Why Coordinators & Photographers Go Hand In Hand | Guest Post | Becky Hart | Event Crush

I’ve decided to start hosting some guest posts by premier wedding industry vendors in this area. And, what better way to kick it off then with Becky Hart of Event Crush! Becky is a blogger extraordinaire as well as a premier Oregon wedding planner. She does incredible work and we highly recommend her for planning and coordinating services! So, we picked her brain to get some insight on how it helps everyone (especially the bride and groom) when photographers can work hand-in-hand with a wedding coordinator. And, of course, we did a quick photo shoot so there would be a few images to post here as well.

Here are is what Becky had to say:

As a wedding planner, one of the best parts about my job (besides making a couples dream wedding come to life!) is working with fabulous vendors and building relationships within the industry (which is why I started Engaging Eugene). In particular, I love working with photographers. You may not realize this, but your wedding planner or coordinator will work with your photographer throughout the day to ensure that everything is on schedule and that photos run as smoothly as possible. A professional coordinator can make a photographer’s job easier and a professional photographer can make a coordinator’s job easier – that’s the beauty of it. Here are a few ways photographers and coordinators work together to create a stress free and memorable day for each couple.

First of all, your photographer will work with you to come up with a photography time line for your wedding day, including details such as the first look, bridal party photos, family photos, sunset photos, and capturing all of the special moments throughout the day. But occasionally things get off schedule, weather forces the backup plan in to effect, or the best man goes missing during wedding party photos. When these things happen, there are few things a photographer appreciates more than having a coordinator there to deal with these dilemmas. Leave it up to the coordinator to retrieve the missing bridal party member or calm down a flustered mother of the bride. It may not be in the direct wedding coordinator “job description”, but often times coordinators can help with things like holding camera flashes (Mr. Rainey can vouch for that one), retrieving SD cards, checking off photos from the shot list, and holding an umbrella over the bride and groom or camera equipment if you get caught in the rain.

(Haha, right you are Becky! Thanks for helping on this one!)

Also, coordinators may be of use to the photographer when it comes to styling those unique and beautiful wedding details that you want captured forever. Assuming that they have the time, coordinators may be able to style the invitation suite, the bridal shoes, bouquets, boutonnieres, favors, or other elements for the photographer to capture (discuss this with your coordinator beforehand if possible so it isn’t a surprise to her, but she will most likely be more than willing!) This will save some time for your photographer who will surely appreciate it – unless they want to be in control of the creative aspect of these photos which is totally fine, too.

Your coordinator will help you create a comprehensive wedding day timeline, incorporating the photographer’s timeline along with all of the special events of the day. They will provide a copy to the photographer to review beforehand, and on the day of the wedding. I always email timelines out to vendors around two weeks before the wedding to make sure everyone is on the same page and to make any revisions if necessary. As I’m sure you know, even if you have a perfectly crafted time line, there may be guests that arrive late and cause the ceremony to start fifteen minutes off schedule, or the food may not be quite ready to start dinner on time. If this happens, the coordinator will work with the photographer to update them on timing changes so that no details or moments get missed. Your coordinator is also your point-of-contact for vendors for the entire wedding day, so if you have questions for the photographer (or other vendors) you can always relay them through your coordinator instead of trying to hunt them down.

As you can see, wedding photographers and coordinators go hand in hand. They both have the same ultimate goal: to give each couple a picture-perfect, stress-free wedding day, and this is best done when they are able to work together.

Thanks Becky!