Couples send me shot lists in the months before the wedding. Some are four lines typed on a phone. Some run to three pages, copied from somewhere online, with "ring balanced on the bouquet" and "bride gazing out of a window" sitting between the family groups.
I read every one. Most of it I'd photograph anyway. Some of it belongs to a different wedding.
So this post works the other way round. Instead of a list of poses, it shows what a full wedding day actually turns into, in the order it happens. The example is a summer wedding on Chäserrugg, in the Toggenburg, more than 2,000 metres up in the Swiss Alps and under two hours from Zurich. At the end there's the one short list that's still worth writing yourselves.
What does a wedding photographer photograph before the ceremony?
First, the way there.
At a mountain wedding that means the cable car. The first frame of this day is its window: a green valley, small villages scattered across it, mountains under low cloud, a fir branch at the edge of the glass. Nobody is in it. It still tells you exactly where you are, and a gallery that starts there opens differently from one that starts with a dress.
Then the details, while nobody has picked them up yet.
A brown double-monk shoe. A boutonniere of white roses and gypsophila on a folded pocket square. A watch on a black strap, and a handwritten letter half in the frame, all on pale wood. Ten minutes with objects like these, before anyone starts getting dressed, gives the album its first quiet pages.
After that comes getting dressed, on both sides: the boutonniere going onto a burgundy lapel, a dress with long lace sleeves on a wooden hanger, a row of small buttons being closed at the back, an earring, the bouquet held close against the lace.
None of this has to be on a list. It's part of every wedding morning. What it needs is a room with a decent window and someone who laid the things out the night before. There's a full checklist for that in groom getting-ready photos.
What gets photographed between the ceremony and dinner?
The couple, mostly, and whatever the place is doing that day.
On Chäserrugg it was the wind and a bright, high sun. Blue sky, a jagged line of peaks, hair and veil going sideways. Some of those frames work best in black and white, where the light stops being harsh and turns graphic instead.
This is the veil blowing straight across the frame, with lace and a hand just visible through it. You can't plan a frame like this. You can only make sure there's time to stand on the ridge long enough for the wind to do something. On a calm day you'd get a different picture, which is fine too. (The windy wedding photos post is all about that.)
Portraits need about forty-five minutes in total, and they don't have to happen in one go. What time your photographer should arrive shows how that fits into the day. The time between ceremony and dinner also holds whatever happens outside without anyone planning it: a dance on the grass with snow-capped peaks behind, people standing in small groups, a toast.
What gets photographed at the reception?
The room first, before anyone sits down.
Long tables with white cloths and burlap runners, rows of pale wooden chairs, and tall windows looking straight onto rock. Then one place setting up close: a white napkin, a sprig of gypsophila tied with twine, a kraft-paper place card. Rooms change the minute guests arrive, so this is the only chance to show what was planned.
After that come the conversations, the speeches, and the cake.
A semi-naked cake set on rounds of wood, white flowers, a wooden "Love" topper, a knife in two hands. If your evening runs late enough, plan a short walk outside around sunset. Planning around golden hour explains how.
What should actually go on your shot list?
People. Almost everything else takes care of itself.
- Family groups, by name. Write out the combinations ("both sets of parents", "grandmother with the two of us") and name someone who knows everyone to gather them. This list saves more time on the day than anything else you can send me.
- People who are easy to miss. Someone who's only there for the ceremony, a godparent who isn't sitting at the head table, a friend who travelled from far away.
- Things I can't know about. A surprise, a song chosen for a reason, a piece of jewellery that was someone else's first.
- Timings that are fixed. Last cable car down, sunset, the moment the band starts.
What can you leave off?
Poses copied from other weddings, and anything that happens anyway.
Shoes, rings, the dress on its hanger, the bouquet, the cake: they'll all be there, because they're there at every wedding. When they're on a list, the day starts to revolve around ticking them off. I'd rather watch your day than search it for someone else's.
Does a mountain wedding change the list?
Add three things.
The way up, because a cable car or a winding road is part of the story and only lasts a few minutes. The weather, because wind and sun at altitude change which frames work, and a backup room with a good window is worth knowing about in advance. And the time of the last descent, because it decides how long the evening light can last on the summit.
Common questions
Do we have to give you a shot list?
No. A list of names for the family groups is the only one I ask for. Everything else is optional.
How many family group photos should we plan?
Aim for fewer than ten combinations. Each one takes a couple of minutes once everyone's there, and finding everyone is the slow part.
Will you photograph our guests?
Yes, as part of the day: conversations, the speeches, the dance floor. The family list is for the formal groups only.
Can we ask for a specific photo on the day?
Of course. Just tell me. A list made in the moment is usually better than one made in March.
What if we forget to lay out the details?
I'll find them, but it takes longer. Put everything you'll wear or carry in one place the night before.
Do you photograph weddings in the mountains, outside Zurich?
Yes, across Switzerland. There's more on how I work on my page for wedding photography in Zurich.
Before you write anything
Start with the names. Who should be in the family photos, and who might get missed. Add anything that matters to you that I couldn't guess. Leave the rest for the day.
If you'd like to go through that list together, or you're working out whether a mountain like Chäserrugg suits your day, book a free discovery call.
