Your choice of wedding venue can have an enormous impact on your wedding photos, 
affecting everything from the backdrop for your group shots to the style of your pictures. Here are seven tips on using your wedding venue to get the best possible wedding photos.
- Try to select a wedding photographer that has worked at your venue before. They will have prior experience of the set up of the venue, so they will know where the light comes from at what time, and where the best settings are for group photos. They will also have a good idea of the type of equipment they need to bring along. See if your photographer can show you examples of photos they have taken at your venue.
- Talk to your photographer about the type of venue you have chosen, and the style of photographs that would best complement that venue. A romantic country house might be the perfect setting for dreamy sepia shots, while a chic city hotel would be a great place to try out glamorous Hollywood paparazzi style pictures.
- Look out for potential photo locations and note them down when you visit your wedding venue. The venue coordinator should be able to give you some ideas but don’t be afraid to be different. Perhaps they always have the group photos in the main entrance, but you would rather have them next to a picturesque fireplace? If you think a ruined wall with climbing ivy is more attractive than the manicured hotel grounds then speak up.
- See if your venue has an unusual location for your group photos. If they have an elegant staircase you could have your guests arranged along the banister. Perhaps there is a balcony or high window where your photographer could take a bird’s eye view of all your guests gathered together. Another great option is to have the guests together on the balcony throwing confetti down onto the happy couple below.
Your wedding venue may have stunning grounds for photographs but make sure you have a back up indoor plan in place in case of bad weather. If it does rain, don’t rule out outdoor photos altogether. Pictures of the bride and groom in gum boots and the guests with umbrellas can make classic additions to the wedding album. - If you a hiring a particularly attractive venue, or the venue is integral to your wedding theme, make sure your photographer gets a few good shots of it before the wedding when there are no guests around. They could also photograph special features such as picturesque windows or doors. You could also have before and after pictures of your reception room being decorated, or a sequence of shots of the decorating process itself.
- Always check if there are any photography restrictions at your venue. You don’t want to spend an hour having your couple’s pictures taken in the hallway just to find out the antiques in there can’t be photographed, or it has been used as a film set and exclusivity rights still apply.