Wedding Photography Tips

The article explains how we can help you to strike off one task from your wedding tasks list. 

A photographer is the second closest person after your spouse on the wedding day and is with you from start till end of the event. It important to choose your photographer carefully. 

An Initial consultation to help you access if we are a good fit for you. We will describe our style and show our sample work. We also provide references of our past clients.  

Once selected, we will provide two subsequent video calls or in-person meetings.

The first meeting happens right after you choose as to be your wedding photographer. We will fill out a list of questionnaire to get details about your wedding day. The second meeting happens around a week before the event to get the itinerary of wedding, review the details of questionnaire and ensure the plan for big day ready. We do answer any queries and jump on call during the first call and day before your wedding.

On the day of wedding or pre-wedding ceremonies, we help you on posing to capture formal shots, capture all key moments of the event and take candid shots of yourself and guests. 

Some of the key moments to capture are - bride getting ready, groom getting ready, first look, vows reading, official ceremony, religious ceremonies, first kiss, certificate signing, meet and greet, couple photos, family photos, decoration setup, reception meet and greet, first dance, candid moments, etc. 

We know that you are super excited about seeing the pictures and so are we. Our process takes two to four week to get the pictures ready. On average, we are able to deliver pictures in two weeks. We offer digital and print services. Our online gallery is available for extended duration for you and your family to view the pictures any where from the world.

We also suggest to an engagement shoot before wedding which helps you to interact closely with photographer and also create digital/print albums to showcase during the wedding.

Lot of the couples fail to book photographer or videographer for enough hours. Then they go through the stress to meet timelines and end up skipping coverage of some parts of the event.

It is important to pay attention on how many hours to hire a photographer or videographer for a wedding. Check out our formula to calculate hours:

Estimate Photography or Videography Hours

Note that these are high level estimate and we suggest to contact us to review these estimates.

We have created list of unique tips that will help you to prepare your wedding better from photography prospective. Check the details on top-10 tips from Toronto photographer page.

The answer is based on your situation. Generally, it depends on how many days or  hours the wedding lasts, how many locations the event is spread, how many guests are coming, if multiple photographers are hired and if e-shoot is included. An average wedding price can range from $2000 to $20,000. We are not most expensive wedding photographers but we are also not the cheapest. We can provide a quote after a consultation call.

The simple answer is yes. Our experience shows formal shots get more attentions than candid. Overall, you should get both type of shots. With a large investment on outfit, make, decoration and other services, the formal shots create great statement for your wedding. We specialize in formal shots as can be seen in our work. 

Not only matching the outfits with you partner, bridesmaid and groomsmen, it is also suggested to match the outfit color with the main stage decor setup.  This helps to create a color theme for the day. This helps to bring better colors in images. A white outfit with white backdrop may not pop very well but will pop better in a purple or red backdrop. We suggest color matching as part of decor and outfit colors planning phase. 

Yes, an e-shoot or engagement shoot is highly suggested before the wedding. It helps you to learn and get comfortable on few things - knowing your photographer, get in front of camera, taking pictures as a couple, taking staged pictures, getting pictures in public places, posing and nailing the best poses. An e-shoot also provide a set of images that you can print in a coffee table book, print on wedding easel poster, print on wedding invitation, display on online invitation and project them during reception. Last but not least, the e-shoot creates a long lasting memories. 

An e-shoot can be scheduled a year to few weeks before the wedding. The earlier you plan then you have more choices on location, outfits, styling, posing and more.

Getting ready is the most busy part of the wedding day. It has so many things to be done in short time. You may be waking from pre-wedding party hangover or may have not slept all night. Based on the wedding schedule, the make artist may knock at the door at 6am. The dress, ring, jewelry, shoes, flowers and so many small things need to be arranged a night prior to the wedding. Not only you but the photographer needs them as well to capture as part of getting ready shots. Keeping items in a separate bag helps you and photos. Even though you may want to capture all items in the pictures, it is suggested to be minimalist. We usually carry a table cloth sheet that can be used as backdrop for photos. We accept your choice of backdrop cloth as well. Its good to have a room with good natural light and if not then we got you covered with our flash light. Keep the dress in a nice looking hanger. We will hang it around curtain area or similar higher place to take shots. Keep a copy of wedding invitation and any other keepsake handy as well for photos.

For Hindu wedding, the bride sits on right side and groom on left side before pheras /vows. After the pheras are completed, a marriage in enacted and the bride takes left side and the groom takes right. 

For Sikh wedding, the bride sits on left side and groom on right side before and after the lavan /vows. 

For Christian wedding, the bride and her family sits on left side and groom and his family sits on right side before and after ceremony. 

For other wedding ceremonies like ring ceremony and reception, the bride is on left side and groom is on right side in Hindu, Sikh, Muslim and Christian religions. 

Yes, prints are still better way to cherish your memories. Decorate the walls of your home with large prints. Keep a printed album on the coffee table. Not only you but your friends and family can recollect the memories immediately upon seeing the prints. We offer large wall prints and luxury photo albums. Ask us for our print offerings during booking call.

"Oh honey, the USB containing photos and video is not working any more."  CDs, USBs or phone storage for wedding photos and videos is not reliable for long run. Backup your content at least on two USB drives and one on cloud based storage like Drobox, OneDrive, Amazon photos, Google drive or iCloud. The cheapest option in 2023 is Amazon photos which is free unlimited photos and 5gb video if you are prime member. Next option is OneDrive from Microsoft which is $2 per month for 100gb. Depending upon whether you are Android or iOS user, you can purchase additional storage from Google or Apple. Worst case, we can restore your photos from our backups upto 5 years for $199.

Booking your venue is the foremost priority before booking other vendors. We have a consolidated list of venues by capacity that you can reach out for booking. 

Brampton Banquet Halls

Mississauga Banquet Halls

We do suggest to capture both photo and video for your wedding. Should you decide to get both, we suggest to get it from company that provides both services. Few reasons that it helps to buy together - foremost reason is that the team is more aligned, coordinated, manageable if it is from one company. Another reason is you will get a better pricing if you buy both as a combo package. There are many companies in Toronto and area that offer only one service but there are handful of companies which offer both photography and videography services.

To hire the best photographer in Toronto, you should do your homework on the following points:

• Determine your photography style preferences. 

• Research potential photographers and their portfolios. 

• Schedule consultations with your top choices. 

• Discuss pricing and packages. 

• Review contracts and make your final decision. 

Read full article on hiring best photographer in Toronto 

There is nothing wrong in being frugal when planning your wedding. And Google search proves that cheap wedding photographer is most searched keyword related to photographer. Check if Snappal Photography fits to your cheap photographer list?

There are at least two ways you can plan the bridal party and immediate family photos. There are pros and cons of both ways as explained below:

1. Before Ceremony: 

• You get full attention from the family and bridal party to do the photos

• Your makeup and hair are intact thus giving better looks

• You can combine bridal party photos with first look

• You can enjoy cocktail hour and take more candid photos with guests

• You may have to allocate more time before the ceremony

• You may get noticed by the arriving guest and may need to hurry up

2. After Ceremony:

• You are officially married and doing photos makes more natural

• You can take away the bridal party to another location for photos

Let us know what you setup do you prefer.