I’ve written about the major differences between indoor and outdoor wedding ceremonies before, but I wanted to talk more in depth about church rules and how they can impact your wedding photos.  Charleston churches are extremely strict when it comes to photography. Almost all of the churches in town require the photographer to stand, stationary, at the very back of the church during the ceremony. Some churches won’t even allow the photographer to be in the sanctuary at all during the ceremony and others require the photographer to shoot from a stationary position in the balcony.  These restrictions leave your photographer with very few options when it comes to photographing your ceremony.  Often, they must choose a spot prior to the beginning of the ceremony and they have to stay there.  For me, I usually take my position at the very back of the church and send my second shooter up to the balcony for the duration of the ceremony.  This method gives me, what I feel is, the best chance for variety during a restricted church ceremony.

However, it still doesn’t allow me to capture the ceremony the way that I’d like to.

Because I am stuck in my position at the back of the church, I generally have a very short aisle to work with when shooting the processional at the beginning of the ceremony.  I’m usually confined to the row behind the last row of guests – or standing in the small walkway behind the pews at the very back of the church.  The doors open and I usually have 2-3 seconds to get a good shot of the bride + her father before they have walked past me.  I feel like I’m right on top of the parents, bridal party, and bride when I shoot this portion of the ceremony and the angles are just not flattering since I have to use such a wide angle lens.

Most churches will allow the photographer to use their flash during the processional and recessional – the moving parts of the ceremony. This is huge because churches are generally not well lit and adding a pop of extra light from the flash makes a huge difference, especially when you’re trying to stop motion when people are walking.  However, some churches will not let you use your flash AT ALL which makes things a little bit harder… and that’s when I usually wait outside for the bride + groom to exit the church all together to get the shot.

The best churches to shoot in here in the South, at least in my experience, have been the Baptist churches!  They are kind enough to allow photographers to photograph the processional from the front of the church – which is SO MUCH BETTER than shooting it from the back of the church.  This angle allows us plenty of time to capture photos of the bride + her father walking down the aisle, as well as the opportunity to photograph the groom’s reaction from up close!  Thank you to all of the wonderful Baptist churches who allow us to photograph this important part of the ceremony in this manner.  It’s amazing and – in my opinion – the way a processional SHOULD be captured!  Not from the very back of the church.

If you’re doing a church ceremony, I highly recommend doing a First Look.  From my vantage point in the way back of the church, it’s pretty much impossible to get close enough to the groom to get a great reaction shot when he sees his bride walking toward him down the aisle.  All of the guests stand up when the bride enters the church and eager guests sometimes lean out into the aisle, blocking that little sliver of space I have from all the way at the back of the church to photograph the groom’s face.  Once the bride + her father have passed me – which only takes 2-3 steps!! – they take up the bulk of the aisle and I can’t even see the groom until they are almost at the altar. It’s extremely frustrating, but there’s nothing I can do about it.  The church rules are the church rules and I cannot break them, unless I want to be blacklisted from ever shooting at that church again (and I definitely don’t want that!!)

If you’re considering a church ceremony, I definitely recommend looking at their photography rules to see if it fits in with the vision of your wedding day coverage.  More often than not, churches don’t share these rules with you until after the date has been reserved and the deposit has been paid – leaving you helpless.  Ask them what their photography policies are – where are the photographers allowed to stand during the processional, during the actual ceremony, and during the recessional?  Are they allowed to use flash during the processional and/or recessional?  Are they allowed to move during the ceremony or are they limited to one spot?  Are they even allowed in the sanctuary during the ceremony or do they have to shoot through a window or glass door?  It’s helpful to be informed of the photography restrictions before signing anything with the church, just so you can have proper expectations of your ceremony photos.

And in case you were wondering, in my experience, the most photographer-friendly churches in Charleston are St Luke’s Chapel, the French Huguenot Church, and pretty much any of the Baptist churches.  I hope this was helpful!!