How Valuable Are Your Photos?

By:

Sharon Naylor

You might know the price packages of every professional photographer in town, and you might already know which packages present the most value to you. What we're talking about here, though, is the value of your wedding photos...and the answer is: they're priceless.

That's why most people, when asked what they'd grab first on their way out of their burning house, say ‘my wedding photos.' Pictures from your big day grow far more valuable over time. As much as you love them now, you'll love them even more ten, twenty and thirty years from now.

What makes wedding photos climb so near to your heart? Here are the top reasons why you'll want every photo from your day, in their full hi-resolution glory:

• The looks in people's eyes, such as when your groom first sees you appear at the end of the aisle, ready to walk toward him. You can't put a price on the awe and appreciation in his expression.
• The footage of parents and grandparents, dressed to the nines, looking happy and healthy as they dance, dine and celebrate with relatives and friends. While we hate to think about any dark days of the future, someday relatives will pass away. And these photos allow them to stay in your presence, looking radiant and well, enjoying the best day ever. Especially if parents and grandparents get quite ill, or go through difficult medical treatments before they pass, having these images of them in better days becomes a comfort and an everlasting presence in your home and photo collection.
• The unmistakable looks of love and the romance between you both. In the future, when life gets hectic, kids come along, money's tight and you find yourselves taking each other for granted, these photos can remind you of your great love that still lives between you. You might make it an anniversary tradition to look through your wedding photos and reminisce.
• If your wedding photos are a gift from your parents, they become more valuable when you experience the gratitude of having such a gorgeous collection.
• The photos you give to friends and family members as gifts become priceless mementoes for them as well. Consider your group of college friends who - let's face it - might not get together again for a very long time, if ever. What a great present to give them all the perfect shot of your group on the dance floor, or the guys enjoying their cigars, the girls walking on the beach together just like you did on Spring Break long ago.
• Your wedding photos will surely be displayed in your home.
• Your kids, and grandkids, will look at these photos someday.

For all these reasons, and more, every photo from your wedding day (and before and after) deserves to be collected, treasured, shared, and stored safely so that they may enrich your life together for as long as you both shall live. And ever after.

Your Wedding Day Photo Wish List

Courtesy of Sharon Naylor’s book “The Busy Bride’s Essential Wedding Checklists,” Copyright 2005 by Sharon Naylor, www.sharonnaylor.net

[Note: hand this list to your photographer or use it to create photo suggestion cards or photo scavenger hunt cards.  Or you can hand this to your photographer with the shots you want indicated with a [check icon] and the ones you don’t want given an [X].

Getting Ready for the Big Day

___   Bride in pre-wedding casual attire, holding a mug of coffee with her engagement-ring only (so far!) hand

___ Bride on the phone with the groom

___ Bride's gown hanging in the bedroom, before the bride steps into it
___ Bridesmaids’ arrival, hugs with the bride

___ Bridal breakfast, including a champagne toast

___ Bride and her entourage going to the beauty salon

___ Bride and her entourage returning from the beauty salon (as in Before and After shots)

___ Bride and bridesmaids getting ready for the wedding
___ Mom or Maid of Honor helping bride attach her veil

___ Dad 1^st first look at the bride in her wedding gown

___ Full-length shot of bride in her gown, from several angles, in several settings

___ Bride and her maids, fully dressed, having a champagne toast or posing out in the garden

___ Bride and her parents

___ Bride with her sisters or siblings
___ Bride being given her something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue
___ Bride’s first look at her wedding bouquet as she unwraps the box

___ Bride holding her bouquet

___ Bride with her grandparents

___ Bride with her mother

___ Bride with her mother and grandmother(s)

___ Bride with her stepmother

___ Bride with her mother and stepmother

___ Bride with her father

___ Bride with her stepfather

___ Bride with her father and stepfather

___ Bride with her godmother and godfather

___ Bride with her parents and step-parents

___ Bride with her Maid or Matron of Honor

___ Bride with her bridesmaids, formal pose

___ Bride with her bridesmaids, casual pose

___ Bride with flowergirls

___ Bride with each of her bridesmaids, individually

___ Bride and bridesmaids departing for the ceremony, posing in front of the limo or waving from the window as the car pulls away

