Why You Shouldn’t Provide A Shot List For Your Wedding Day

If you are thinking about providing your wedding photographer with a shot list, you may want to think again. I know so many brides who have a board full of inspiration photos that they really want because they like the photos and see themselves getting these exact photos during their wedding day but that’s not really how it works. Let me explain.

Say you provide your wedding photographer with a shot list and it looks something like this:

Dad kissing bride on head during dad first look.

Groom crying at alter as bride walks down the isle.

Mom crying when she sees me in my gown.

My big sister fluffing my gown when I put it on.

My dad hugging the groom when he gives me away.

Ok. Can I just state the obvious here? You are planning your photography around photos you see on the internet versus allowing your photographers to do what they do best. Normally, some of these things do happen but not all the time. Giving your wedding photographer a shot list you printed from the knot or elsewhere will only prevent them from capturing what is really happening on your wedding day.

Natural moments happen naturally. They aren’t posed or set up. They just happen. As photographers, our eyes are trained to watch and look carefully. We notice the small things and the big things. We capture the moment your mom helps you slip into your wedding gown and when she starts fixing your straps. Mom never cries. She smiles and is so proud of you. So did we miss this moment because we are looking at our print out paper you gave us trying to remember what we were supposed to capture for you?

Dad never hugged the groom when he was giving you away. He actually hugged you and held you tight. Of course we capture it because we are professionals and we know what were are doing but are your expectations set? Did we set those for you and help you to realize that half these requested photos didn’t happen as stated in your print out? They happened in their own way on their own time naturally. The last thing we want is to miss moments because we have to pull out a printed piece of paper with your requests on it 40 times per hour.

The best thing you can do is really trust your wedding photographer. Know that they have your best interest at heart. They will capture all the moments and their second photographer will help ensure that moments are documented with care.

The only two shot lists we require and accept from our brides prior to their wedding day are a family formals shot list and an heirloom shot list.

The first shot list is what we call our family formals shot list. We realize the importance of family and that a lot of times, people are flying in from other states to see you and be with you on your wedding day. We want to be strategic and make sure we fully plan with our brides so that the photographs during this time are captured. We will never go into a wedding day without one.

The second shot list is mainly for heirlooms or family purposes. For example: The grooms ring is not new. It was handed down to him from his late father who is not here with us anymore. Or the second ring you have in your box was your mothers. It was given to her when she was 18 as a gift from your dad who couldn’t afford the ring she has now. It was then passed down to you the day you were engaged to be married. How about that hanky that you have on your nightstand in the hotel? That belonged to your great grandmother for all your “happy tears”. These are definitely the little things about heirlooms that we want to know. We are true believers in legacies that are passed from generation to generation. This is definitely the kind of shot list we LOVE. And we normally don’t bring this with us. We have meetings with our couples that span over an entire year sometimes. We pour what we have into each and every single couple while remembering their love story, their parents and even grandparents. We adore taking time to learn about the things that are really behind the scenes sometimes.

This post is goes out to all brides who are wedding planning with our best intentions in mind. I was once handed a shot list for a wedding and I pulled it out of my pocket probably 100 times the day of this wedding. It honestly had me stressed to the max. Not only was I trying to photograph this brides wedding with intention and care but that shot list was haunting me. I didn’t set real expectations with her and allowed her to keep me {ultimately} from doing my very best. I was so worried I was going to miss something on this shot list. I was just so incredibly stressed all day. Once I realized that this list was printed from the internet, I realized I needed to speak up next time a bride asked me if she could hand me a shot list. My answer was a big fat no. Fire me please because I cannot do that again.

Brides… when you hire a professional, they are going to be there for you. They will be there for every single moments that naturally occurs. They are going to document their hearts out for you. I promise!