A Typical Day -
What to Expect
What to Expect
What gets photographed - What to expect
By providing a "Structured List" photo itinerary
in addition to your special requests, the photographs taken and
provided by American Bride are sure to result in a well documented
"Photographic History" of your Wedding Day. A typical
itinerary includes:
Pre-Wedding Excitement
Random natural and
staged photos of the bride, bridesmaids and parents getting ready
for the ceremony, as well as the groomsmen and the groom's parents
preparing (or pacifying and sedating!) the groom for the BIG
moment.
Wedding Formals
Wedding Formals typically
include the wedding party, the bride and groom's immediate family
(including grandparents) and . . . oh, yeah . . . the bride and
groom! Since your Wedding Formals make up a significant portion
of your wedding album, your formal photos should be carefully
thought out. The Formals generally require anywhere from 45 minutes
to an hour and a half to complete, depending on the size of your
families and the wedding party. Things are generally A LOT less
hectic and more relaxed after the ceremony, but will the church
(or wherever your ceremony is being held) allow you this time
after the ceremony? Its also a better time to stage some shots
at the front of the church. If there's another wedding scheduled
after yours or if you're on a tight schedule to get to the reception
hall, you may have to schedule the extra time for your Formals
before the ceremony, in which case you may want to provide for
a little extra time to clear the front of the church before guests
start arriving and to give yourselves a chance to re-gain your
composure and touch-up your hair and make-up, if necessary. Either
way, don't worry! We've been through this "a thousand times",
and we know how to breeze through these shots. All we ask is
that you give some careful thought to this important part of
your wedding day, and make sure that everyone in your wedding
party and immediate family knows what's going on well in advance
so that they are where they need to be when they are needed.
(Its not a bad idea to ask someone in the wedding party or close
to the family to take responsibility for letting everyone who's
going to be in your Formals know exactly what's going on and
when they should be there.)
The Ceremony
This is it! One of the most important, if not most sacred,
ceremonies of your lives! For that reason, we make this part of our job as
non-intrusive as possible. Unless you specify or request otherwise, we find
an out-of-the-way place (preferably a balcony, if available) from which to
take a few select shots (lighting a candle, exchanging rings, your first
kiss, exit march, etc.) using a telephoto lens and without the use of a
flash!
The Receiving Line/Church Exit
This is a great
time to capture the joy and excitement of your friends, family
and loved ones as they share in your happiness and the anticipation
of the upcoming festivities at the reception. If necessary, the
receiving line may be photographed at the reception hall.
Post-Ceremony Specials
While we are constantly on the lookout for special,
creative and meaningful shots, this is a great time to plan for
some! Take a walk through (or around!) where ever your ceremony
will be held and look for attractive or meaningful areas for
some special shots to take before heading off to the reception:
a candle rack, colorful stained glass window, near the church
alter or entrance. This is a great time to think about some especially
creative shots, such as natural lighting, silhouettes, special
purpose camera filters or black and white photography. We can
also plan some stops along the way: your favorite gathering places,
in or around the Capital Building, the Monona Terrace, on campus
along Observatory Hill with Lake Mendota in the background or
Allen Centennial Park, which offers an abundance of beautifully
landscaped gardens, trellises, flowering trees and bushes, and
other special scenery that adds an extra special touch to Wedding
Day photographs.
Reception
We're in the home stretch! Here
we can photograph the reception line, if we were unable to do
so after the ceremony. Then there's the classic reception photographs:
- The Bride and Groom cutting the cake and toasts made by the Best Man and Maid of Honor.*
- Other speeches made by family and guests, table shots of your guests, and your First Dance.**
- The fun surrounding the Garter Toss and the Bouquet Toss, and the Bride's dance with her father, along with all the other dancing and merry-making, as well as the opportunity to get some shots of the Bride and Groom and any other friends and family that were not a part of the Formals at the ceremony.***
* For the Basic Plan.
** For the V.I.P. package plus the shots included
in the Basic Plan.
*** For the Classic Coverage only, which includes all reception
shots included in the Basic Plan and V.I.P.
Whatever you want . . . whatever it takes . . . American Brides is totally committed to capturing the mood, the flow and the many special moments that make your Wedding Day one of the happiest, most meaningful days of your lives together!