A Wedding is the most important day for any couple. That is the day when two people become one and look forward to living their whole life together. Sometimes couples spend years and all their life savings planning for this big day so we can understand how critical it is to get everything right on this occasion.
An essential part of any wedding is photography. Some weddings also have videography but even though you might find a wedding with just a photographer, you will rarely find one with just a videographer. It is imperative that the photographer hired to document this holy union understands the responsibility of their job.
Marriage is not just a union of two people but also two families. Even though the stars of the wedding day are the couple, what makes a wedding memorable is the presence of friends and family. As a wedding photographer, you might think all your shots should be of the couple but you risk missing some great moments of other people.
Yes, by all means get a lot of shots of the couple. Do their portraits, candids, etc but if you have a second shooter, tell him/her to keep an eye out on the guests and take photos of them too. A second shooter might be duplicating the same shots that you are taking and there is a reason second shooters do that. They want to use these shots in their portfolio and the only money shots according to them are of the couple so it is up to you to tell them firmly what you want.
Few years down the line or even a few decades later, when the couple, their children or grand children look at the wedding photos, they will not be thrilled to see five hundred photos of just the bride and groom in five hundred different poses but what will bring lot of smiles and a lot more of happiness is to see photos of their friends and family who all came together for that day. Those kind of memories are priceless. Would a couple rather just show their children or grand children just those amazing shots of them or would they want to talk and show their friends and family who might not be around anymore and who were not part of the group family shots? I am not saying that beautiful portraits and moments of the couple are not important, they definitely are but at the same time, don't lose sight of other people in the wedding. When I am photographing a ceremony or a dance, I tell my second shooter to once in a while turn around towards the crowd and shoot the reactions, while I take care of the ceremony. You will be surprised with what you will get. Some priceless emotions.
