What Actually Makes Wedding Coverage Good

Wedding photography and video get judged on the finished gallery, and the gallery is largely determined by decisions made weeks earlier. Here is what actually moves it.

The timeline is the whole thing

More weddings produce disappointing photos because of timing than for any other reason. A schedule that puts portraits in the harshest light of the day, or leaves fifteen minutes for family formals, produces exactly what you would expect.

Build the timeline with your photographer rather than presenting it to them. They know how long things actually take, and they know what the light will be doing.

First look, or not

A first look is a scheduling decision as much as an emotional one. Doing portraits before the ceremony means more time, better light and a couple who gets to attend their own cocktail hour.

Not doing one preserves the moment at the aisle and compresses everything into the window after the ceremony. Both work. What does not work is deciding late and not adjusting the timeline.

Family formals need a list

This is the single most fixable source of stress. Give your photographer a written list of groupings, with names, and assign somebody from each family to round people up.

Without a list, formals take twice as long, somebody gets missed, and you find out months later when the grandmother photo does not exist.

Light at the venue

Reception spaces in South Georgia range from barns with beautiful window light to halls with fluorescent ceilings. Knowing which you have determines whether lighting gets brought in.

A venue walkthrough beforehand is worth the hour. It settles where formals happen, where the ceremony light falls at that time of day, and what the backup plan is if it rains.

Coverage hours

Think about what you want documented rather than about a number of hours. Getting ready, ceremony, formals, reception, and any exit — each has a duration and they add up.

The most common regret is cutting coverage short and missing the end of the night, which is frequently where the best candid frames are.

Photo and video together

If you want both, having them from one team generally works better than two vendors negotiating position at the ceremony. They plan the timeline together and they stay out of each other's frames.

What to ask any wedding vendor

• How many weddings have you shot at this venue or one like it
• What happens if you are sick or unavailable
• What is the turnaround for photos and for video
• How many images do we receive and in what form
• Do we get print rights
• Is there a second shooter, and when does that matter
• What does the contract say about coverage hours and overtime

Those seven questions tell you more about a vendor than any portfolio does.

32 Productions covers weddings and events across Douglas, Waycross, Tifton, Fitzgerald and South Georgia. Call (912) 592-3376 to check a date.

Keep reading