First Wedding

[Josh101]

I just received a call from one of my friends who is a wedding planner. she asked me to shoot a wedding this comming feburary, in which i accepted. the couple is looking for basic coverage, a cd with the images, and a couple prints(nothing too fancy). as this will be my first wedding i was wondering:

A) when i meet with the couple for the consultation i have a few things in mind, but wanted to ask other professionals what types of questions should i ask them and what things should i know about the wedding prior to the event?


B) I plan on covering the wedding ceremony as well as the reception with my focus on the couple, while my second shooter will primarily focus on the guests and candids.
other than the ceremony and the cake cutting, what main points should i look out for? what poses should i arrange, and what else do i need to make sure i get while im there?

[Mike]

Have a look through the links in this post:

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showpost.php?p=5999915&postcount=2

[PhotoJourno]

Best Wishes Josh, hopefully all works out great.

Post some photos afterwords!

[tim]

Wedding FAQ (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=255604).

[Josh101]

i looked at the threads but didnt see exactly what i was looking for

does anyone have a sheet that they fill out or the questions they ask during the initial consultation.

[PhotoJourno]

Ok. What I do, is usually the following (now notice I am not a full time wedding photog, I only do it to piss some of the Wedding photography crew off.. Nah, just kidding :p . I wish I could handle weddings, they drive me nuts, so I only run like four or five a year).

At any rate, I base my first meeting in three specific modules (well, I know, but they don't).

First - Build a relationship of trust. chatting, how they met, getting to know a bit about their lives, who they are -personality- this is the time they have devoted to you. They may and probably will not sit down again this calm and sane until well after the wedding to chat with you, and that is only if you do their baby pictures a year down the road.

[What is a Contract? A contract is an agreement between two people/parties, you do me a service, I do you a service]

Second- What they Want: Listen to their ideas, write them down, spend 15 mins relaxing and being creative, trying to get the clients to a good working mood. Be realistic, never promise what you cannot deliver. (A midnight beach wedding in Alaska's winter will not be easy to shoot if the eskimo priest does not allow flash, which would frighten the seals). But ask for their ideas, get their input, and by golly, remember it. This is not about creating great photography alone, but specifically creating the product they want to see, coupled with great photography.

Third- What I want. I go through the Wedding Contract, which means talking about specific dates, then the sessions come in (Bridal? engagement? They need invitations? Reception and church or church only? etc). Contract terms, what I agree to do, and what I will not do. Payments, terms of payments, deposit payment and delivery terms. Just reading the contract out loud with the client helps, so long as one can keep it short and sweet. It's about them, not about me the great photographer. This part focuses more on the "Ok, let's get moving with this, I am here, let's get this signed, and you can move onto the next thing in your list".

If you need tips on meeting with people in general (etiquette) I have trained personnel on those a few years ago, so I can help too.

Hope this helps.

[tim]

The sheet I fill out at the initial consultation just has the basics - names, ceremony and reception locations, how they found me, and a few lines for notes. The focus is getting to know them a bit, talking about their wedding and what they want, showing them some images and some albums.