the best shots possible.