Wedding Photographer Worksheet and Checklist
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I'm a pretty organized person, so during the planning of my wedding, I generated lots of checklists and worksheets for everyone involved with the ceremony. Every wedding prep list I made and handed off was one more thing I didn't have to worry about.
One of my favorite wedding planning worksheets was the one I created for my wedding photographer.
Why a photographer worksheet is important
When you pour all your work, time, money, and love into planning a big event such as a wedding, there's nothing more satisfying than having the photographs to look back on in the years to come.
Having the right photos that document what you want in a style you want is critical!
Your photographer is not going to know who family members are or which ones you want pictures with. And you will certainly be far too busy during the event to tell them, so think about it ahead of time and write it all down.
My wedding photographer worksheet and checklist
To make my photo wishes clear, I came up with a worksheet and checklist to give my photographer. It served me well at my wedding, and I've added even more to it since then to make it even more complete and useful.
The worksheet and checklist is already filled out with lots of examples, but it's also fully editable in Microsoft Word/Office or Google Docs, so you can customize it to your own event!
It contains the following sections to help you plan:
- Contact info (you, your planner, family, etc)
- Location & directions to event spaces
- Wedding day schedule
- Names of family members and bridal party members
- Special notes about event and location
And lots of checklists to help you make sure every photo gets taken:
- Photos to take of bride/groom getting ready
- Photos to take of bride/groom before ceremony
- Photos to take during ceremony
- Photos to take after ceremony
- Photos to take at reception
There's even a page for you to paste examples of photo styles you like, so your photographer can know what vibe you're looking for.
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Things to remember when working with a photographer
- Be specific -- If you've got a great idea for a picture with your father by the tree in the back yard that he planted when you were born, then tell your photographer that. Think it through and write it down, so that nothing important is forgotten.
- Daydream to build your list -- How do you build a list of all the shots you want of your wedding? Try daydreaming and imagining the day in your head. Every time your head builds a shot that makes you smile, jot it down. Imagine looking through your album after the wedding is long over. What pictures do you see? A picture of you and your spouse holding hands by a lake? Then put that on your list.
- Assign a primary contact person -- Remember that your photographer has never met your Great Aunt Lucy on your mother's side, and if you have her on your list, your photographer will need help finding her. Assign a good friend to this task and introduce her to the photographer beforehand, so that he knows he can ask this friend for help if he needs it.
- Let your photographer know your style -- The last page of our worksheet has room to include some sample pictures that you've found that you like. These don't need to be huge pictures (thumbnails will do fine), and don't expect your photographer to copycat every one. Just include a dozen or so that reflect the style you like, so that your photographer can model your pictures after those when possible.
- Be reasonable -- Don't write down EVERYTHING that comes to mind. Your photographer is a professional (hopefully!) and will know what he's doing. He will know that he needs to take pictures of key elements of the ceremony that are common to all weddings, but he won't know about the specific things that YOU want that are different. Focus your list on those unique shots and let him fill in the rest.
7 comments so far:
This is a great idea, especially when you want to make sure that everyone including Great Aunt Freda gets their photo taken.
Great Ideas I loved this website thanks
Very Good! My father is a professional photographer and he has checklists for various events (wedding, reunion, bar mitzvah), but not all of them do, or their list may not cover your needs. One thing he always says is that the wedding pictures are the couples' gift to themselves [a lot of what is done on the wedding day is for the guests], don't leave it to chance.
Thank you for this list!! I'm getting married in one month and I didn't how to organice the photo session, but here is everything very very well organized. Thanks!!!
This site is so helpful! You are so nice to share all your hard work and research so that others may have things a lil easier! You all are very organized, creative & all around awesome! Thank you so much!
Melissa Hinson, SC
Thank you, Melissa. We're happy to be able to help out!
I was running very short of time so I didnt have time to make my own worksheet, this helped me out so much!! Thank You!