As a luxury wedding photographer, I’ve worked with many couples over the years to ensure that their special day runs seamlessly. One key aspect of a successful wedding is the role of your celebrant, who plays a vital part in guiding the ceremony and ensuring that everything runs smoothly for the rest of the day.
Here are 5 essential tasks that you should ask your celebrant to do on the day of your wedding:
1. Step aside for the perfect first kiss
As you exchange your vows, I want to capture that special moment when you share your first kiss as a married couple. To ensure that I get the perfect shot, I ask that you ask your celebrant to step aside for a brief moment to allow me to capture this intimate moment. There’s nothing worse, then me spending hours editing in post to remove your celebrant out of the photo so you two can have your hero moment. When he or she could easily take two seconds to step aside out of frame, so you two can have your hero moment and a beautiful photo to cherish.
2. Make an announcement about confetti
When it’s time to throw confetti, I want to make sure that everyone knows exactly when and how to do it. I ask your celebrant to make an announcement to everyone during the ceremony, instructing them on how to throw (throw up nice and high, not at your faces!) and asking guests who are mid way in the aisle to pause and wait until the kiss dip is happening before throwing confetti. This will ensure that everyone has ample time to enjoy the moment and avoid any confetti chaos.
3. Remember to pause half way down the aisle for a kiss!
To capture the perfect romantic moment, I’ll need your celebrant to remind you both before you walk (to stop halfway down the aisle) so that we can take a special kiss dip photo. This will give us a beautiful opportunity to capture the love and intimacy between you two.
4. Announce important details for group and family photos
To avoid any delays or confusion during your wedding day, I ask that your celebrant to make a housekeeping announcement on important details before you do your exit walk about where guests should go next, that we will be having a group photo and family photos after the ceremony so they can stick around. This will ensure that everyone knows exactly what’s expected of them, will avoid any misunderstandings or confusion and also keep everyone there so no one runs off. Trying to round people up, or find where people are is a huge time waster, and while I’m happy to get on the mic and round everyone up if needed – we will still loose time in the day when this can easily be overcome before hand with a simple announcement from your celebrant. This also helps relieves any anxiety they may feel and helps improve guest experience so they know everything they need to know to ensure the day goes smoothly.
5. Borrow the celebrant’s mic for photo captions
If possible, I’d love to borrow the celebrant’s mic for a few minutes to communicate with your guests for instructions on the group photo, and read out family combinations. This will ensure that everyone is paying attention then from the celebrant to me, and I can get through this process as quick as possible to avoid any delays or confusion to the days timeline.
By asking your celebrant to complete these 5 essential tasks, you’ll be ensuring a smooth and memorable wedding day that will be cherished for years to come and improving your guests experience on the day too.
Feel free to send this blog post to your celebrant or wedding planner to assist them in anything they may need to know.
And if you’re on the hunt for a wedding photographer, contact me today to book your wedding photography package and let us help you create unforgettable memories that will last a lifetime.
