There’s nothing worse than terrible shots or no shots of one of the most momentous events in a person’s life. A wedding may be made in heaven but disaster is in the details. Skip some important points and you can wish you were in the trashcan with the rubber chicken and leathery lettuce.

Here are some tips to help you negotiate this photographic minefield.

Hire a professional.
No? Don’t want to do that? You think Uncle George can do it fine on the cheap? Save a few bucks and spread the joy around? Then read on, reckless fool…

Be prepared.
Emotionally, spiritually, intellectually and photographically. You will need more than just a strong heart and nerves of steel. You’ll need extra memory sticks, extra batteries, a flash outfit, a tripod and a zoom/wide-angle lens. You’ll also need decent image editing software to produce the finished product in an acceptable form.

Have an assistant or a helper.
You should have lots of stuff to carry around, and you need someone who will watch your gear when you’re busy. Get someone to help you out. It’s also good to have someone relatively sane to talk to.

ALWAYS shoot for the bride.
Men don’t really care about photos of themselves. Well, that’s a generality. 99.9% of men don’t care. Usually the only time a man looks at a wedding photo under his own volition is just after the divorce with a drink in the other hand.

Get a list of wanted shots.
Don’t go into this blind. Find out what shots the happy couple expect and try to oblige. Weddings have about 4 phases: getting dressed, the ceremony, after the ceremony (relaxed shots with the new couple), the reception including the cake and groups of guests. Take your lead from the bride not the juiced up guests at the reception.

Shoot a lot.
This is good advice for any photography. At a wedding you’re dealing with human nature at its most confused. Who can really tell what shots will be the big sellers? Just cover everything (even the speeches) and shoot everything three times and be safe.

Get the groups.
Groups are important but watch out here because semi-inebriated guests will want to be photographed with pot-plants, the foxy waitress, each other, maybe the bride and groom, and towards the end of the evening fascinating cloud formations. Get from the bride who should be in what group. Stay with her.

Get the proofs to the bride as fast as possible.
Forget this just being good service, it’s also smart business. Happiness and the vows of matrimony can be fleeting. Get your wedding photography bill in before the first fight if possible. Definitely before the divorce.

Be a professional. Weddings can be scary things.
They’re all about love, sex, eating and drinking. Passions and confusions can be rampant. Get your shots first and party later if anyone is left to party with. If you find yourself at the end alone with your camera, at least you can console yourself that you completed your mission.

Do your own quality control before you submit the proofs.
Your reputation can be destroyed by a handful of misaimed shots of the bride or her friends. People often remember that one shot where the matron of honor looked as if she was zonked when it was just an untimely blink. If it sucks delete it. Better safe than sorry.

As a record of important details from your special day, your wedding invitation is uniquely a one-of-a-kind remembrance.  Ordering a few extra invitations is highly suggested so you can save them as wedding souvenirs but then they will more than likely be stored away in your wedding album. 

Why not create a memento of your wedding invitation that is more permanent and can be easily displayed in your home as a special remembrance.  Especially since all the formal details of your wedding day appear within your invitation text – date, time of ceremony, time of dinner/reception, name and address of ceremony location, name and address of dinner/reception locale – as well as maybe a special verse or quote chosen by you and your fiancé.  The invitation design itself may also be symbolic of the colors or theme of your wedding.

Having your invitation wording permanently imprinted on a keepsake item is a wonderful way to uniquely commemorate your wedding day.  Here are some suggested items that can be engraved with your wedding invitation verse:

·  Photo Album – A great way to personalize a wedding album is to have your invitation wording elegantly engraved on the front cover.  This way every time you look through your cherished wedding pictures you will be able to see your invitation verse too.

·  wedding invitation Frame – Create a lasting souvenir by using a beautiful glass frame to showcase your favorite wedding photo as well as feature your delicately etched invitation verse.              

·  Glass Block – A simple, but elegant, glass or lucite sculpture piece can be engraved with your wedding invitation text creating an exquisite symbol of your special day.

·  Commemorative Plate – Easily hung on a wall or placed on an easel for table-top display, a decorative plate engraved or etched with your invitation verse will make a wonderful memento for years to come.

With all of your planning and preparations, creating a wedding invitation keepsake may not be a high priority before your wedding, but this is easily something you can have designed later since you may even receive one of these personalized items as a wedding gift. 

Your wedding is without a doubt one of the most important days of your life so give some thought to creating a lasting souvenir of your wedding invitations to preserve all the details of your special day.  As the years go by, you will undoubtedly be glad you did.