Who loves shooting weddings?

[irusan]

<p>My experience has been that the "bridezilla" is more myth than fact. Sure, the TV show <em>Bridezillas</em> didn't do us any favors and a few people now think that that is how you're supposed to behave, but the brides and families I've shot for have been really good <knock on wood>.</p>

<p>I am not the $500 craigslist photographer by any stretch of the imagination. I charge a healthy fee for my services. The consequence from this is that my clients are the ones who typically see wedding photography as an investment and not a commodity. This alone has done a lot for removing the pleasantness-challenged from my client base.</p>

<p>The main reason brides tend to get stressed out is that they often feel as though they have no support. The MOTB, often, is over-excited and over-bearing. The groom usually has a well-deserved reputation of not being too involved with the planning. And the list goes on. My biggest job and responsibility right from the beginning is to ensure that the bride knows that I will listen to her and work with her but that she doesn't have to worry about the photography once I am signed on.</p>

<p>More than once I have acted as the wedding coordinator on the wedding day to keep the evening flowing. I ask where the bridesmaids are getting their dresses and what the colors are. I then go to the store and buy thread in those colors and carry fabric tape. I've also learned how to do rudimentary makeup touch-ups</p>

<p>One thing I like to tell new wedding shooters is that no other vendor in a wedding has as much contact with the bride and groom before the wedding day and especially <em>on</em> the wedding day. We see everything and know a little about a lot. One of the most overlooked roles is to be ready to pick up the ball when it's dropped by someone else.</p>

<p>When the bride and groom understand that this is how I approach their day, I am not a source of stress for them, I'm a resource. Since I adopted these extra practices, I've never had a bridezilla.</p>