Why do I step out of the shot during a wedding ceremony?

Ceremonies By Lori - Why do I step out of the shot during a wedding ceremony?

I was today years old when I learned that as an officiant during a wedding ceremony, I should not only be stepping out of the shot (out of the photographer’s shot or far enough so they can easily crop/edit me out without losing the look of the photo) for the kiss, which 99% of the time I do, (the 1% is when there is no room), but I should also be moving for the procession and possibly the vows. I know some officiants will disagree, but this makes a boatload of sense to me both as an officiant and a photographer.

I was reading a blog titled “THE 3 TIMES TO GET OUT OF THE WAY IN A WEDDING CEREMONY” by Mark Allan Groleau, the Unboring Wedding Officiant,  and he was explaining the reasons why as an officiant, I should move out of the photo during the processional. My take on this is f there is no “first look” before the wedding (and even if there is), this is when Marrier #1 and Marrier #2 see each other in their actual wedding ceremony space. There’s a special moment when the couple looks at each other coming down that aisle. But I never thought that I was still in that photo or that maybe I should not be. Hmmm…lesson learned!

I also never thought about moving out of the way for the vows. For a majority of the weddings I do, I typically hand the vows to the couple if they have written them. I hand them to the couple because I print them out on cardstock and in larger font, so there is no issue with them reading them. (I have a pet peeve of seeing a couple unfold the vows, and then the photographer has a photo of the Marrier reading from a “crumpled piece of paper” or, even worse, from a device.) If the couple has had me write them and we do a repeat, I could think about it.  Food for thought!

I am bringing this up because even though I have been officiating weddings for 10+ years, I am forever learning, honing my craft, and improving the ceremonies. I will be adding a few questions to my intakes/questionnaires about this, but the one thing that will stay true is me moving for the kiss. I most certainly do NOT need to be in those photos, if possible.

Well, everyone, thanks for reading. To the couple who may be reading this…Ceremonies by Lori is still booking for 2022 and 2023, but some dates are already taken. Feel free to call us to discuss your date and your ceremony wants/needs. We are glad to help in any way we can.

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