What to wear
What to wear for a wedding photoshoot
For the couple this is decided long before, so the useful advice is about everyone else: ask the wedding party for a palette rather than exact…
What to wear
For the couple this is decided long before, so the useful advice is about everyone else: ask the wedding party for a palette rather than exact…
In short: For the couple this is decided long before, so the useful advice is about everyone else: ask the wedding party for a palette rather than exact garments, and warn against bright white or heavy black if they will stand next to the dress. For the getting-ready sequence, matching robes photograph well; the pile of hangers behind them does not, so clear the background before anyone arrives.
Colour. The decision that matters is the wedding party's, not the couple's. Give them a palette of two or three tones rather than exact garments, and rule out anything close to the dress or to the venue's dominant colour.
Fabric. Warn against heavy black next to a white dress in bright sun — the exposure difference is the single hardest technical problem of a wedding day.
Footwear. A second pair for the couple, kept somewhere findable. Portraits involve walking on grass, gravel and stairs.
The thing that ruins frames. The getting-ready room. Nobody thinks about clothing here and every frame contains hangers, bags and hotel-room clutter. Clear one corner and hang the dress against a plain wall before anyone starts.
Couples deciding what they actually want photographed, and what they will regret not having.
Location changes the answer: The venue decides most of it. The two questions worth asking in advance: where is open shade at the time of the portraits, and where can you go if it rains. In London that second answer matters — an indoor fallback with a window is the difference between a full gallery and a gap in it.
Planning pressure to account for: Leaving portraits until after dinner. Booking a schedule with no margin, so the first delay eats the photography. Not eating. And giving a photographer a list of forty group combinations, which takes ninety minutes and produces forty near-identical photographs nobody looks at.
Bring each proposed outfit as a complete look, including its shoes and accessories. The final choice is made against the actual background and light rather than from a generic colour rule.
For the couple this is decided long before, so the useful advice is about everyone else: ask the wedding party for a palette rather than exact garments, and warn against bright white or heavy black if they will stand next to the dress. For the getting-ready sequence, matching robes photograph well; the pile of hangers behind them does not, so clear the background before anyone arrives.
For a one-hour session, plan one complete look and one quick variation such as a jacket, shoe or jewellery change. Two hours can normally support two or three resolved looks. More changes reduce shooting time, so photograph the most important outfit first and treat extras as options rather than promises.
Choose colours that separate clearly from the location and suit the intended use of the pictures. Solid tones and controlled texture are reliable; very fine checks, tiny stripes and reflective logos can distract or produce moiré. Send phone photographs of the options with the brief if you want a decision before the shoot.
Bring the garments on proper hangers, matching underwear, the shoes for every full-length look, a lint roller and simple touch-up products. Pack one neutral backup layer. Steam everything beforehand, but keep a small steamer nearby for travel creases and final adjustments on set.
Send the date, location and what you need photographed.