Wedding tomorrow

[Martin]

Well, the stress levels are beginning to rise
A couple of friends asked me if I would photograph their wedding. I have done quite a few for friends ( I should know better) and fortunately went well in the past. This time The hotel are allowing us to set up studio lighting with a background. The guests are arriving at 11am although the ceremony starts at 12:30.
Our aim is to photograph as many guests are willing before the ceremony begins. My wife (who seems to thrive on stress!!) will be taking these while I saunter off to photograph the bride at home.
I have done the usual checks. All equipment, backup equipment, spare body checked. All cards (15GB worth) formatted, Lenses cleaned etc. Batteries charged. Cameras set to ISO 100 (to start) and WB set to auto until i can do a custom. Have I forgotten anything?
The Bride has hired a horse and carriage. The question is, and I know I've left it late, any tips on getting the best composition regarding the bride and her transport?
I have a few ideas but would welcome some input.
By the way, I am to be a grandad for the first time
Many thanks,
Martin

[jiminyClickit]

Martin,

Congratulations, Grandad! Only thing that comes to mind is, relax. Your subjects will give you better expressions if they see you smiling some, moving confidently, enjoying yourself. Helps your imagination work better too. And, by all means, frame nearer the head of the horse. Show us the best when you're finished.

[Joe Hoetzl]

For the bride in the buggy...be sure to focus on the bride, not the horse or driver!

And, for the cliche shot, after the ceremony, if the horse and carriage stick around, the bride and groom, looking out the back over the "just married" sign is usually on the obligatory list...yeah, I hate the "standards" but most every bride wants their pictures to look just like their friends wedding, only different...

you can also "borrow" the carriage driver's top hot, and any other prop's you might notice...putting the bit in the groom's mouth with the bride at the reigns might be pushing it though, but that imagery might just get you through the day with a smile/smirk to yourself...

[Digidave]

And for God's sake, don't get the bride & horse's a** in the same shot!! I'm NOT talking about the groom.

Good Luck & have fun with it!

[clockdoc]

A couple come to mind from many years ago:
When doing a hands shot to show off the rings, remember to place the bride's hand on top of the groom's, covering his fingernails. Guys aren't as careful about attention to detail here.
If there are several bride's maids, use their bouquets to frame the individual bride's maid's faces.
Years ago there was a famous photographer by the name of Bill Stockwell, who was known for his wedding photography. One of his trademark shots was something he called a "Misty" which was achieved by spraying a clear (or UV) filter with one of the small glass clearer atomizers to create a diffusion effect. Another trick he employed was to affix a piece of aluminum window screen in fromt of the lens. If you shot at a wide-open aperture, any catchlights would have a four-pointed star, even the catchlight in the bride's eye.
Lastly, if the wedding is in a church with lots of marble. Bill would photograph the marble patters and sandwich them in some of the formal portraits for an interesting look. This can be more easily done today in the digital arena. Good luck with the wedding! Let us know how it turns out.

[Martin]

Thanks all for the tips.
Although it went ok I was not able to employ much of your advice (although will come in handy for the next time :-)
Sadly, the Bride is an MS sufferer and was having an extremely bad day to the point of having to walk aided down the "aisle". All of the subsequent photos were with the bride seated and this for only a short time as she needed to rest.
I wasn't really prepared for this as up until recently she seemed ok. I think maybe the nerves of the occaision compounded the problem.
I really hope that a cure for this illness is found soon.
Not to end negatively, in general the day went well, the bride perking up a bit in the evening.