___ Groom in casual attire, hanging out with his buddies before the wedding

___ Groom getting ready for the wedding

___ Groom getting help with his tie
___ Groomsmen getting ready

___ Best Man hugging the groom or shaking hands with the groom

___ Groom with his parents and/or stepparents

___ Groom with his father

___ Groom with his stepfather

___ Groom with his father and stepfather

___ Groom with his mother

___ Groom with his stepmother

___ Groom with his mother and stepmother

___ Groom with his godparents
___ Groom with his siblings
___ Groom with his groomsmen
___ Groom and groomsmen putting on their boutonnieres

___ Groom getting a high-five from the ringbearer
___ Groom and his men departing for the ceremony
___ Groom arriving at the ceremony site

___ Groom and his men in the waiting room at the ceremony site
___ Bride and her parents en route to the ceremony (in the limousine, looking out the window as the car or carriage      makes its way to the site)

___ Bride arriving at the ceremony site

___ Father or parents helping the bride out of the car

___ Bride and bridal party taking their places to await the start of the ceremony

___ Maid of Honor adjusting the bride’s train or veil before the ceremony starts

___ Wink from father, or from bride to father/parents, before the processional starts

At the Ceremony

___ Pictures of the ceremony site exterior

___ A picture of the empty, decorated ceremony site before guests arrive

___ A wide-angle shot of the ceremony site from a balcony as the guest arrive

___ Guests arriving and being seated

___ Special guests arriving and being escorted to their seats
___ Ushers escorting mothers to their seats (Christian wedding) ___ Groom and groomsmen taking their place at the altar

___ Bridesmaids walking down the aisle

___ Flower girl and/or ring bearer walking down the aisle
___ Maid of Honor walking down the aisle
___ Bride’s first appearance at the end of the aisle ___ Bride and her parents walking down the aisle

___ A closeup of the groom’s face when he first sees his bride

___ A closeup of the bride’s face when she first sees her groom

___ Bride and parents meeting with the groom at the altar ___ The groom and the bride’s father shaking hands before the presentation of the bride to the groom

___ Bride and groom taking hands at the altar ___ Wide-angle shot from the balcony capturing the moment the bride and groom take their places at the altar, including the guests in their seats

___ Bride and groom kneeling at the altar OR circling the altar in traditional custom ___ Bride and groom listening to the officiant speak

___ Readings and musical performances

___ Mothers lighting the unity candle

___ Bride and groom lighting the unity candle

___ Bride and groom greeting their parents and offering peace as part of the ceremony

___ Any religious or cultural rituals performed for the ceremony

___ Bride and groom exchanging vows

___ Bride and groom exchanging rings

___ Close-up of bride's and groom's hands as they place the rings on each other’s fingers
___ Bride and groom’s first kiss as husband and wife ___ Bride and groom turn to their applauding audience

