I’ve had a good time meeting with brides and grooms at wedding exhibitions for the last two years. We’ve gotten tons of feedback about the quality of our work and some of you have given us useful suggestions about how we can be more valuable to you. An example of this are photo books of pictures from the pre wedding shoot and the bridal shower. These were features we used to provide in the past which we’ll look into reintroducing soon.
House keeping rules
The conversations I have had with couples during wedding exhibitions will serve as the backbone for the series of posts I’m going to write on the subject of how to choose your wedding photographer.
Wedding photography – vanity or important service?
Miss Q was one of my favourite brides from a wedding expo in March 2015. She told me with a hearty laugh:
“Oga photographer una no dey try… Abeg abeg abeg! food and hall décor is more important than photography”
She had a point. Photography is a vanity we could all do without on the wedding day right? Maybe. But then again all we need for a valid marriage is a man and a woman, a licensed officiator in a place allowed by law to conduct marriages, and two witnesses. You don’t really need more than those requirements to have a valid marriage.
There will be an exchange of vows and the law requires consent so we can be sure that no one has been forced into the marriage.
So looking at things that way, I guess even the food and hall décor might not be so important after all. Miss Q had a hall and a wedding planner, and she took my phone number anyway.
Why is wedding photography important?
Photography plays an important role in preserving memories, curating family history and setting the emotional tone and a reference point for the marriage.
Chris and Nene – The story behind the story
In 2014 I photographed a wedding where the unsung heroes were the mothers of the bride and the groom who raised their children through personal tragedy and trying circumstances.
We were all there to celebrate Chris and Nene (not their real names) but somehow we all had this unspoken understanding that we were also celebrating the triumph of the mothers of the day who had seen their offspring safely to a new start.
They let us be a part of the magic and together we were able to weave a story of love and forbearance to leave behind footage that would contribute to the loving myth in their families that their mothers and the children’s grandmothers would become.
Wedding photography – a well placed vanity
We believe wedding photography and video is so important that my brother and I have ordained for ourselves this ministry of witnessing and preserving family legacies for the generations to come.
The way forward
For those of you planning to get married soon, good luck with the planning process.
Guys remember to get involved so that the ladies don’t have to plan everything alone. Picking the wedding colours is the bride’s responsibility so guys please defer to her on this one!
Make sure you discuss well ahead of time whether your wife would like you wearing your favourite Ray Ban glasses during the wedding service and group photos. Also don’t forget to attend your marriage classes or whatever spiritual programmes and support that is available to prepare you for the journey.
If you’ve got the hall, the wedding planner and the caterer, you might as well go out and get the best photographer you can afford because it is important. As my fellow photographers like to say; after we’re done with the hall and the food, the only thing left to savour for years to come will be the photographs and the videos.
Signing off and signing out
Thanks for reading and stopping by Iludio. We’ll do our best to bring you the best wedding inspiration we can and make this your definitive online wedding guide. We hope to see you soon again on the blog and please be sure to get in touch if you have any questions and comments.
PHOTO CREDIT: Ayede Film & Photography