Wedding Photography Planning | Reception Ideas

No matter what style of wedding you’re planning your reception will likely be centered around a few signature events and its important to choose the right Pittsburgh wedding photographer to capture those moments. The majority of my focus during your wedding reception involves capturing the key events including but not limited to the special dances, cake cutting, toasts, blessing, garter/bouquet tosses, and open dancing. In between those events, the secondary shots I like to document creatively are table decor, close up candids of family/friends, cake closeups, the photo booth as well as interior & exterior shots of the reception destination. When you’re planning this final aspect of your day, it’s important to make note of any additional photos you would like to have captured (ex: group shots of college friends, a funny surprise dance, sentimental objects, etc…). Letting me know beforehand what special image requests you would like to have is always helpful. I always want to ensure that my photography of your day captures all the special moments, people, and keepsake items you want to cherish & remember.

Below are some additional tips to consider:

• If you have a family member taking additional photographs of your reception that’s perfectly fine with me, I would just recommend that he or she limits their amount of picture-taking during your first dance & parent dances so that they are not photobombing your dance shots while I’m simultaneously capturing those moments.
• If you have a tightly scheduling wedding day, and we happen to run out of time during the “mid-day portrait” part of the day, another ideal time to get some additional creative portraits is directly after your dinner.
• If you have a DJ that will be using “laser style accent lighting” please have him or her turn that off during your formal dances. This prevents little laser dots from showing up on faces during the first dance and parent dances.
• Having all of your toasts, special dances, cake cutting, etc… scheduled during the first half of your reception will allow me to capture those “must have” photographs before my photography coverage of your day ends.
• Be sure to let me know if there are any special impromptu candids photos of friends or family members before you sit down for dinner. This allows me to gameplan the best time to get those shot requests later that evening.
• If you and your fiance tend to be a shy couple, a private cake cutting is always an option. This can include only your immediate family without an announcement from your DJ or band.

Feel free to email me through my contact section or message me on facebook as you narrow down your search for a Pittsburgh wedding photographer. I’d be happy to offer any other wedding planning advice!