___ Bride and groom jumping the broom, if an African-American ceremony

___ Bride and groom walk back down the aisle ___ Bride and groom exit ceremony site and kiss

___ Recessional to capture bridal party, parents and guests greeting the couple at the exit of the ceremony site

___ The receiving line

___ The shower of birdseed or bubbles as the couple runs to the limousine

___ Bride and groom leaving ceremony site with a ‘Just Married’ sign on the back of the car

___ Bride and groom standing up out of the limousine sunroof waving goodbye

___ Bride and groom in limousine backseat

Post-Ceremony Photos

___   Bride and groom embracing

___ Bride and groom sealed in a kiss

___ Bride and groom with the bride’s parents

___ Bride and groom with the groom’s parents

___ Bride and groom with both sets of parents

___ Bride and groom with both sets of parents and both sets of grandparents

___ Bride and groom with her grandparents

___ Bride and groom with his grandparents

___ Bride and groom individually with each of their grandparents

___ Bride and groom with bride’s extended family

___ Bride and groom with groom’s extended family

___ Bride and groom with all family members

___ Bride and groom with all wedding guests

___ Bride, groom and all of their siblings

___ Bride and groom with bridesmaids
___ Bride and groom with Maid of Honor

___ Bride and groom with all female attendants

___ Bride and groom with Best Man

___ Bride and groom with all groomsmen

___ Bride and groom with child attendants

___ Bride and groom with entire bridal party

At the Reception

___ Photos of scenery around the reception site, like the sunset or a lit fountain

___ Photos of the reception site outside

___ Photos of empty, decorated reception room while everyone’s in the cocktail hour room

___ Sweetheart’s table decorated for the bride and groom

___ The family photo table, featuring framed pictures of relatives and friends

___ Random shots of guests at the cocktail hour and beginning of reception

___ Parents and bridal party being introduced into the room

___ Bride and groom arriving at the reception site

___ Bride and groom making their way to the ballroom

___ Bride and groom making their grand entrance into the ballroom

___ Bride and groom during their first dance
___ Bride dancing with her father

___ Groom dancing with his mother

___ 1^st full dance of the evening; bridal party members and guests dancing with one another

___ Bride and groom dancing with the flowergirls or ringbearer

___ Best Man’s Toast

___ Maid of Honor’s toast

___ Parents’ toast

___ Couple’s toast
___ Bride and groom toasting one another

___ Closeup of the bride and groom’s toasting flutes clinking together
___ Parents dancing

___ Bride dancing with the bridesmaids
___ Bride dancing with grandparents
___ Kids dancing or playing
___ Entertainers performing

___ Guests partying

___ The cake
___ Bride and groom cutting the cake
___ Bride and groom feeding each other pieces of cake
___ The bouquet toss
___ The woman catching the bouquet

___ The bride congratulating her

___ Removal and tossing of the garter

___ Candid shots from the evening

___ Requested group shots
___ Bride and groom leaving the reception, saying goodbye to special guests
___ Scenes from the After-Party

Your Additional Photo Wish List:

(Ask specifically for shots like ‘Bride dancing with great-uncle, Bride with Grandmother and her sisters, etc.)

Have any that we forgot?  Let us know!

The Etiquette Expert Says...

By:

Sharon Naylor, Author of "The Essential Guide to Wedding Etiquette"

How do you politely and properly ask friends to take lots of photos at your wedding? If you're not allowed to make requests about gifts, how can it be correct to ask people to bring their digital cameras and take extra pictures during your big day?

The answer is threefold:

1. The people you ask are those closest to you, the ones you could say anything to. You don't have to mince words or worry about them taking offense. These are friends you might have previously asked to pick you up at the airport or to watch your house or pets while you're away. A simple, "Hey, would you bring your camera to the wedding to get some extra photos from your perspective?" is all the proper request you need. It's fine to explain that the professional photographer will be tailing you all day and night, and you have confidence that your friend will get the perfect pictures of your shared group of friends or relatives.
2. You're not asking, nor requiring, them to ‘work' your wedding. Assure them that you do have a professional photographer or two) on the scene, so they don't have to pressure themselves to be everywhere or to avoid going outside or to the restroom for fear of missing a big moment and stranding you with no image of, say, your bouquet toss. Just say, "Take photos whenever you'd like, just during the reception, just during the afterparty, whenever." And assure them that you're asking several different guests to bring their cameras, too, so this is a zero-pressure situation. Show them SeeYouThen.com so that they know where their photos will end up, and how easily they and everyone else will be able to view them.
3. You'll thank them afterward with a thoughtful gift, such as a framed photo of her with her date or spouse. Make it a photo she didn't take at the wedding, as a surprise. With everyone getting new outfits and dressing their best, including guests' kids, framing that gorgeous photo of them is a terrific gift. Perhaps your single friends would like to use them for their online dating profiles, so show them your SeeYouThen.com site so that they can surf for any additional photos to use on their social networking sites or professional websites. Another idea for rewarding your photography team is giving them gift cards to a favorite restaurant so that they can have a nice dinner out, on you. If you know your friend's favorite beauty salon, why not give her a gift card for a treatment? Bottles of wine are classic gifts, but since you have so many fantastic photos in your account here, it's natural to customized a photo-centric gift to your wonderful volunteers.

As a few rules of guidance:

• Ask two to three different people in each social or family circle to bring their cameras and snap some photos of the wedding events
• Be prepared to hear people say No to your request. Some guests may not want to bring their pricey digital camera to your outdoor or beach wedding for fear of it getting ruined, and some may not like the idea of leaving their camera at the table while they're dancing. Accept a No graciously and move on to your next volunteer candidate.
• Disclose the conditions of your wedding to all of the people you'll ask. They really should know about the outdoor setting in July, the beach wedding, etc.
• Offer to pay for a new photo card or batteries as a polite and proper consideration.
• Place a printed card on each guest table, reading, "We don't want to miss a thing on this beautiful day, so we would love you to take plenty of photos for us and post them to our SeeYouThen.com website." At the exit of your wedding, provide business card-sized printouts of instructions and the URL to your site. Guests often get their shots online in a day or two, which means you get to see them right away!