wedding coordinators?

Elaine

How many of you wedding photogs work closely with the chosen wedding coordinator for the day, whether that's a professional or Aunt Betty? It seems like it would be very helpful to have the person "in charge" be on your team, before the day actually happens. Do you make contact to discuss scheduling, etc...?

Shima

I only work with paid wedding coordinators usually since they're very on top of it and make sure I don't miss a thing. I have yet to have a family member step into the role at the weddings I go towards. When there is no coordinator, I often find myself coordinating and giving advice throughout the day, the brides just tend to anticipate that I know a lot about weddings since I've photographed so many, heh. Which is pretty accurate. I think it's also a result of being a female who has been through my own as well... I don't think men get relied on for half the stuff they'll ask me to help out w/ during down time, lol.

jeffreaux2

A wedding coordinator can be many different people depending on the wedding. Surely there are wedding coordinators for hire, but I have never worked with one. Mony times the wedding coordinator is the mother or sister of the bride...and working with them to voice your needs is important. Many churches have a wedding coordinator who handles weddings at that church. This is the person you need to talk to to find out what the "house rules" for photographers are as well as discussing what can be done with the ambient lighting to help you get your job done.

Regardless of who is wearing the hat, I think it would be important for you to talk to them well ahead of time. I make it a point to attend rehearsals (when there is one) and this is the time to pull the coordinator aside and ask if a change can be made to accomodate you if you feel like things are moving in a direction trhat will cause you to miss something.

For instance....I usually ask for a pause after the bridal party walks the aisle....but before the bride walks.....so that I can get aisle shots of the attendants......walk to the back of the church and get shots of the bride and her father before they walk......and be back in place to catch them walking.......that may sound like an eternity that I ask for, but it is really a very short time period.....and the shots of the bride and father are an element of the wedding that is very important to me. So I ask for that.

...and....when it comes to the posed formals near the altar after the ceremony....be sure to remember that it is ok to ask for more light. There may not be anymore, but in some cases there is an abundance of light to be had. They aren'y going to give you much help that you dont ask for.

Blurmore

My only "good" experience with wedding coordinators has been with the kind that work high end weddings. Invariably they are carefully considered by the bride and groom, and are true professionals, with real respect for my time, and knowledge of the time it takes to make great pictures. These coordinators you do NOT want to piss off at ANY cost, it is not worth it. For most couples who book a coordinator like this, they are the FIRST people hired when planning and therefore guide many of the decisions made about other vendors.

Then there are the coordinators who aren't really running a business. They have planned a few weddings, they are personal friends or relatives of the couple. A few, in my experience, have been professional in manner, and I treat them accordingly. Most are barely competent, have room filling egos, and will try to boss everyone around. I don't go out of my way to make nice with them, I'm there to do my job.


A "good" coordinator keeps the event on schedule AT ALL COSTS! Most of the REALLY good ones work in a team. This is both to provide more hands and eyes, and so they have minions to do the dirty work/deliver bad news. A coordinator that allows a bride to leave the house a half hour late, and walk 1 hour late is not a coordinator but an enabler. Then when there is no time left...they decided to rush/blame the photographer.
Occasionally I call them or they call me before the day, my goal in the conversation is to feel them out as a pro or otherwise, to know what to expect the day of the wedding. If they are good they are an invaluable tool, if they are bad...I'd rather not have them.

zoomer

I normally have almost 0 contact with any co-ordinators. I have an attractive female partner/assitant with a great outgoing personality.
She works with anyone who may be in a co-ordination role.
She usually get the guys to let us do whatever we need and the females as well.
Once she gets everything worked out then she comes and tells me what the deal is. That way I just concentrate on taking the pictures.
She makes my job so much easier!!

But yes the more you can work with the event planners the happier they will be and the easier your job will be.
These professional event co-ordinators are a great source of business so never miss a chance to leave them with the best impression of you and your work possible.

We have never talked to a co-ordinator prior to the wedding day. We normally start shoot 3 hours before the wedding and we talk to the co-ordinator when they arrive.

