How does everyone feel about "informal" weddings?

[DeborahMcCloud]

Despite my love for photography, I only shoot small weddings of under 50 guests including bridal party simply because I love the more relaxed atmosphere that tends to be the norm at these venues. Those typically tend to be either very private elopements or informal weddings. I recently turned down a 150 guest, formal wedding because they wanted to negotiate my price to less than what I charge for a one-hour elopement shoot.

To those of you who have shot both formal, large weddings as well as informal, smaller weddings, what challenges do you find that are the most distinct between the two? I am certain that I will be the 2nd shooter many times before I tackle a huge formal wedding on my own, but I am curious as to the opinions of experienced formal wedding photographers before I even contemplate this adventure.

Thanks in advance!

Debbie

[BestVisuals]

I found it's not what I shot - the venue or size - but what they wanted to pay me. You were smart to turn down a 150-guest event when they didn't want to pay you anything. Clearly "venue-itis" has them - they've spend all their money on the food, clothes and guest list but wanted to barter you down to nothing, then berate you for your picture quality (I've seen that many times).

Even at an "informal" wedding, you still have to get the "money" shots. Certain group photos are a must. I'm not sure informal events are any easier to shoot...

[DeborahMcCloud]

Yes, I always do the shots that the bride/groom specify if at all possible. Sometimes it simply doesn't work out that way and my contract states that. Group shots - always. To me, it almost seems that informal shoots may be more difficult because the bride/groom do not always "look" the part for some traditional wedding poses, which forces me to be more creative in posing in order to capture the emotion.

I think what draws me to looking into shooting formals is the creativity I could implement, trying to get the shots that are unusual, since every traditional wedding pose has seemingly been overdone to the infinite power. That is why I like informals so much. Bride and Groom are always very open to my ideas and the atmosphere is so relaxed. It's just always pleasurable working environment.

[bigarchi]

size hasn't seem to be a huge factor in my opinion. i do try and sell having a second shooter for larger weddings, as smaller ones are easier to manage solo. But other than that, i don't get as good of a sense of my potential effort required from a count as i do say from their save-the-dates and other plans.

i can sort of relate their expectations (and my level of effort) more with their level of planning and their attention to details.
When i see a table setting (for example) that is the venue's stock package and there is litterally no thought put into personallizing any of the details of the day, generally that is a client with lower expectation and is a lot less stressfull of a day. Be it 2 tables, or 20 tables of people.

On the other hand, if i'm shooting a wedding where everything is very specific and coordinated and not standard, their expectations are higher and I feel the need to raise my game. at the same time, when the couple has put in more thought and attention into the planning, it can be more fun for me to shoot and not so boring :) so delivering a good product at the end of the day can often be easier.

but i've seen larger wedding that have had less details and planning than small intimate ones.

hope my thoughts came across properly there haha

[Peacefield]

I had a very small wedding a couple of months ago; 27 people including the couple in a Victorian B&B. In some ways, it's a little more challenging than shooting a 200 guest wedding at one of the major hotels in the area. I mean, geez, how many times can I shoot the same 27 people enjoying themselves at the reception doing the same exact thing? And the tight spaces of the B&B presented their own challenges. It was certainly a simpler day, but I don't think any easier.

[bigarchi]

I had a very small wedding a couple of months ago; 27 people including the couple in a Victorian B&B. In some ways, it's a little more challenging than shooting a 200 guest wedding at one of the major hotels in the area. I mean, geez, how many times can I shoot the same 27 people enjoying themselves at the reception doing the same exact thing? And the tight spaces of the B&B presented their own challenges. It was certainly a simpler day, but I don't think any easier.

well put!
it was a nice change of pace though, right? :)

[DeborahMcCloud]

Exactly along the lines of the information I'm seeking! Thank you!

[Peacefield]

it was a nice change of pace though, right? :)

What made the smaller wedding nice is that you get to know EVERYBODY. You get some sense of who these people are and how they're connected to the couple, etc. It allows you to get a little more intimate with them all. If there was something especially nice about shooting a smaller wedding, this is probably it for me.

[isophotostudio]

I like the small weddings, for the fact that you can easily get a big group shot of all the guests with the bride and groom.

Formal ceremonies are by far the easiest thing to shoot ever. You have plenty of time to get into position, you can scan through the crowd, you know how everybody is going to move. The walk down the aisle is usually better paced. Small ceremonies can happen so fast that you barely manage thirty photos and they're done, almost all from the same angle. That's why I actually tend to push two photographers for the informal stuff.

[PeaceFire]

I love small weddings. Most of mine are small because I shoot mostly DWs. I love them for the same reason Robert stated- you get to know everyone. You also have a better chance of getting a picture of everyone and not missing anything because everything happens in one place. The pace is less frantic and I feel like people relax more around you and you get those "fun" shots you may otherwise not get in a larger wedding setting where most people won't even exchange a word with you.

Larger weddings are great because there is so much going on that there's always something to snap a shot of. But then you risk not getting a shot of someone important or missing parts of the reception since you're off on the other end of the reception hall capturing something else.

[DeborahMcCloud]

I'll stick with my small informals for awhile. You are right about the fast pace. I run my tail off! Maybe one day I'll venture into the world of high dollar weddings... and hopefully I won't run into any bridezillas. :)

[rincon]

We have had the opportunity to shoot both small and somewhat large weddings. The smallest was an intimate family affair with less than 20 in attendance to the largest being just over 300 guests wih 6 bridesmaids/6 groomsmen (I hope that qualifies as large). We approached all weddings with the same goals and shots in mind. Stress level was the same in all cases - very high. I stress over every wedding, large or small. If I ever get to the point where I don't stress over getting the wedding right and become complacent, it is time to look for other avenues of photography to pursue.

[PeaceFire]

I don't really find myself stressing out over weddings, either. I do have dreams where I forget important gear (like I go to pull my camera out of the bag and realize it's not in there), but not about the actually shooting. And I highly doubt I'd ever forget my camera at home!