Italy wedding ceremony photos – photographing the wedding ceremony
After finishing the photography of the bride getting ready with her bridesmaids my attention turns to photographing the wedding ceremony.
We may be walking to the wedding ceremony or perhaps we will be driving. Once we get there my photography becomes completely candid. Basically whatever you do during the wedding is what I will photograph.
The wedding ceremony is for you to enjoy and for me to document with photos.
I will not be able to help you or guide you. In our pre-wedding discussions, I will give you some advice and tips. They are to make the photography of your ceremony go even better.
On the day I will simply concentrate on taking amazing photos of the wedding ceremony. There are various key moments and parts that I will photograph.
The Wedding Ceremony Decorations
Before the wedding ceremony, I will often take some photos of the location of your ceremony. So if you are getting married in a church this can be some photos of the church. If your ceremony is outdoors it can be photos of that area and the views.
Photos Of The Wedding Ceremony Location
Either before the ceremony or during I will take some photos of your wedding ceremony décor. If you are spending a lot of money on your flower arrangements, candles, lighting and other design elements it will be nice for you to have some images to remember these things. Especially as on the day, you may be too caught up in the moment to fully appreciate them.
The Processional
This is the entrance of the key players. So as the groom, groomsmen, parents, bridesmaids and finally the bride enter I will be taking lots of photos. You will have pre-decided who is coming in with whom and in what order.
You should rehearse this. If you are entering with music you can practice the timings and make sure you leave enough space between people. If you are too close together and you enter the ceremony all at once, then the people walking in front of you will block my photos of you. Bride and bridesmaids, please agree how to hold the flowers and all do the same thing. I will remind you about this on the day and show you how to hold your bouquets.
Photographing Your Wedding Ceremony
During the ceremony, you may have readings, music, singing, the participation of flower girls, ring bearers and others. There will be many emotions and feelings, both yours and those of your family and guests. I am there to document as much as possible.
At a certain point, we will also have the vows and finally the ring exchange and first kiss! These are all things that I will photograph for you. Once the ceremony is complete and you have signed any register or documents it’s time to leave. (Sometimes if it is your preference, we can take some family photos in the church.)
Wedding Ceremony Photos Tips
If you are exchanging vows try to learn them or write them out on a small attractive piece of card. Nothing looks worse than you standing in front of the entire congregation with a crumpled piece of A4 paper that you printed out at home!
Exchanging the rings. When you are exchanging the rings try and be aware of how you appear to the photographer who is photographing this crucial moment. If you turn away or block their view with an arm, shoulder or your back, the chances of getting a good shot are greatly reduced.
If you are getting married in a church and have the chance to speak to the priest try and check a couple of things. Is the priest planning on having you speak into a microphone for the vows?
Sometimes in the church, they use a wireless microphone so that the congregation can hear you loud and clear. The problem is that while you are looking at each other and saying your vows, the priest has a tendency to stick an arm out and put the microphone in front of your mouth, this clearly is not going to help the photos. Tell the priest that you don’t need one. Speak up and you will be heard just fine.
Some priests have a tendency to stand very near to you, this greatly reduces the angles for the photos. Having some pictures with the priest is fine but it’s nice to have some without! So, if you know your priest or have one that seems very friendly and approachable you can try and tactfully address these points.
Please consider asking your guests not to take any photos during the ceremony. Ask the celebrant to ask everyone to respect this before the ceremony starts. It looks terrible when you are walking down the aisle and everyone points their mobile phones at you.
The Recessional And Exit
The recessional is the exit of your bridal party from the ceremony area. You don’t have to have them exit before you. In outdoor ceremonies, it can be common for the bride and groom to exit first. The photos of your exiting to a shower of petals or rice are great fun!
Throwing paper confetti is often waste of time as it is so light you can’t throw it. If there is any wind at all that will take it away. Better yet, ask your florist for a basket of colored petals. You can throw them and they won’t blow away. If they are colored they can even match your color scheme.
In Italy it is traditional to throw rice over the newlyweds after their wedding this looks great in the photos and apparently brings good luck and fertility! Buy the pre-washed kind it doesn’t have any dust with it.
Contact usHere are some examples of my wedding ceremony photography. I am showing the locations and atmosphere more than the people to give you some ceremony ideas. At this point, you can view some examples of complete weddings.
