Both Emma and Ross photographed Marianne and Callum’s beautiful wedding at Parklands, Quendon Hall last summer and it was a fantastic day! A couple of months prior to the wedding, Emma met up with them for a pre-wedding shoot.
A lot of couples are reluctant to have a pre-wedding shoot, or ask whether it’s something they really need. We include it in most of our wedding packages as it’s a great chance to get to know each other and help couples work out what poses they prefer.
Marianne and Callum were understandably really excited about their wedding, but were openly nervous and anxious about having lots of photos taken and having to pose. It’s natural to be self-conscious, but that’s exactly why a pre-wedding shoot is so helpful. It was a great opportunity for Marianne and Callum to spend time in front of the camera and try different poses without anyone else being around or watching.
We give all couples the choice of where to have their pre-wedding photo shoot. It can be in the woods, at the beach, a park, or at their wedding venue. Marianne and Callum arranged for us to meet at Quendon Hall. This isn’t always possible at every venue due to other weddings and events going on, but meeting at Quendon Hall meant we were able to explore the vast grounds of the venue together and decide their preferred location for photos on the wedding day.
The start of any pre-wedding shoot is just to have a casual walk around and chat to put a couple at ease and help them feel relaxed. The time spent with Marianne and Callum was no different and gave them the chance to ask any questions and build a picture of what to expect on the wedding day. The initial photos are always unposed and taken from a distance to gently introduce the idea of having photos taken, and make sure the couple don’t feel like a rabbit in headlights! As time went on, we tried some posed photos – still pretty relaxed and natural, but seeing what Marianne and Callum were comfortable with. Every couple is different and some more tactile than others, and this was all about helping build trust and them gaining confidence in front of the camera lens.
As you can see from the photos below, we kept things simple, and natural. A few fun and silly photos like a piggy back can be great to break the ice. Despite being nervous, Marianne and Callum soon got into the swing of things and the time spent on the pre-wedding shoot definitely helped on the wedding day.
As well as using the time to capture some photos and get to know each other, we finished the photoshoot by sitting down and running through the specifics of how the wedding day timings would work and what photos the couple wanted. Marianne and Callum had already completed their planning meeting with the venue and knew the running order for the day, and that enabled us to discuss when different photos would be taken and where. Not only did this save time on the wedding day, but it also meant that Marianne and Callum got everything they wanted and that was important to them.
To view examples of other photoshoots take a look at our ‘Pre-wedding shoots’ page.
