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
Explore rave reviews from treasured clients. Find out why couples are over the moon about their wedding photography experience.
- 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
- We honestly couldn't recommend Jules more. From the moment we contacted him to book in a consultation call, he was professional, friendly and clearly an expert. We found him on Instagram and loved his style of ........Katie Whittington
We honestly couldn’t recommend Jules more. From the moment we contacted him to book in a consultation call, he was professional, friendly and clearly an expert. We found him on Instagram and loved his style of photography.
As for a lot of people, we hadn’t planned a wedding before and he was very helpful explaining the process. We quickly signed an agreement with Jules and had him locked in for our wedding! We booked him very early, as we knew photographers can get booked up in advance, and throughout the lead up to our wedding Jules couldn’t have been more helpful. He told us exactly what he needed from us – things like a list of photo’s we’d like etc. He also helped us find a number of other vendors including hair and make up, and even a videographer two weeks before – as we had a last minute need for one! As we got closer to the event, we had lots of questions (probably nerves), but he was always on hand to help us out! On the big day, Jules was a superstar.
There is no other way to describe it! He was organised and made sure everyone was where they needed to be, so that we got the most beautiful wedding photos. There were small things we hadn’t thought of (like someone introducing us to the wedding dinner) and he made sure everything was perfect! He delivered the photos to us via an online portal really quickly, and they are all just gorgeous. We honestly wouldn’t have had such an incredible day without Jules there to help. We hope our paths cross again!
- Finding Jules might have been best thing that ever happened to us. My fiancé and I wanted to get married in Italy, and we decided to go for it about 8 days in advance. We found Jules website and were blown away by the ........Andrew Gordon
Finding Jules might have been best thing that ever happened to us. My fiancé and I wanted to get married in Italy, and we decided to go for it about 8 days in advance.
We found Jules website and were blown away by the quality of his photographs, and we instantly knew he was who we wanted to work with to capture all the special moments on our wedding day. Jules and I emailed back and forth a few times, and he was always quick to respond, and was helpful and honest about everything I needed to know when planning a wedding in a place I had never been to before.
He understood that I was putting a lot of faith in him to guide me through the planning process, and he took that responsibility seriously. I liked him right away because I could feel how important it was to him, that we have the best day of our lives. He really wanted that for us. Jules has amazing contacts all over Italy, so after a few days of getting the basics in place, he brought in Simona (from Happy Brides) to help plan the rest of the details, and together we formed a wedding team that truly changed our lives.
All the way through the planning process I felt cared for and important. This was not just another wedding in a busy schedule for him, but it was an opportunity to help us live out our dream.
I am not someone who loves posing for pictures, and I am not overly comfortable being photographed but Jules made it a really fun experience for me. He was funny, and relaxed, and in control of the situation but always in a way that made me smile and feel like I was able to enjoy the attention. I felt like a celebrity for the day.
I can only speak for myself as the groom, but Jules took the part of the day I was least looking forward to, and made it a fun and memorable experience that I now cherish.
Earlier this week we got out pictures back, and once again we were blown away! After the wedding ceremony we were in a race against time to get as many good shots in good locations as we could before the sun went down. It was so much fun running around and getting in place, and having a special moment just in time to turn and run around somewhere else to do it again.
Again, Jules with his incredible eye for lighting was in control and put us in beautiful spots, and in our pictures I/we are laughing in half of them because it was so comfortable and so much fun. Almost every night this week wife and I have spent hours looking through all of Jules’s work, and the more I look at them, the more I appreciate him.
He is a special photographer, in a special country, and he captured our love and our day with such an amazing eye, I can’t thank him enough. We enjoyed this experience enough where we are already planning on going back to Italy in a few months and plan to call Jules just to hang out socially! We signed up for a wedding photographer and accidentally made a friend.
I recommend him with 100% of me and wish my experience on everyone who reads this.
Thank you for everything Jules! Without you, none of this could have happened. See you again soon my friend!
-Andrew
- If you are considering working with Jules, DO IT. We had the pleasure of being referred to Jules and several other photographers... Jules’ portfolio stood out from the get-go. We HAD to use him, it was clear. He was ........Erica Laegeler
If you are considering working with Jules, DO IT. We had the pleasure of being referred to Jules and several other photographers… Jules’ portfolio stood out from the get-go. We HAD to use him, it was clear.
He was absolutely wonderful from start to finish. We aren’t used to being photographed but Jules was amazing, and made us so comfortable. He helped us every step of the way, and was so easy to work with before hand, day of, and afterwards.
He caught us is the most amazing light, and so many candid photos that captured our day and really told a story. His work is top-notch and high class.
Day of the wedding, he was prompt and got to work, he let us know what he needed… wasn’t at all in the way and was a very fun and charming piece of our day. He captured so many important moments and memories that we had forgotten during the blur of the day.
We spent most of our time with him laughing when we took pictures off site. He made us feel so relaxed, confident and important that we still talk about how fun he was to work with.
The quality of the pictures blew us away. We had a reception weeks later at home and asked for a quick turnaround. He delivered the photos early, and the were WONDERFUL.
We were able to use them as a backdrop for our reception to help guests feel like they were there with us.
The compliments we get on the pictures keep coming… without hesitation, if you have an opportunity to work with him, go for it. He’s so easy to work with and the end result is something to treasure.
- One of the biggest challenges for me was to find the best photographer since he was the one that would capture the memories from one of the most important days in our life. I was very happy that I found Jules. He is a ........Simone M
One of the biggest challenges for me was to find the best photographer since he was the one that would capture the memories from one of the most important days in our life. I was very happy that I found Jules.
He is a very likable person who made us feel comfortable and relaxed during the whole unbelievably perfect wedding. We can highly recommend him. He always provided a great service and his photos are like from a magazine.
- My wife and I were privileged enough to book Jules as our wedding photographer. Planning a wedding can be daunting escpecially when you initially start the process, however these concerns were alleviated after ........Jonathan Verham
My wife and I were privileged enough to book Jules as our wedding photographer. Planning a wedding can be daunting escpecially when you initially start the process, however these concerns were alleviated after contacting Jules.
His communication is prompt, professional, and he does his best to go above and beyond. We were very grateful for his offer to help find us a wedding coordinator, and get in touch with a makeup artist for our wedding both of whom we contracted with. Throughout the time leading to the wedding Jules kept in contact and was reachable regardless of his hectic schedule.
The photography process on the day of the wedding was very smooth as well. Jules showed up to the venue early, was very professional and attained AMAZING shots that we were hoping he would be able to achieve.
Having been to our wedding location before for previous weddings, Jules knew the different areas to go and various poses for impeccable photos.
As someone who is not a professional model having someone take photos of me was odd at first, however Jules made us feel at ease throughout the process through his casual but firm demeanor and by providing exact direction.
After the wedding, Jules provided the photos to us within weeks, and had our wedding album designed shortly after. I would caution anyone who hires Jules not to skip on the photo album, it is a very elegant piece that you would be hard pressed to have duplicated elsewhere.
He also provided us with links to download high quality images of the photos he took for us to store electronically. I create a google drive to store them in the cloud as well as a hard backup on a flash drive.
We used some of these downloaded images to have printed on aluminum for our home. I would not hesitate to recommend Jules to anyone getting married.
The product he produces is well worth the money spent a thousand times over and is something my wife and I will treasure for the rest of our lives.
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