No matter what religion, the rite of a wedding is considered sacred. My team and I completely and totally respect that we’re guests in the house of the Lord, maybe not ours but we treat it as such by being utterly respectful. We never use flash during the ceremony, no matter how dark it is. We always crouch down and if we move, we tiptoe, bowed down. We don’t get closer to five rows from the parents so that the moms won’t hear “click click click” through the ceremony.  Our mission is always to get the moments as “ninja” as we can – capture the moment and not become the moment!

Who says you always need flash?

But I’m sad to say, that’s not how some photographers operate. And because of it, many churches have clamped down with very strict rules.

We’re fine with it. We’re trained to shoot under all kinds of conditions, even ones which change from minute to minute. But it always helps US when we know what the church rules are beforehand so we can discuss them with our couple.

We’ve discovered that oftentimes, the couple has NOT been informed before they’ve booked the church that they might not have but three or four images from the entire ceremony, or that the photographers are not allowed to go beyond the very back of the church and that every shot will be a wide shot.

By staying close to the organist, I can blend in and not be heard!

A few weeks ago, in a church we’ve shot in many times before, we were stopped by the church coordinator from going up a side aisle to get closer. She had been told that it was against the Diocese rules that photographers move during the ceremony, which was frightfully incorrect. And even more recently, I was told I could only take six shots total, from the vestibule, shooting through the glass!

Please make sure you know the church’s rules for photography and videography before you book your church. Share them as soon as possible with your team and discuss how those rules may affect them and the art they produce. You may have one long shot of the whole ceremony from one video camera, or in the case of my couple, only five photos from the vestibule.

If you’ve already booked the church and discover the rules are not what you had hoped, here are ways to help:

1. Discuss the rules with the the person who is actually officiating. If it means going over the head of the church coordinator, so be it.  But know that what he says, goes.  Period.  He may agree with you, or he may have valid reasons why photography will be limited.
2. Ask your photographer to talk with the church personnel in charge and discuss their method of shooting. MOST church rules have been put in place because of disrespectful or semi-pros who don’t have enough experience to realize they’re being disrespectful.  But if your photographer can show that that’s not how she operates, they may relax a bit.  I’ve gone as far as to send them a signed agreement I’ve created that states our mission – we won’t use flash, we’re respectful, we don’t click the shutter during silent moments.  By relieving the coordinator’s fear, you may find your photographer will be granted more access than others.  Luckily for me, I’ve had many a rule relaxed when they realized how respectful we were!

Getting close during a Persian wedding ceremony

If you’re thinking, “oh, this doesn’t apply to us, it’s our church” or “we hired the officiate and it’s an outdoor ceremony” – you still want to ask!  I once had an officiate in a outdoor, non-religious ceremony attempt to limit where and when I could shoot ten minutes beforehand.  And my favorite – a Greek orthodox priest who dodged every “where can our photographer be” question from the bride and groom by saying, “I’ll let them know” – and then told us we could not leave the back of the church AS THE PROCESSION STARTED.

Remember, it’s your ceremony.  If no photography is allowed or strictly limited, please know that going in and if you’re okay with it, so are we.

Holding up her bride's dress during crowning at a Russian Orthodox ceremony