The wedding – the most beautiful day in life, they say. Who but a wedding photographer could confirm (or deny) that this is really the case?
At first glance, weddings are – and actually basically – a celebration of love: to each other, to friends, to family. But at second glance they are also an incredible stress factor, especially for the organizers. Because “the most beautiful day of your life” should also be perfect, if you please: the weather has to be right, the atmosphere, the mood … a lot of pressure that weighs on a few shoulders. One person who always has to work in the background but is essential for the memories of this day is the wedding photographer.
It’s his:her job to capture the most beautiful moments – and sometimes quite funny things come before his:her lens. We spoke to Julian Müller, who has been working as a wedding photographer for eight years and has many a good tip for future wedding couples – and also shares a funny story or two.
What should couples look for in wedding photographers?
If you want good photos of your own wedding, you shouldn’t be too stingy: the professional can cost between 500 euros and up to 5,000 euros and more – how much money is spent depends on many factors, e.g Example of the number of hours the photographer is booked on site.
But it shouldn’t be about the money. Julian suggests a different focus in the search: “It’s important to hire a photographer who is personally sympathetic to the couple.” After all, the bridal couple would not have any time at all to take care of photos – so you have to be able to fully rely on the wedding photographer. “I also recommend involving the photographer early in the planning,” he advises.
“People have ever higher demands on images.”
“Every wedding is a unique event and photography on a day like this is a matter of trust. I consciously take the time to get to know the bride and groom.” Photographers like him find it difficult to work because many people expect “perfection” from their wedding photos – after all, the wedding itself should be nothing but perfect. “People have ever higher demands on pictures. But that’s actually a good development – after all, it’s an incentive for professional work.”
Why the wedding photographer advises against streamers and sparklers
Fortunately, he has never caught anything really bad in his work – but there were funny situations. So it happened a few times that the best man forgot the rings. Yeah, things like that don’t just happen in movies! Are there panicked faces on site, tears of desperation from the bride, are the groomsmen running around in panic in search of the lost rings and suspecting the dog or the small child of having “snacked” illegally? No, the reality isn’t that dramatic after all, Julian reassures: “Until now, it was never the case that there weren’t any rings, they were often just in the hotel, which was rarely far away. The rings were there within ten minutes.”
But the photographer can only advise against one thing: sparklers in combination with streamers. “The bride’s dress caught fire at a wedding.” Streamers and sparklers were combined at the wedding dance – not a particularly good mix, as Julian recalls: “If you blow this paper in the direction of the bride and groom while holding the sparkler in your hand, it can happen that it starts to burn and then flies onto the wedding dress.”
If you now imagine a scene from “Carrie” and a burning bride who jumps in panic into the nearest pond, we “unfortunately” have to disappoint you here too. “It burned briefly and had to be stamped out, but the bride took it easy and then the party continued.”
Another story, in which the bridal couple was completely robbed, was anything but relaxed: Once, during the couple’s shoot, a guest drove to the apartment ten minutes away to take away the presents. When she was about to deliver the second load of gifts, she found the apartment door completely open – and the entire apartment cleared out. “The gifts were all gone, and of course there was a lot of money with them, as well as furniture, electrical appliances … everything had been stolen.”
It was probably very dangerous to leave the apartment empty on wedding days and funerals – According to the wedding photographer, thieves aim for it because they know that on days like this one is not at home for a long time. “The mood was completely in the basement,” remembers Julian, after all, many bridal couples refinance their expensive wedding with (money) gifts. “That was pretty sad.”
What do we learn from this? Groomsmen should always be quartered close to the wedding location so that they can fetch forgotten rings quickly, please keep streamers and sparklers far away from each other and perhaps not necessarily announce the wedding date – or a house sitter for the day Reserve. Then nothing can stand in the way of the big party.