Planning / 3 min readThe Union in Frame journal
City weddings: how to plan photographs between two venues
Words by Union in Frame
A city wedding often means two addresses and a journey in between. That journey can eat into the afternoon, or it can be where your portraits happen. The difference is a plan that allows for traffic, crowds and the light between tall buildings.
Decide how you will travel between venues
Walking, taxis, a hired bus or public transport all work, but each needs a different time allowance. Walk the route a few weeks before, on the same weekday and at the same time, in the shoes you plan to wear. Pre-book taxis rather than hoping to hail one outside a register office on a Saturday lunchtime.
A hired bus keeps guests together and gives you one departure time to manage. Whatever you choose, tell your photographer how you are travelling and keep a seat for them, so the journey itself can be photographed.
Use the journey and the buildings as your portrait time
The journey between venues can be the portrait session. Steps outside the ceremony building, a stone doorway, a bridge, the back seat of a taxi or the top deck of a bus all give photographs that belong to your day, not to a park you drove to.
Think about the light as well as the backdrop. Tall buildings throw deep shade on one side of a street and bright sun on the other, and the shaded side is kinder on faces. In narrow streets the sun drops behind rooftops well before sunset, so plan portraits earlier in autumn and winter.
Make peace with busy pavements and passers-by
A city does not pause for a wedding. Shoppers, cyclists and delivery drivers will pass through your photographs; most will smile or step around you. A few strangers in the background are part of an honest city picture, not a fault in it.
For quieter frames, step off the main road. There is often a side street, a courtyard or a set of steps a minute away. Keep your group small on the pavement, do not block doorways or crossings, and let your photographer wait for the gaps.
Find out where you need permission
Not every open space in a city is public. Many squares, riverside paths and landmark grounds are privately owned or managed, and some require a permit or a fee for professional photography, or restrict tripods and lights. Some city parks ask for a wedding photography permit, arranged in advance.
Ask your photographer where they plan to take you and whether they have checked the rules. Your venues can tell you what is allowed on their own steps and frontage. Agree a second spot a street away in case you are asked to move on.
Build a timeline that survives traffic
Traffic, roadworks and a late taxi are not disasters if the plan expects them. Put the journey in your timeline as its own event with a generous allowance, and decide now which things can move if it runs over. Drinks can stretch; a meal that is being plated cannot.
Name one person who will ring the reception venue if you are running late, so the kitchen knows. Agree with your photographer where they will meet you if you get separated. With that settled, a slow journey becomes time together rather than time lost.
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