Traditional or modern - photographs, like videos, can take over your wedding day - leaving your guests to wait around as you pose endlessly for the perfect photo. In order to ensure that you have wonderful photos without the misery you need to plan fairly carefully. There are some traditional photos that you will be expected to have and some you might opt for but decide in advance. Don't miss the chance to record the day.

A list of the following photographs might help:

• Bride and groom
• Bride and groom with each set of parents
• Bride and groom with each immediate family (brother, sister and parents)
• Bride and groom with bridesmaids, ushers and best man
• Bride and bridesmaids
• Groom, ushers and best man
• Bride and groom with his friends and then her friends. (You might include individual groups of friends here - i.e. his school friend then his friends from work)
• Bride and groom with all wedding guests.

You might also want to record the following:

• Bride preparing for the day
• Bride and her father arriving at the church
• Groom and Best Man before the ceremony

Consult your photographer and find out what they are prepared to do for what price. They may charge extra to come to your house before the wedding and they are unlikely to stay and take photos throughout the reception. Find out if they will take a photograph of you cutting the cake. This is usually done after the speeches at the end of the reception but you might choose to do this earlier to accommodate the photographer and save money on asking him to stay all night.

Photographers

While most professional wedding photographers deal conscientiously and competently with their clients, photographers do figure in many wedding-day complaints. The most common scenario sees a couple still waiting for their portraits a year or more after their wedding ­ and after having paid in full - with the photographer not returning their calls.

Sometimes the reasons behind such apparent lack of professionalism are things you'd never imagine. One photographer, who in an unguarded moment admitted to his hopelessness as a businessperson, did not develop his own film, but instead sent it out for processing. The reason clients had to wait for their prints was that the man had fallen so far behind in his accounts payable that the processor was holding all his prints hostage, refusing to release them until the "ransom" of his overdue bill was paid. The fellow's photos were great, but...

Which brings us to another point, as you research prospective photographers. The lovely photos adorning the walls of the photo studio are just part of the story. Try to speak with former clients. You just might find that the no-longer-newlyweds waited two years to see the photos that so impressed you.

Questions to Ask

1. Do you belong to an association of professional photographers? (Associations demand certain professional standards and adherence to a strict code of ethics).
2. What packages do you offer?
3. What is included in the price? (e.g., engagement photos, bridal portrait, number and size of wedding prints).
4. Who will be taking the photographs? (This question is especially important if you're dealing with a medium to large-sized studio, where second-string assistants or outside contractors commonly substitute for the owner. This raises questions about quality control; obviously, you'll need to see portrait samples from the person who'll actually shoot your wedding).
5. What are the contingency plans? What happens if the contracted photographer falls ill on our wedding day? Who fills in?
6. Will an assistant be along to help set up formal shots (e.g., to help with the placement of flowers and other props, to ensure the dress drapes properly, etc).
7. For how many hours will the photographer be shooting on the wedding day?
8. At what point would overtime charges apply?
9. Are there additional charges that might apply (e.g., for site visits, travel time, assistants' fees)?
10. What will the photographer wear at the wedding?
11. How many meals will be required? (It is standard practice, if the wedding reception includes a meal, to feed the photographer and assistant[s]).
12. How many proofs will there be, and is there an extra charge to have them all?
13. How soon after the wedding will the proofs be ready for viewing?
14. After what period of time will you release the negatives?
15. For what period of time can extra prints be ordered at the quoted price?
16. What is the payment schedule? When is the deposit due, and what percentage of the full price is it? When is the balance due? Is an additional deposit required before you develop the proofs or the final portraits?
17. Within what period of time will the wedding albums be delivered? (Standard practice is about three to four months after the wedding, provided that the proofs are selected as soon as they're available).
18. How will the photos be presented in the album (e.g., the quality, type, size, and number of folios and albums)?
19. What is the cost per photo and how much will we save by ordering duplicate prints of an individual shot?
20. What the contract should specify.
21. The day, date, and time of the wedding, reception, and photo shoot.
22. All products and services included in the price.
23. The name of the photographer who will be shooting your wedding.
24. Any contingency plans, in the event that the photographer is ill or indisposed. Note the name of any replacement.
25. Whether an assistant will help set up formal shots, and whether there are any additional fees associated with the assistant.
26. The number of hours the photographer will be expected to shoot on the wedding day (and specific events or other portraits requested).
27. Terms for incurring overtime charges.
28. Any other charges that might apply.
29. The photographer's attire at the wedding.
30. Details relating to the number and type of proofs, the viewing schedule, and final delivery date.
31. Length of waiting period after which the photographer will release the negatives.
32. The period of time within which extra prints can be ordered at the quoted price.
33. The payment schedule, including: amount and due date of deposit; whether an additional deposit is required before the photographer develops the proofs or the final portraits.
34. Method of payment.
35. Liability insurance.
    

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