Wedding Photography Checklist

A wedding photography checklist is essential as we prepare to consider how to save money on our wedding pictures. Perhaps this is something a bride will want to cut out all together - but then again, your wedding photography is the only tangible record we have of our big day. The cake might survive in the freezer until the first anniversary and, yes, the bride's crystal wedding cake jewelry can add a touch of romance to room decorations for years to come... but beyond that, the only record a couple has of their glorious wedding day celebration are the wedding pictures.

Look the checklist over and ask yourself how important each picture is: Do you care about having that instant / group recorded photographically? How important is it to you to have the pictures be high quality.

• An official portrait of the bride and groom in tux and gown
• The bride and groom at the alter during the wedding
• Bride and mother
• Bride and father
• The wedding party in totality
• Bride and her immediate family
• Bride and groom with bride's immediate family
• The groom and his immediate family
• Bride and groom with groom's immediate family
• Bride with her siblings
• Groom and his siblings
• Bride and her parents
• Groom and his parents
• Bride and groom with groom's parents
• Bride and groom with bride's parents
• Bride and groom together will all parents
• Groom and his mother
• Groom and his father
• Bride and groom with groom's grandparents
• Bride and groom with bride's grandparents
• Bride and groom with attendants
• Each member of wedding party walking down the aisle
• Bride coming down the aisle
• Bride's father leaving her at the altar
• Entire wedding party at the altar
• The exchanging of rings
• The saying of vows
• The kiss
• The bride and groom leaving the altar
• Bride getting ready for the wedding
• Bride and bridesmaids (individually or as a group [or both])
• Attendants and mothers getting ready for the wedding
• Groom prepping for the wedding
• Groom and groomsmen (individually or as a group [or both])
• Bride and attendants leaving for the ceremony
• Bride and groom arriving at the reception
• Toasts - best man, father of the bride, etc.
• The wedding cake
• The cutting of the cake
• Bride and groom's first dance
• Tossing of the bouquet
• Guests dancing
• Guests signing the guest book
• Bride and groom departing the reception

There are forty-five items on this checklist - and many of them represent multiple photographs. Conservatively, there are at least one hundred and fifty pictures that most brides consider to be "essential".

Of course, the question is; to stay within budget which items on the wedding photography checklist are most important to you. After that question is answered, then we can talk about ways to save money on wedding photography because only then will a bride have the information she needs to make an intelligent decision about what would be best for her wedding.