Covid-19 Pandemic Wedding Photography 16 Top Tips
Covid-19 Wedding Photography 16 Top Tips
All the photographs in this blog are from weddings which I have covered since 4th July 2020 under Coronavirus Pandemic Covid-19 restrictions
Mike & Georgias Winstanley House Lockdown Wedding
Who’d have thought it!?
One minute you’re planning your perfect wedding day, the next you’re wrestling with Mavis in Tesco for toilet rolls and self raising flour!
Since lockdown restrictions started to be eased two months ago, at the time of writing this blog I have had the honour of shooting nine wonderful weddings, the first was with Sally & Jake and actually on the 4th July, the very day weddings were given he go ahead by the government!
Whilst all of these amazing wedding days may not have gone exactly as my couples had origionaly planned they have been intimate, beautiful and full of happy tears and emotions.
I thought having now worked with so many venues, my amazing couples and other suppliers to help make their big days go to plan it was time to put together some hints and tips I have picked up along the way which will hopefully help you to plan your photography in this ever changing situation.
I run through changing dates, the group photographs, differences I’ve seen between church and venue ceremonies, getting the ‘wow’ shots during a short day ceremony, setting up a blog to keep your guests informed and lots of tips around keeping everyone safe but relaxed.
Mike & Georgia’s Winstanley House Wedding During Covid 19 Restrictions
Lockdown Wedding Photography During Covid Restrictions
Winstanley House Wedding Photography Leicester Lockdown
The Covid Compliant Group Photographs
The vast majority of the photographs I take during your wedding day will be natural candids or gorgeous shots of just the two of you exploring your venue and the grounds so are generally unaffected by Covid restrictions. The group photos however require a little more thought.
1> Planning and preparation - Around a month before your big day we all meet up and a key part of this consultation is to think about how you would like to capture the family photographs. We put together a list, check if anyone needs to be socially distanced and include names of everyone. Whilst its down to you and the guests to determine who can stand with who with or without social distancing, having the lists with names means I can do all the co-ordinating for you on the day. If the weathers good, we can take the group shots out doors so the face masks can be dispensed with and any risk is minimised.
2> The ‘all guests’ group photo - Probably the biggest challenge in terms of photography is the group shot of all guests, even with numbers reduced to 15, ensuring everyone is appropriately socially distanced is very important. Before your big day we will have a chat about where at your venue is the ideal location, we will need lots of space and ideally not on a soft lawn to save the ladies in heels! I’ve found the group photograph relatively easy to co-ordinate on the day, I ask people to stand in the ‘social bubbles’ they know they are part of and then compose the groups and individual couples around the bride and groom in an aesthetically pleasing way.
This was the group shot at Kirsty & Deans wedding prior to permitted guest numbers being reduced from 30 to 15 and we used the courtyard at Aston Hall Hotel in Sheffield to stage it keeping everyone safe.
Aston Hall Hotel Covid Safe Group Shot
Changing your wedding date?
The thought of it is a bloody nightmare, I get it, but it honestly doesn’t have to be.
If you decide to change your date, get in touch with your photographer as soon as possible.
3> Move quickly - Next year was already looking to be a super busy year for weddings (I was fully booked for 2021 in April 2020!), add in all of this years postponements and dates are getting very limited. Your venue may ask you to look at postponing to a weekday or even suggest a change of season, moving from a summer to a autumn or winter wedding. You need to move quickly but before you commit to anything go and speak face to face with your venue, if you move to a winter date you need to check the indoor facilities are sufficient in the event of bad weather and what’s the light like inside on an overcast winters day or early afternoon when the nights draw in early?
4> Keep everyone in the loop - Include all of your suppliers in the conversation right from the start, not just your photographer and venue, they will all have a very busy calendar for 2021 and I have found all working together to match availability saves so much stress for my couples. A group email or even a Messenger conversation means you can quickly get agreement on a date that works for all and minimised the stress of looking for new suppliers.
5> Charges and refunds - Everyone works differently but I have taken the approach right from the start that we are all in this together. Many of my couples have re-arranged their entire wedding around my availability which is extremely humbling, to help take away as much stress as I can they have not had to pay any charges for changing dates, they have not been affected by any price changes for next year and on the very few occasions I have already been booked and despite our best efforts no other date was available I have fully refunded all payments made, including the deposit!
These are unprecedented times and whatever my contract says, on moral level I couldn’t see anyone ending up out of pocket for a situation which is completely unprecedented, unforseable and outside of your control.
Becky & Phil had just six guests at their stunning Belton Woods Covid lockdown wedding… view their full sneak preview by clicking below
6> Spread the word - Once you have your new wedding.date, don’t forget to tell your guests! Lots of my couples have set up a little blog or website to keep everyone informed of what’s happening… that way if the Covid 19 rules change again, permitted guest numbers alter or worse case scenario the date changes again you can just keep everyone updated. With Joy or Hitched are great services for this and are free and give you some great features such as:
A choice of using your own colours, fonts and photos
Digital RSVP so you can track your guest list with ease
An app for all of your guests to access the page
An area for your guests to upload pictures, so you can keep everyone’s phone photographs from the day
Wedding party introductions, so you can highlight who is who before the big day
Sally & Jakes Gorgeous Ashwell Church Wedding During Covid 19 Restrictions
Getting the ‘WOW’ shots!