Beutiful Wedding Ceremonies
Explore all sorts of wedding ceremonies from different religions to indoors and outdoors. Be inspired by the decor and atmosphere.
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Heartfelt Testimonials
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- Jules is a photographic genius, full stop. We had a wonderful time shooting with Jules in ancient Tuscan towns, beautiful vineyards and scenic sunflower fields. Having never modeled before, we were made to feel ........Jeff Carroll
Jules is a photographic genius, full stop. We had a wonderful time shooting with Jules in ancient Tuscan towns, beautiful vineyards and scenic sunflower fields.
Having never modeled before, we were made to feel comfortable and confident by Jules’s professionalism. The outcome in the photo quality was top-notch. Thanks Jules…Highly recommended!!
- If you need a professional, knowledgeable destination wedding photographer then look no further. We have had the pleasure in hiring Jules for our wedding in Florence and we are thrilled with our photos. We pushed the ........Fleur Akhtar
If you need a professional, knowledgeable destination wedding photographer then look no further. We have had the pleasure in hiring Jules for our wedding in Florence and we are thrilled with our photos.
We pushed the boat out here as it’s the only thing really that would have been devastating if done badly, and we are so glad we did. We’re ordinary people who wanted something special, and he delivered.
We knew from the moment we looked at his website that he was the photographer for us. Thanks again Jules.. Fleur and Chaz Akhtar
- Jules handled our photography in Florence for our wedding. The photos came out PERFECT and more than we could imagine!!!! We worked with him prior to the wedding from the USA via email and zoom and everything went off ........Paul Wegert
Jules handled our photography in Florence for our wedding. The photos came out PERFECT and more than we could imagine!!!! We worked with him prior to the wedding from the USA via email and zoom and everything went off great!!! The only thing I would have done differently was to hire his wife also as a wedding planner. I thought it was going to be easier and it would have saved me a few grey hairs!!!
Don’t think twice about hiring Jules – everyone I spoke to kept asking “How did you find Jules? He is the best”
THANKS A MILLION Jules!!!
- Jules is not only a world class photographer but he is a born wedding / event planner with an innate sense of what works and doesn't work in any particular situation. He of all service providers had the best input in ........Matt Burlage
Jules is not only a world class photographer but he is a born wedding / event planner with an innate sense of what works and doesn’t work in any particular situation. He of all service providers had the best input in terms of order of events, location, timing, duration, etc. He was very easy to work with and was forceful yet witty enough to keep everyone (relatively) relaxed and focused.
The quality of his photos are excellent and were able to capture different moments over the course of the day and a half that we worked with Jules. He took the time to tour the grounds for the event to find the right spots for the different occasions. The sheer volume of photos is impressive and he did not pressure us to limit the number of photos, etc. like some photographers do. The turnaround time on the photos – fully finished – was also very impressive and far ahead of the videographer.
I can wholeheartedly recommend Jules for a major life event.
- We are so happy we chose Jules to photograph our very special day! He was very professional while also being extremely personable, which made us both feel very relaxed. He gave great direction when needed, to ensure he ........Laura Hunt
We are so happy we chose Jules to photograph our very special day! He was very professional while also being extremely personable, which made us both feel very relaxed.
He gave great direction when needed, to ensure he captured us in photos that looked natural and truly captured the essence of our day and us as individuals, as well as a couple.
When we received our photos we are in awe at how absolutely beautiful they were! There were so many wonderful ones to choose from, it was difficult to pick our favorites.
Our friends and family were also very impressed and many mentioned they looked like they were straight from a magazine. WE AGREE!
Thanks so much, Jules, for everything. We appreciate you and will definitely refer you to others for their destination weddings/elopements/etc. – Laura & Chris
- First of all, THANK YOU Jules for making our special day so unique and fun, for capturing every detail and at the same time, making it so much fun for us. My husband does not like taking pictures but Jules made it ........Adi Posada
First of all, THANK YOU Jules for making our special day so unique and fun, for capturing every detail and at the same time, making it so much fun for us.
My husband does not like taking pictures but Jules made it happen in a way that he actually enjoyed it and ended up loving Jules. He was very professional and patient.
Our pictures were stunning, I did not have to worry about anything because he had everything under control, and that allowed us to relax and enjoy every minute of our special day. I would choose Jules over and over again and I highly recommend him.
Adi & Jesus
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