Making Sure That The Big Day Does Not Turn Into A Nightmare

29/08/2012

It’s the biggest day of a couple’s life. Celebration is afoot but tension is also in the air. One wrong move and the wedding day can be ruined.

Now, a Church of England handbook, including a contribution from The Right Reverend Mark Bryant, Bishop of Jarrow, has been published to ensure that the clergy accommodate the needs of the modern bride and groom, including the unique requirements of the wedding photographer. In his contribution, The Bishop calls for clergy to be more open and understanding of the needs of the modern wedding day service.

Even though couples have more choices of wedding venue than ever before, 22% still choose a traditional church wedding. Over the past few years, the Church of England’s Weddings Project has been trying to ensure that clergy up and down the country provide the best possible experience. The result is The Church Weddings Handbook which seeks to ensure that churches are as welcoming as possible on the big day.

One of the issues which cropped up in conversations with clergy during the research for the book was the behaviour of wedding photographers, some of whom were accused of moving around too much, disturbing the sacred atmosphere or getting too close in order to obtain their pictures. Some clergy even said that they felt they sometimes needed to defend the couple against the photographer to preserve the solemnity of the church wedding for them.

The Bishop of Jarrow Mark Bryant, whose views are included in the book, takes a different approach. He argues that the clergy need to be more understanding when it comes to dealing with the demands of wedding photographers.

He said: “I’m really quite unfazed by this. Photography is now the way we show that something is special. I’ve worked with couples over the years for whom life has been quite difficult, and their wedding is the one day of their lives when they will have people photographing them.

“They'll be like Posh and Becks for just one day and I think God can cope with that. And if God can cope with that, it’s probably up to me to try to cope with it as well.“

The Bishop also suggested that God would be relaxed about photographers in Heaven.

Wearside wedding photographer Angy Ellis, who took pictures at a wedding presided over by the Bishop, said: “The wedding photographer wants to make it a day for the bride and groom to remember.

“I feel as a photographer that it’s essential for me to attend the rehearsal, to build a relationship with the Priest as well as family members. I am able to see how the wedding ceremony will play out, where the bride and groom will be standing and moving to and pre-see key points of the service, which will be great for my photography.

“It is extremely helpful if the Priest can involve the photographer during the rehearsal by pointing out key points for photography opportunities. The Bishop was very generous with his advice and involvement when I attended the rehearsal with him, which meant that I knew on the wedding day when the key points of the ceremony would be and, just as important, where I needed to be to capture the story.

[... continues]

Details of the Church Weddings Handbook can be read in this related article.

Photo by: Keith Blundy / Aegies Associates

View the news archive