The drinks reception is the busiest part of the wedding day to photograph — and one of our favourites. The formality of the ceremony has lifted, guests are relaxed and moving freely, and the atmosphere is at its most natural and unguarded. It’s also the period when the most is asked of us simultaneously: candid moments, group photographs, couple portraits and room details, all within the same window of time.
We love the variety and energy of this part of the day. Getting it right takes planning, experience and a clear sense of how the afternoon fits together — and that’s our job, not yours.
The candid moments
By the time the drinks reception begins, guests have usually stopped noticing the cameras. The ceremony is done, the champagne is open, and people are simply getting on with enjoying themselves. For documentary photographers like us, these are ideal conditions.
The conversations, the laughter, the small reunions between people who haven’t seen each other in years – this is where some of the best photographs of the entire day come from. We’ll be moving through the reception continuously, watching for the moments that happen when nobody is performing for the camera. It’s what we do best and the drinks reception gives us more of it than any other part of the day.
Group Photographs
The overwhelming majority of our photographs are unposed and undirected – but group photographs are a different matter, and an important one. A well-chosen set of groups gives you a proper, considered record of the people who were there: the family, the close friends, the people you’ll want a photograph of on the wall in twenty years’ time.
We know how to move through a list efficiently without it feeling like a military exercise, and a well-organised set of groups rarely takes more than twenty to thirty minutes. What makes the difference is the list itself – not the length of it, but the thought behind it.
Closer to the wedding we’ll ask you to put together your groups list, including the names of everyone in each shot. This is worth doing carefully. Think about who genuinely matters to you rather than working through every possible combination of family members. Parents, close family, the wedding party – and whoever beyond that you’d feel the absence of if they weren’t in a group. Keep it personal and keep it manageable.
The other thing that makes groups run smoothly is having someone on each side of the family who knows who everyone is and isn’t afraid to round people up loudly and efficiently. It’s not a job for the timid. An usher or bridesmaid who can make an announcement and get people moving is worth their weight in gold at this point in the day – brief them in advance and make sure guests know that groups are happening so nobody wanders off at the critical moment.
The room and table details
Shortly before guests are called in for the meal, we’ll spend a little time photographing the room while it’s still set up and empty. It’s a relatively brief window and we make the most of it.
The details of the wedding breakfast — the table settings, the flowers, the stationery, the cake — are a reflection of the time and thought you’ve put into how the day looks. They deserve to be photographed properly, and once guests sit down the opportunity is gone. We’ll find the best angles and the best available light in the room and work through it methodically. It doesn’t take long, but it makes a difference to the overall set of images from the day.
Speeches
Speeches are one of those parts of the day that tend to produce photographs nobody anticipated. The range of expressions across a room during a good speech – the laughter, the tears, the barely-contained emotion – is remarkable, and we’ll be covering both the speakers and the guests’ reactions throughout.
We can’t record what’s being said. What we can do is make photographs that capture how it felt – and those tend to be the ones people come back to.
One practical note: if you’re considering splitting speeches between courses, it’s worth knowing that this complicates the timing of the whole meal and puts considerable extra pressure on the caterers. It’s something to discuss in detail with your venue well in advance if you’re set on it. Keeping the speeches together – whether before the meal or after – makes for a cleaner, more relaxed experience for everyone.
Where next?
The drinks reception is our busiest point in the day, but all parts of your wedding are equally important. If you’d like to know more about how we approach a specific part of the day, these links cover each section in detail.
If you’re ready to talk about your wedding, we’d love to hear from you. Take a look at our packages and pricing, or get in touch directly to arrange a conversation.
