Hey lovers,
Today on the blog we’re going to share something a little different. Recently we caught up with one of our lovely South Coast celebrants, Shoshanna, otherwise known as the Curator of Love Stories, and thought we’d share our chat about her tips to make sure you get good pics in your ceremony.
Hope you enjoy and find it useful, let us know if you’d like to read more posts like this!
Nat and Sam x
Hey Shosh, you’re a celebrant not a photographer, why is it important for you that there are good photos in the ceremony?
Hi guys, well we all know team work makes the dream work, and in your actual ceremony the two vendors that work the closest are your photographer and your celebrant. If you think about it, your celebrant works with you to create moments that reflect your love, laughter, and bring epic memories for you of your ceremony. Your photographer then works hard to capture all these moments and present them to you in a way that completes the story, and lets you forever cherish those memories. Together these two creatives bring that moment to life for the present and the future and want you to look back at those photos that make you smile not grimace! So, always go with your gut and choose ones that suit you and your vibe above everything else!
That makes total sense, so where do you start with your advice to couples to get the best photos in their ceremony too, what’s the hot goss?
Well, my best tip is to have a site visit at your ceremony space with your celebrant. I don’t call it a rehearsal because it’s confusing as we often don’t rehearse anything that gets said, it’s more about your ceremony choreography.
What do you get them to dance?
Ha, nahh…only if you want too! As much as you hopefully all know how to walk and stand by this age, you don’t know exactly where, how you feel in that space, and how it looks. For example, you might realise that where you are standing is going to block a view in your pics, you might have a tree branch that continually whacks you or you might find that you really hate having your back to an open space. If you go there with your celebrant and walk through where you’re walking from, how you’re standing and where you’re looking, then it all falls into place. Best of all, you can completely picture it in your head, you can relax about it and be present in the moment on the day – which totally shows in your photos!
It sure does! So is that all you do at that visit, work out where the couple walks from/to and where they are standing?
There’s lots of things we cover with choreo that isn’t just the walk and about the couple, so that’s why I always ask them to have there anyone who is in their wedding crew, their closest family and anyone involved in the ceremony too. Bring them all together, help them relax, bring some drinks and turn it into a little pre-wedding shindig to cruise into the next day with a good amount of hype too! Together we work out where they want their crew to stand, as there are so many options on what feels comfortable, allows movement and looks good in the space. Even if it’s a small crew, it’s worth it because now there are so many options – like stacking them together on one side, with the celebrant on the other meaning no-one gets blocked in the ceremony photos, and again take advantage of any views in the pics. I also run through where family will be sitting, and often swap sides to either make sure my couples can see (or sometimes don’t have to see!) someone when they want to during the ceremony without that horrible “turn and produce a double chin” angle!
Ah good point, although we always make sure our couples look their best in all pics we give them, but this will make sure there’s a whole heap more to choose from!
All your pics are epic Team White!
What about you, where do you go?
Ah good question and a very important one. Personally, I prefer to stand to the side of my couple and often on the end of the crew (if there’s room) to make sure no one is blocked in photos, mainly because I don’t want to photo bomb every pic you have of the two of you in your ceremony! But it is entirely up to you two, I’ve had a lot of couples ask for me to stand close to the arbour and in the middle of the two of them because it helps them focus on the moment. It often helps them feel less nervous because either they can look at me and not the guests, and if guests are looking at me in the middle, they don’t feel like they are being stared at the whole time either. BUT I am always always always out of the way for that first kiss and also the processional!
Yeah we hate seeing a third-wheel in that first kiss shot – but processional too?
Yep, personally I hate seeing a celebrant standing up there beside whoever’s waiting, watching the other person walk down the aisle, if it can possibly be helped. It’s a special couple moment and the celebrant standing there in the photos looks like a psycho stalker! So, after I do my housekeeping bit, and give everyone the heads up the walk is about to start, I scoot to the side and let them have that moment without me looking like a stage 5 clinger. In fact, if you’ve not had a first look, I quite often stage a first look on the aisle and get whoever’s waiting to face away until the other person is squared up in line and whisper to turn around and watch their lover walk to them, another epic moment created but I’m out-ski. I only ever come back in after at least 15 seconds of them being together, and make sure the bouquet’s handed off, outfits are set and that the love birds are ready to go before we start and fade down the music. I also often make sure I’m out of the road for the vows.
