Wedding Tip Wednesday- KNOW THE RULES!

Did you know many ceremony venues have rules that they impose on photographers and videographers? It's important to know and understand these rules when planning your wedding...and to share them with your photographer and videographer!
We do a LOT of beach weddings, but we have done quite a few church weddings over the years and it seems that there are more and more restrictions on what we can do. Many of these were brought about by bad-behaving photographers/videographers who didn't respect the sanctity of the ceremony or the church.
I've seen and heard some crazy things! Videographers standing right at the front of the church, blocking the view of the ring exchange for the groom's parents, photographers walking around the altar, people standing on a pew to get the shot, etc.
Things like that have led to policies that make it more challenging to get the photographs that brides and grooms want. Here's just a few examples of things I've been told:
-You can stand at the back of the aisle and DON'T MOVE from that spot or I'll kick you out.
-No photographs can be taken during the ceremony.
-No flash (and yet the guest's cameras are going off all during the ceremony)
-You can only photograph from the balcony
-If you are a distraction, I'll stop the ceremony and yell at you.
-Tripods are not allowed.
Usually, these statements are followed by something like, "I've seen photographers all over the place, distracting the ceremony..." Here's an example of what can happen when someone doesn't follow the rules:

Now, for the first two scenarios I listed, the bride had no idea that this was the case! After I was told that I couldn't move, I explained it to the bride that my movement was limited and she broke into tears. I managed to talk my way into being allowed halfway down the aisle.
For the second one on the list, the officiants were the bride's uncle and father and she had no idea that they weren't going to allow any photos! It was a very small church, and I convinced them to allow us to shoot from the vestibule, the balcony, and off to the side.

My purpose of this post is to knock churches, but to inform people about something they might not be aware of. Some people get married in their family church, others choose a church for it's beauty or location. Make sure that you know all the details so you're not surprised! You should also make sure that your photographer knows what to expect from the church and from you. If you don't want them blocking views and being a distraction, let them know.

I'll close with this- I've also had instances where the officiant tells us to get the photographs that will make the couple happy. Every priest/pastor is different and some will go with their own policy that may contradict the "house rules." We love those officiants :)

Visit my website to see what kind of photographs can be taken while following the rules- www.samellis.com.