Hi there,
You are probably wondering if many things will be different for your wedding day in late 2020 or 2021.
I am David McLean of DMC Photography and I just want to give you an idea of how I think you can adapt and still have an amazing day and how I will be photographing weddings once they take place again in Ireland. I will break your day down into the various parts.
I will at all times be following all recommended health and safety guidelines in my day to day life in order to minimise any potential contact with Covid 19.
The morning hair and make-up preparations:
You may have to use more than one room in your house for the hair stylists and make-up artists in order to allow a bit of space around everyone, but if you keep the doors open and the music and the refreshments going you can still have the craic and the banter that is so much a part of this fun morning session.
When I arrive at your house before your wedding to capture the craic and all the little details during these morning preparations, first of all each piece of my equipment will have been disinfected that morning and I will have used hand sanitiser. If it is still recommended I will be using gloves as this will prevent any possible marking or staining of your dress, veil, shoes or jewellery etc. while I arrange them for photos. I will still be able to get all the photos at this time that are a very special part of your day.
Your arrival at your wedding ceremony and the ceremony itself:
There will be no changes here, I will capture your arrival at your ceremony location whether it is at your reception venue or at a Church venue and I will take a couple of quick bridal party photos before you walk up the aisle. I will capture your bridesmaids, flowergirls/pageboys as they walk up the aisle and also your walk up the aisle with your father or whoever is giving you away, and your groom as he awaits your arrival, these can be very emotional moments and make great photos. Your guests may be spaced further apart than has been normal in the past. I will capture all the main elements of your ceremony discreetly. If you are having a Church ceremony and you are including Communion it may be limited to the couple only, depending on the advice at the time and there will probably not be the traditional giving the sign of the peace in the form of a handshake with your family and guests. (these changes can shorten your ceremony by about 15 minutes).
The receiving line outside after your wedding ceremony:
Depending on the health and safety advice at the time, this tradition of the couple greeting all of their guests as they leave the ceremony with a handshake, a hug or a kiss may not take place anymore and your guests may go directly to their cars for the drive to the reception venue if it is a church wedding or they may chat in small groups outside. Perhaps a group of maybe 20 guests or so could leave the ceremony just ahead of the couple to form a spaced out guard of honour to applaud the couple as they leave the ceremony. The lack of the receiving line can have 2 advantages, you can save up to half an hour here giving you more time for your drinks reception and also the shoulder on the grooms suit will not be covered in make-up!!
Your Bridal Party and family photos:
I always aim to capture your bridal party, bride and groom and family photos in 30-40 minutes maximum either at your reception venue or at another location if you wish, I keep everything nice and relaxed and we can have a bit of fun taking these photos. I may use some poses for Bridal Party photos that space people apart slightly, depending on the advice at the time but you will still get great photos so no changes here at all.
Your pre-dinner drinks reception:
You should still be able to mingle with your guests, possibly in smaller groups rather than everyone crowding in on you and probably without handshakes or hugging/kissing but you can still enjoy the friendly banter that is so much a part of this tradition. If the layout of your reception venue and the weather allows it then an outdoor setting would be great The fact that not everyone will be crowded around you will give me a much better opportunity to capture lots of casual/candid photos as you mingle with your family and friends.
Your entry into the banquetting room and the meal/speeches/cake cutting:
There should be no difference here as you enter the room to your chosen music and everyone greets you with cheers and applause, the tables may be spaced further apart and you may have more tables of 6 people rather than the traditional 10 at a table. The meal should follow the normal pattern with the speeches either beforehand or after the meal followed by the cutting of the cake. I will of course capture the speeches and guest reactions to them as well as the traditional cutting of the cake.
The after dinner music with your band and the dancing:
I think that the band and the dancing will still be a major part of your wedding day, but perhaps rather than the band calling on everyone in the room to form a circle or square around the dancefloor for the couple's first dance, they may ask just the members of the Bridal Party and the couple's families to form a more spaced out circle or square. i will still capture your first dance as a newly married couple. Perhaps the venue can extend their dancefloor to allow more people up to dance by giving everyone a bit more room or perhaps some couples can dance in the spaces between tables so that the room rather than just the dancefloor is filled with dancing couples. The sparkle dancefloors which had become so popular at weddings may pose a problem unless that can be made much larger.
The Photo Booth after the meal:
I think that photo booths which have been so popular as a form of guest entertainment after the meal will have to change how they operate, in the enclosed booth type it would probably have to be restricted to just couples with no shared props. The photo studio type with a white or greenscreen background (the greenscreen allows a wide range of themed backdrops to appear in the printed photos) which has up to now allowed groups of up to 10 to pose together may now have to limit the groups to perhaps 4 people. Again as with the enclosed photobooth the use of shared props will probably not be advisable.
I currently offer the photo studio set-up with a greenscreen background with props but going forward I will be offering a portrait studio set-up without props which will allow couples at your wedding to have a nice studio style portrait taken and they will receive a set of two 8" x 6" portraist presented in a nice display folder rather than just a 6" x 4" paper print. As well as after dinner entertainment these portrait photos can also take the place of wedding favours as we will supply you with cards to go at each place setting on the tables letting your guests know about the service. This offer can be booked for weddings where I am not the photographer booked to photograph the wedding as a stand alone service subject to availability. Contact me for details.
The Stunning night time photos:
I will still take you out into the grounds of your reception venue after dark (weather permitting) to capture a selection of stunning night time photos using creative lighting set-ups and romantic poses or if you prefer we can do these night time photos in the bridal suite.
So if you are currently looking for a full time professional wedding photographer to capture the Atmosphere, the Craic and the Emotions of your special day in a friendly relaxed way and who will give you a collection of special memories that you will treasure forever check out some of my work in my galleries and if you like what you see then contact me to see if I am available for your date.