The vows, wait doesn’t the celebrant have to be there for that?
Well, we do for the legal stuff, and I like to be able to easily whisper the words in their ears and no one has to hear them twice. But when it comes to the personal vows it’s better for the photos if it’s private moment just between two lovebirds. So for me I hand them the card and discreetly exit out the side whilst they read.
But who’s holding the mic?
Ahh, this is a totally personal preference! You can choose to hold it yourself, have your lover hold it or have your celebrant hold it. I honestly don’t recommend holding it yourself, because it is so much nicer to hold your lover’s hand rather than a cold hard mic, and you don’t have enough hands for everything, but you need to do what feels best for you. Again, your celebrant’s happy to hold it, and I’ve had couples ask me to because it gives them that reassurance of someone being there, having your back in that emotional moment. But you can position your celebrant so that they aren’t in every shot, they can hold the mic, stretch out their arm simply as a boom and angle themselves off the shoulder. I often juggle my kindle and microphone to swap over from what I’m used to so in that moment I can give them as much space I can in using my opposite hand.
Oh, I see, great idea! Am guessing this is something you run through at the site visit too?
Yep! It’s really handy, again you have it all down pat, you’re not trying to think of it last minute and are completely comfortable and relaxed in the ceremony!
You mentioned about people being nervous with their vows, that totally shows up in photos, is there something you recommend?
Oh, there’s so much we can do! So many people hate public speaking, that most dread this bit + celebrants are a weird breed that don’t, although most of us still get nervous! Beyond positioning to make you feel comfortable, you can also choose to pre-record your personal vows and have them played over the speaker rather than saying them. Then again you have a gorgeous moment to capture by your photographer, two lovers relaxed and connecting at that time, no mics, no vow cards. Or no one actually has to hear the personal vows, just the legal ones. So you can totally do them off mic completely and just whisper them in each other’s ears. Alternatively, and this is my favourite suggestion I make to couples who are totally freaked by the whole public speaking thing – simply choose to include more generalised vows to say, it means that the legal vows which are stark are softened and people feel like they “hear something” in the moment, and then exchange your personal vows during your portrait session with your photographer. An absolutely golden moment for them to capture!
Oh yeah, we love capturing that and we aren’t in your face, we can do a whole candid capture so that you really feel it’s a private moment between you! It’s so gorgeous!
See, total pros!
Wow, so many great ideas, anything else you can think of for couples to make sure to get great ceremony pics?
OK well, think about your processional – do you really want everyone standing, or are you cool in it being seated? It often makes it easier for the photographer to shoot from the front, capturing the waiting crew and the processional too if the people seated aren’t standing. But it’s your moment so you do what feels right for you and the pros will have it covered. Let your celebrant know your preference though so that they can orchestrate it so no one feels awkward. Another preference thing, have your babes and fur babies up there if you want them to! Pretty much all celebrants and photographers are strange as we WANT to work with animals and kids! They are part of the moment with you, it makes for epic pics and ceremony inclusions, just have treats on hand for both and a spot you can designate as theirs if they need to go chill, and chat about it with your creative crew!
Is there something you do as a celebrant to make sure the day runs smoothly for great ceremony pics?
Well, personally it’s my MO to reach out to the photographers if I know who they are and can easily get their contact details just to say hey, introduce myself, let them know I won’t be photobombing all the crucial moments, and check what their preferences are when shooting so I can communicate this with the couples too at the site visit. I like to let them know what time I’m on site from on the day so that they can come and say hi, and I can give them the heads up on any major moments and surprises to be aware of. Communication and collaboration make it the best it can possibly be! I also like to vibe in with my couple’s theme and styling, giving them full power to choose my look and outfits. They have spent all this time on creating a vision, and I do not want them in years to come looking at their album, catching a glimpse of me and thinking WTF is she wearing! And just wearing black isn’t an answer because if you’re all in neutrals, I’ll stick out like a sore thumb!! Your day, your look, all the way.
Cool, good to know! Thanks for chatting with us Shosh, really appreciate your insights from that side of the camera – didn’t know celebrants thought so much about their impacts on photos in the ceremony! Look forward to seeing you soon!
Thanks for having me Team White, can’t wait to catch you on the road again very soon!
To start planning your ceremony with Shosh visit her website.