As a marriage celebrant of course, I absolutely want to give you an amazing wedding ceremony experience. I want your wedding ceremony to feel like you. I want it to be about you. I want it to capture your story and I want it to make you fall in love with one another all over again. But that is a given… What isn’t so obvious is that I care about your wedding photos as much as you do… And I want to ensure your wedding ceremony photos are absolutely gorgeous!
Chances are you have handed over a hefty portion of your wedding budget to the best kick arse photographer that money can buy, and as your celebrant I make it my business to ensure that your ceremony photos are something to be celebrated!
Liaise with your Photographer
Firstly, I love working with the same photographers over and over again. If you stood back and watched a photographer and celebrant who regularly work together, you would notice it is a dance of sorts. I know where they are going to be and when. And with a quick glance we can both tell what the other is thinking and most importantly what needs to happen next.
However, if I am working with a new photographer for the very first time, I make an extra special effort to catch up with them before the ceremony. I will advise them if there are any special elements to your ceremony, as well as incorporate any special requests they may have.
Guests
Before you have arrived, I take the time to get your guests seated. Some may say it is hardcore but I literally will not start until all the seats along the aisle at a minimum are filled (in the nicest possible way of course). Trust me nothing ruins an epic walking down the aisle shot faster than empty seats!
Standing position
Your wedding parties standing position really does matter, including where your celebrant stands. It is my preference to stand to the side for the first half of your ceremony. If you want to know more, I have written a whole blog post about it here.
But the short version is that your celebrant standing to the side looks amazing in your photos. It gives you a variety of looks in your wedding photos but without someone creeping over your shoulder the whole entire time. The truth be told, delivering your script is not always pretty and it is not always a good look. Imagine the two of you lovingly looking into one another eyes and your celebrant is in the background looking like they just swallowed a fly, with one eye closed and their hair blowing across their face while they are mid-sentence…
While I will not tell you exactly how to stand (once again your wedding ceremony should be a reflection of the two of you) but I do load you up with loads of tips to give you the best possible chance of epic photos.
Dress Code
Some celebrants have made a name for themselves by standing out (power to all the neon-frilly-sequin wearing babes out there who shine brightly like sunflowers… I love ya lil’ celebrant hearts), but my goal is to blend into your colour scheme. My aim is to wear something that compliments your colour scheme, blending into your photos and instead have your story and your love stand out!
PA
The harsh reality is that I want all your guests to be able to hear your ceremony (after all that is how we keep them engaged) but as far as I am concerned my PA should be nowhere near any of your photos. PA’s really should be heard and not seen…
Surprise Wedding Ceremony Script
That’s right… I keep your wedding ceremony wording a surprise! I know right… This is big…
Now let me say that I have been a celebrant for many years and I have married a lot of couple in that time. And what I have discovered is this… When your wedding script is a surprise it takes your ceremony to a whole new level of amazing!
A surprise wedding script not only takes the two of you on an amazing journey on your wedding day where you get to remember all the best bits of how you got there but you also get to hear all the incredible and unique things the other loves about you. But from your photographers’ point of view, the best bit is that it is written all over your beautiful face. A surprise script means you engage in your ceremony on a deeper level. No longer a passive witness, instead the joy, happiness, tears and giggles are all captured for the very first time in your beautiful photos!
I know it feels like a leap of faith and if you have any doubts about it then let’s have a chat about what you do feel comfortable with because I promise you it will be totally worth it.
Rehearsal
Rehearsals are not strictly necessary but they do give you the best possible chance of having stunning wedding photos. Many couples choose to forgo one, to save a little extra money, while other couples think they are money well spent. Surprisingly rehearsals actually take longer that your wedding ceremony will do, as there are lots of little elements to a smooth-running wedding. If you are considering a rehearsal you can expect to go through the 'staging' of your wedding ceremony and will help to iron out any potential clunky moments. But if you opt to wing it, I will absolutely load you up with tips and tricks to ensure your images look slick. Plus I will be right there by your side to guide you throughout the whole process.
Ninja Skills
It is my absolute mission on your wedding day to be out of as many of your wedding photos as humanely possible. In fact, your photographer will have to go out of their way to make sure I get in a few shots. With my whole heart I believe your wedding should be about you…. And this should be reflected in your photos!
Lastly, it should go without saying (but I will say it anyway) that I will most definitely be nowhere to be seen when you share your first kiss all over again!
You can thank me later… When your amazing, gorgeous, beautiful photos arrive!
Your celebrant,
Mel x
Photo with thanks to the infinitely talented Stories with Mel