Ricknotary

Wedding Coordinators
From a slightly different point of view

I am a Justice of the Peace here in Massachusetts. That being said, I always speak to the Photographer and advise them as to how I work and ask how we can work together.

I am not the main person that day, nor are you. The bride and groom share that distinction.

I ask who is the main photographer and ask to speak to him/her AND the assistant. We coordinate together. I look to them, as I know many of my ceremonies by heart, to help me "set the couple" One thing I always do is find the photographer just before the rings to be sure that I have the couple tilt their hands slightly upwards so that they can get a better shot

I also encourage the participation of their children in a ceremony and if the couple agrees to recognition of the children I have some readings, pledges, vows, etc that include them. I always let the Photogs know when and how that is to happen

Always the order of the ceremony and other abnormal things that could
happen

I speak to Coordinators, but tend to ignore them in the end as the only ones I have had any contact with lately really don't seem to know anything about what is going on for the ceremony. To them it is walk down the aisle, smile and stand still. Then it is up to me to do my thing and then the Coordinator takes it back

So I am not too complimentary on Wedding Coordinators

I encourage you then to speak to the officiant rather than the coordinator for that part of the event. And if this is an indication of what is to come, probably check with the banquet manager for the rest of the day rather than the coordinator.

On the business end of things? Of course the Coordinator is the best thing going as far as they are concerned. They are your and my source of future ceremonies of many kinds. By all means talk to them, follow any ABNORMAL orders they have, but your main source of info is the Bride and Groom.

Hope that this helped a bit

Rick

geospatial_junkie

I will never take a contract without meeting with the bride and groom first. I've had two wedding coordinators contact me and I had to turn down one of them because they only wanted me to deal with them and show up on the wedding day.

The work will suffer as there will be an emotional disconnect with the couple that way. It will show in the photos most of the time.

The one coordinator I explained this too saw my point of view and we worked something out (great coordinator by the way). The other didn't so I told her that I was not a good fit.

If the bride and groom are too busy to meet with the person that will be documenting the most important days of their lives, then I don't take the job. Of course there are certain people (i.e. celebrities, the Queen, etc...) who may have a legitimate reason.

Just my two cents. Debate away, but everyone is different.

Blurmore

geospatial_junkie wrote:

I will never take a contract without meeting with the bride and groom first.

Most of my work right now is as a subcontractor, of those jobs I meet the B&G before the wedding maybe 10% of the time. I always talk to them on the phone before the wedding. When I took my first job as a subcontractor I was a little uncomfortable with the situation. I had come out of 5 years of assisting/second shooting for a very high end social photographer in Washington DC. The experience was invaluable, but incomplete. As an assistant you don't get to do all the tweeking, and posing, and most importantly the schmoozing. So I had seen the schtick performed but was rarely the performer. Taking the job as a subcontractor was my trial by fire, on the social aspect of social photography. I told myself that if I couldn't do it cold, by the end of that first year, I'd find something else to do. I had it down pat by like the second job, and the company made me their "photographer of the year" for my region my rookie year. That was 3 years ago, and now I work for a different (better) company, most of my work is still "cold". I agree that it takes a unique personality and empathic ability to walk into any wedding situation and provide good service and "click" with the couple's style and needs, but it is not impossible. The other advantage is the learning curve provided by doing it right, making it solid, and going all out EVERY week EVERY job. No one is dissatisfied and goes and complains about the company they hired alone, they complain about you, about YOUR name. This is an enormous incentive to do your best work and overcome adversity with grace and MAKE people love you. I don't advertise, not a lick. I shot 9 of my own jobs this year all word of mouth, and half referred by people I worked for as a subcontractor. I'm on track for 09 to shoot twice that amount, again without a word of advertising. I agree that not meeting the couple before hand adds a unique challenge, but it does not ensure unhappy clients or poor service.

geospatial_junkie

Blurmore wrote:

I agree that not meeting the couple before hand adds a unique challenge, but it does not ensure unhappy clients or poor service.

I can agree with that. Its all a matter of personal preference I guess!