Due to the nature of marriage, whatever you do will be magnified so my first advice is to ...
1.Tread Easy ~ Do not impose your personality on the day and even all your thoughts should always be respect for the bride and groom, but when diplomacy fails humor usually works.
2 Expectations ~ learn from the bride and groom what is expected of you and if you need to get them to rip out pages from magazines showing pictures that they like. Select the style you like and let them know that what you are happy to reproduce. It is unfair to expect David Bailey, unless of course you happen to be David Bailey, in which case it would not be reading this, and you produce something like holiday snap if they know what to expect then it is saved in hurt feelings later .
3 ~ Gain an understanding of what happens at the wedding and when. For example the legal necessities, and also because there are points throughout the service / ceremony that is considered disrespectful if you photograph them. You May also be called upon to act as a temporary wedding co-ordinator so that you have an idea about what will happen next.
4 Preparation ~ This is a once in a lifetime event and can not be repeated so challenge yourself with your photography practice! PRACTICE! PRACTICE! Know your camera inside and out, the camera needs to succeed at a crucial moment, then you need to know what to do next, I'm afraid that the buck really stop you. Practice!
5 To back up ~ literally! Please take a spare camera with you! If yours does not then you have to have one waiting in the wings! Flash cards: the use of small denomination, if one fails then you have not lost a lot of pictures I normally carry a lot of 4GB cards with me. As soon as you can upload pictures you've taken the laptop or portable hard disk, then you know you are safe!
6 ~ Familarise ourselves with the inner circle, and should have an advantage here, but if you do not know who is the principal bridesmaid and best man were to try and be on behalf of both conditions if required all you need to be able to ask them.
7 ~ What is the latency time of the bride getting ready to prep it as a shot, how long it takes to be in place, you must allow yourself enough time, what time the groom getting ready and not have to photograph it. How long to get between the two. As can be in two places at once someone driving between the bride and groom, or, alternatively, a delegate photos on one of the groomsmen.
8 ~ Where Do You guessed it, where you are and when. Make a list next time,
Bride Prep - Address to the day - It is time to get there
Groom Prep - Address to the day - It is time to get there
Ceremony City time to get there, the postal code is not enough to keep this address by heart for the day.
Make yourself known to Officiant / Registrar / Priest / vicar / rabbi as may appear to have been advised to set the picture for you and will be looking to take their orders from you. May they also have strict rules about what can and can not take pictures, if need be to negotiate, but do not get bogged down in it. Note No one likes to be blinded by the flash.
9 Presentation ~ After you have all the images together burn them to disc for the bride and grooms return from Honey, please, do not under any circumstances be tempted to make them all up on Facebook in the race to get images out first.
10 Enjoy it ~ You never know this could be the beginning of a wonderful new career.
Good luck
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