Well kiddies, here I am, your Savvy Celebrant! If there is an upside to getting older, it is all this accumulated knowledge and experience bouncing around in this noggin. I have more than 30 years of stories, tips and tricks to share, so let's have some fun!
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to send them along to thesavvycelebrant@bell.net. I will do my best to post them here, digging deep into the well of my vast wisdom. ;)
Someone was asking me the other day about wedding photographers. It has been my great delight to work with some wonderful professionals, especially here in the Niagara area. But, in this day of DSLRs many people think that owning a fancy camera is a ticket to handing out their card as a wedding photographer. Uh, no.
As the officiant, the ceremony is your show. Most photographers will ask if there are any restrictions when taking photos, and generally, there aren't.
After a while you get a sense about who is competent and who may need some guidance.
Many years ago, I was doing a wedding for a young couple in a church setting. There, I had rules. No flash. Stay a good distance away. Do not stand in front of the guests --really common sense requests. At this particular wedding, there was a hotshot friend of the family looking for edgy pictures. While I was performing the ceremony, unbeknownst to me, he actually skulked to the side of the church, shimmied around the choir pews and ended up standing behind me. Suddenly, I was aware of a movement and a camera lens came into my peripheral vision by my right shoulder.
Saying that it startled me was an understatement. I elbowed the guy in the stomach in a reflex action and whirled around, seeing red once I realized who it was. He just grinned, thinking it was all quite funny. My heart was still racing and I didn't see the humour.
The couple was embarrassed. I was furious. The congregation was tense. Not only had his antics disrupted the ceremony, but it is hard to recover from that kind of exchange.
When this kind of thing happens, people will look to you to fix it. So, after saying something to lighten the mood, I invited the photographer to please go to the back of the class or something, we took a deep breath and continued.
I had a very intense discussion with him at the end of the ceremony, telling him that if could not respect the rules then his career would be short-lived. The couple reported that the photos were truly a mess.
This is not an isolated kind of thing. More recently, I was officiating a wedding for a couple in a lovely outdoor setting. I didn't get a chance to speak to them before the ceremony but assumed the photographer was a family friend. He was casually dressed, and had a dinky point-and-shoot camera on a tripod and he arrived with them, taking pictures as he went.
During the vows, he actually asked me to wait and put the camera between me and the couple. I looked for their reaction and they seemed fine. Family, I thought, and politely allowed him to shoot at will. This happened several other times in the ceremony. Because I liked the couple so much, I just smiled and let him get the closeups and positions he liked.
I found out later that he was actually hired for the day! They couldn't believe his behaviour either.
Would I have done things differently? Oh, but yes! First time he moved that silly tripod I would have given him the evil eye.
Remember that YOU are in charge. It is your responsibility to ensure that all the players are working together - the musicians, dj, readers, photographers, videographers... anyone taking part. If there is a coordinator, work with them to ensure everyone is on the same page.
The whole point of the day is to make it fun, joyful and a celebration of love! When faced with a photographer that doesn't get the whole picture, reframe it for them!
Have a great day, all!
Deb aka The Savvy Celebrant
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Oh and darlings! If you live in Ontario and have always wanted to be a wedding officiant, we can help with that! Train to become a Lay Pastoral Chaplain with the Community Catholic Church. Your very own Savvy Celebrant will lead you through the ins and outs of working with couples, planning a wedding, promoting yourself and more! We are meeting this coming Sunday in Niagara on the Lake. All the information is here: http://www.stfrancisseminary.com/lay-pastoral-chaplaincy
And there's more! Check out http://www.celebrantdevelopment.com for information on courses and coaching.
Oh and darlings! If you live in Ontario and have always wanted to be a wedding officiant, we can help with that! Train to become a Lay Pastoral Chaplain with the Community Catholic Church. Your very own Savvy Celebrant will lead you through the ins and outs of working with couples, planning a wedding, promoting yourself and more! We are meeting this coming Sunday in Niagara on the Lake. All the information is here: http://www.stfrancisseminary.com/lay-pastoral-chaplaincy
And there's more! Check out http://www.celebrantdevelopment.com for information on courses and coaching.