7> Staying on for twilight - One of the many things I love about covering a full day wedding is the evening shots, as the light fades away and twilight takes over, bringing out the off camera flash and creating something truly unique for my couples.
You’ll see from the photographs on this blog that night shots are a little more difficult as coverage frequently ends late afternoon. So firstly, I would recommend that even with limited guest numbers and the restrictions around evening music and dancing, if you can, have your photographer there for the full day and make the most of them. With so many other parts of the day feeling a little less rushed than usual you can really make the most of your wedding venue will have lots of time for some awesome late evening shots!
8> Getting creative indoors - If thats not possible, a lack of twilight certainly doesn’t put a stop to the ‘wow’ shots. With creative flash and some inventive use of the features of your venue we can still create stunning and captivating images that will be unique to your big day. Chandeliers, large windows, silhouettes and mirrors can all be used in combination with flash to transform what the naked eye sees into a truly stunning photograph. One of the silver linings to the current situation is many venues are not busy so rooms which would not usually be available to photograph in are now free… I have managed to sneak into and use staircases in restaurants, orangeries and even a ball room which would have previously been impossible as it would have been to busy to photograph when there were no Covid restrictions in place. If you are having reduced photography coverage, it’s an idea to have your wedding photography consultation at your venue and go for a wander afterwards to explore all the options.
9> Winter weather - If you are moving dates to a winter wedding and worried the weather is not going to play ball check out my rainy day wedding blog post.
Kirsty & Deans Beautiful Aston Hall Hotel Covid 19 Restrictions Wedding
Wedding Photography Restrictions
Considering the regulations around weddings should be nationally applied I have seen massive variations in the way venues, churches and registrars approach the day.
10> Venues and Registrars - Most of the wedding registrars I have worked with in Nottingham & Derby have stuck to the principle they can not be in the building for more than 20 minutes and have applied the following restrictions:
Registrars generally do not allow photographs signing the register as it adds to the time needed to conclude the official ceremony
In all but two weddings the brides father was not permitted to walk down the aisle
In most cases everyone in the room must wear a mask apart from the bride, groom and very young children
I was required to stand on a single spot to the side of the ceremony table and not move for the entire ceremony, this obviously limits shots from the back of the room and required a little pre-planning to ensure couples turn to face me so I can occasionally see the grooms face and the ring exchange
The registrars will be very unlikely to accommodate if you are running late so aim to be in the right place at the right time for your pre-ceremony interview!
11> First look before the wedding registrars arrive - Speak to your venue and see if they would be open to you having a ‘first look’ in the ceremony room well in advance of the registrars arriving. Whilst you will naturally still have to comply with all social distancing and mask requirements it does mean that we can capture that emotional first look between bride(s) and groom(s) without the restrictions around my movement and has worked really well on the occasions I have done it.
12> Church weddings - The church weddings I have done have been much more relaxed affairs, not in the level of safety, everyone wore masks, social distancing was maintained and all Corona restrictions were complied with but the vicars did everything they could to keep things as ‘normal’ as possible with the emphasis on celebration and the couples which made for really lovely affairs. I have been permitted much more freedom to move around and the ceremonies have generally been much longer.
13> Photographs of the two of you - The good news is, when it comes to the gorgeous photos of just the two of you enjoying your church, venue or grounds there are no restrictions. We can still sneak away for a short while and grab some sunning pictures of you both, to give you chance to grab some fresh air, let the excitement of the wedding ceremony sink in and create some portraits that you will want to share and look back on for many years to come.
Maria & Liams Oakham Church Wedding During Pandemic Restrictions
Do something on your original date!
You may have had to change to a new date but don’t let that stop you from celebrating!
14> Engagement and Family Shoots - Engagement or family shoots are an amazing way to celebrate your original wedding date, pick your favourite location (anywhere from your wedding venue to the epic views of the Peak District) and head out to celebrate with some gorgeous shots of just the two of you. We can time it with a nice weather forecast, aim for golden hour sunset and capture some wonderful memories for you to enjoy and share with your friends and family. You can find out all about my engagement shoots here.
15> A little home celebration - Some of my couples have held their own mini ceremony celebrating with their own vows, glammed up in their Sunday best to make something special out of their original wedding date. I have been sent mobile phone photos by my couples of some amazing little celebrations, just the two of them and a big bottle of Prosecco dressed up in the garden!
16> Spend the time planning for your new wedding date - Sometimes it feels like what should be an exciting and enjoyable time planning your big day becomes a bit of a mission with all the changes to restrictions and local lockdowns. Spend the day together planning all of the exciting things you can do to get you back into the swing of things! Remind each other of what the end goal is, saying ‘I do’ to take that next big step in your story together as a couple and when the big day arrives its going to be incredible!
Here are some engagement shoots I have had the pleasure of photographing during lockdown with social distancing observed
If there is anything I can help with, tips, guidance or suggestions feel free to get in touch anytime.