A Photographer’s Point of View: Things to consider when planning your wedding photos at Rivervale Barn

Congratulations on your engagement! If you have booked Rivervale Barn already, then well done, and if you have not booked yet, do not hesitate. You will not be disappointed.

Let us introduce ourselves, we are PhotoForrester, we are wedding photographers, and we are delighted to be preferred suppliers at Rivervale Barn.

We are a husband and wife team; Elliott and Helen. After photographing 50 to 60 weddings a year for the last decade, across venues around surrey and Hampshire and beyond, we can honestly say that Rivervale Barn is our favourite venue.

All of the team there are approachable, understanding and highly professional. The food is varied and is cooked to a fantastic standard every time, and the setting is quiet frankly a photographers playground. The grounds and gardens are immaculate, very photogenic, and these are offset perfectly by the vast space that is available in the modern barn.

As professional wedding photographers, we have a very unique perspective of a wedding day. We are positioned nicely between yourselves and the venue. We work closely with the staff behind the scenes to ensure a smooth running of the day. We are going to take this opportunity to relay some useful tips and advice, which we hope will assist you on your big day, and ensure you capture the very best photographs.

 

1. Find the right photographer for you. Fundamentally all people are different, and that’s the great thing about being human. Everyone’s tastes, likes, and dislikes, vary and that is okay. All professional wedding photographers are selling lovely top quality photographs but try to find a photographer that you like, who you can relate to, and most importantly someone who can make you laugh. Your day should be fun and enjoyable, filled with natural smiles, and you shouldn’t under estimate the importance of your photographer and their ability to make people feel relaxed.

2. Ideally try to find a two-photographer service. We find that having a male and female partnership works really well, as Helen can photograph the bride, whilst Elliott photographs the groom. Two photographers allow greater coverage and means the team can be in two places at once. It also allows you to have more candid images captured through out the day.

3. If possible aim to be getting into the wedding dress about an hour before your meeting with the registrars. This may seem an excessive amount of time, but this factors in things like running late with the make up and hair. If you over run 10-15 minutes its not an issue. Ideally you will be in the dress then your photographer can capture stunning photographs of you before the service. The bride is the ‘main event’ and photographers can use this time fantastically in the Rivervale Bridal Suite. Hopefully you will also have some time to enjoy a glass of bubbles before you walk down the aisle. These timings create a relaxed atmosphere before the service.

4. Try to keep the Bridal Suite as clean as possible and clear of clutter whilst you get ready. There are some amazing and very photogenic bridal prep areas, and it is important to keep these clear so the photographer can snap away without having to clean up and move too many objects. A good tip is to put things in the bathroom, bathtub, and around the fire place as we don’t tend to photograph in these areas. We focus on the full-length mirror, the vanity table and the area around the bed, so prioritise keeping these areas as tidy as possible.

5. Rivervale Barn request that you use biodegradable confetti (flower petals), or you can use bubbles. As photographers we love bubbles as they look great in images and they do not go in your hair or ruin your make up. Whichever you choose, we recommend you supply them, as it is less and less common for guests to bring their own to weddings these days. For best results with bubbles we recommend using a few bubble guns.

6. Put together a short and well-planned group photo list. This is a list of around 10 to 15 combinations of groups, which you require to have photographed. This is usually the key guests, such as the bridal party, parents, and grand parents. We can use this list to make sure we do not miss anyone off, and we can usually get a list this size completed in the courtyard in around 20 minutes.

7. Allow for around 20-30 minutes for the newlywed’s romantic photographs in the garden and around the venue. We aim to be quick and efficient with the romantic images, and it is best to keep this short so it is fun and relaxed.

8. Be honest with your photographer with regards to what you are comfortable with and what you are after, any professional who has worked in the industry will have a thick skin and should have vast experience and skills to fulfil your needs.

9. Always establish a ‘battle plan’ with your photographer. A finalised timetable of events, group list, and a bad weather plan, should always be in place before the day. The staff at Rivervale Barn are fantastic at assisting you with the planning. It is important that everyone is on the same team and plan for the day to run smoothly.

This is all just advice, and of course each day is different. But we hope it is useful and will help you all have a fantastic wedding day.

Good luck and keep safe.

Elliott and Helen