How to shoot a weddding when you can't shoot the wedding.

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Originally uploaded by lisablaschke

So I shot a really great wedding this weekend. The bride was beautiful and nervous. Her voice cracked as she gave her vows, the groom looked sufficiently nervous and handsome at the same time. They had a beautiful Christian service with a non-traditional Apache sand ceremony as well. I would love to have gotten some shots of it with all the beauty of the emotions they shared. But, unfortunately, the minister said no. I've shot at weddings where the minister asks for no flash photography during the ceremony -- that's cool with me. I've been to weddings where the minister has asked to not move around during the ceremony -- that's cool too. But this was the first time I had the challenge of shooting a wedding where the minister asked for no photography at all during the ceremony. Not a click, not a peep from our cameras. Okay. So let's see. What do I do? Well, there's really not much I can do. Unfortunately, this was news to the bride as well. I've heard of this from other photographers but this was the first time I've had to deal with it.
The minister said it was okay to recreate the scenes after the fact and that she would hang around after wards for that (but she was out of there pretty quickly). And even if she had hung around, it just wasn't the same. The pressure was off, the moment was over. Staged shots after the fact just aren't the same. And even more, it's not the same for the bride and groom. When they look through their photo album, they won't see the candid, raw emotions of the moment they tied the knot. They won't see the tears stream down their faces as they said "I do." They see a performance -- a staged production where they pretend to mimic the expressions they held moments earlier.
I think I did a pretty good job of capturing the feeling of the day leading up to the big moment and the feeling of celebration after the deed was done. I hope it serves to remind them of the joyous ceremony.
I'll be working on these photos throughout the week and they can be found in my Jim and Shawna folder under the Clients section of my site. Enjoy viewing the ceremony that you can't see!