Tips and Advice: devise a shot list

As the saying goes, "hindsight 20-20." In retrospect, many couples after their wedding wish their photographer and/or videographer had captured, say, more images of the guests, or a shot just with grandma, or some of the key moments and special touches planned for the day. Of course, nothing can replace those memories, but documenting them through film truly helps to relive those memories and to share them with others.

For those in the process of planning their wedding, we suggest creating a photo shot list, to include things that the photographer and videographer would not intuitively know to capture. For example, it would be unnecessary to include "bride and groom together" on the shot list because naturally, your photographer and videographer will know to shoot this, but the out of the ordinary requests are those that should definitely be included. Perhaps you would like a close-up of your grandmother's handkerchief that she has shared with you for your wedding, or it could be a photo sharing a toast with the groomsmen and the fathers prior to the ceremony. What touching images these would make!

To illustrate, here are some shot requests by other brides and grooms...

The bride and groom's "first sight" shot when they see each other for the first time on their wedding day, but the groom instead being more overwhelmed to see his "true love" (his car)

Photos by Kai Photo

A photo with the littlest and dearest member of the family - their dog

Photo by Kris Labang Photography

Photos at sunset

Photo by Kris Labang Photography

Photo of the bride and groom shooting themselves with their cell phones (to tie into their "When Apple Meets Droid" theme) after being pronounced "husband and wife"

Photo by Kai Photo

Note: an overly extensive shot list will mean that your photographer and videographer may end up spending more time checking things off the list than on capturing some great candids, so review your list with your wedding planner, photographer, and videographer to ensure that the list makes sense given the timing of the day.

Happy Planning!