When I first set out to travel the world in 2003 my second port of call was Hong Kong. I was travelling solo and full of enthusiasm but lacking a bit of life experience, you know, the kind of experience that keeps you out of travel. Anyway, on my first morning I ventured down to the harbour to take some photos with my brand new, state of the art 3mp camera – while there another tourist approached me and asked if I would take his photo. We got to talking and 45 minutes later I found myself bailed up in a cramped hotel room while another man tried to force me into pulling off a casino heist with him (he was a dealer at the blackjack table and would deal me winning hands – we’d split the profits).
It was an extremely elaborate set up to get me in that position – the first guy from the harbour introduced me to his “sister” who said she was moving to Australia to study but her “mother” didn’t want her to go and she wanted me to put her mind at rest. The catch was the “mother” was confined to their fancy hotel room and I had to go up there to meet her – when I got there it was the furthest thing from fancy you could imagine, there was no mother, only her “cousin” who was the blackjack dealer. Long story short I managed to escape unharmed but thinking back it’s terrifying to think how easily they could have stolen one of my kidneys.
It sounds like a ridiculous story. I know. It’s embarrassing to type these words. The thing is, to that point I’d led a relatively sheltered life and this was a totally new experience, I didn’t know what to expect and I made some bad decisions. The same applies to getting married. Most couples haven’t done it before, everything is new, they’re not sure what to expect, what’s normal, and what will work best for them.
This brings me to the topic of having your photographer stay for your reception. Having photographed dozens of weddings in the last year I’ve come to learn that receptions are an absolute gold mine of photo opportunities. There are moments and interactions between a bride and groom and their guests that simply don’t happen in the earlier, more formal part of the day. Yes, it’s important to get the formal family shots, and the fine art photos that end up hanging above your couch, but the candid, off guard, fly on the wall photos you get at a reception are just as important at recording who you are and capturing the “feel” of the wedding.
If you’re in the position of deciding whether to have your photographer stay for the reception just remember that there’s a WHOLE lot more to it than a cheesy posed shot of you cutting the cake. Full day and night coverage is not for everyone, and that’s absolutely fine, there’s not a thing wrong with only wanting day time coverage, so long as you’re well aware of what you’re missing and making an informed decision.
If you think your future kids and grandkids would like to see photos of their parents, grandparents, aunties and uncles having the time of their lives when they flick through your wedding album in the decades to come then you should certainly consider booking a photographer who’s there when the fun stuff happens.
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