How to Deal with Difficult Guests at Your Wedding
Your wedding is a major milestone in your life, and you want the perfect record of your celebration. Emma Cleary Photo and Video can help you capture every breathtaking moment of your big day.
However, we all have those guests who can be a bit of a problem. Maybe you have a friend who wants to be in every single shot. Perhaps your Uncle Bob, who really wanted to be a professional photographer, tells you that he’s bringing his camera with him. Then there are the guests who hold up cell phones through the entire ceremony, or lean into the aisle to snap your first kiss. We have some useful advice for stopping these issues before they happen.
The camera hog
If you have a guest or two that absolutely loves being the center of attention (even on your big day), you may worry that they’ll jump into every shot. On the invitations and your wedding website, inform your guests that you have a shot list planned already. Instead, you can offer table photos. This is where the newlyweds visit each table of guests to capture a moment with them. That way everyone is photographed with you, and has a perfect shot to remind them of the celebration.
Additionally, you can select a spot to pose (perhaps the sweetheart table or under an arch) as each group comes up to take a photo with the happy couple. Either way, you can have the wedding planner or one of the wedding party move each group along so you can get to every table of guests.
Having a tech-free ceremony
The last thing you want in the images of your first kiss or the moment you exchange rings is the heads of people leaning into the aisles with their cell phones to take their own photos or videos. Your guests should be experiencing the moment along with you rather than seeing it through a tiny screen.
To prevent this, many couples are choosing a tech-free ceremony where cell phones and guest cameras are banned, or turned in until the reception. Some even eschew technology altogether.
If this sounds appealing, start talking about it early. Post it on your wedding website and put it on the invitations. It’s also a good idea to have a sign posted when you enter the venue, telling everyone to put their phones and cameras away.
Let them know you’ll share the formal pictures with everyone, and have your officiant or wedding planner make a friendly announcement before you begin. In exchange, you can offer a few moments right after the ceremony or at the beginning of the reception for people to take candid pictures of the happy couple.
The wannabe photographer
We all have that one family member or friend who considers themselves a great photographer. They may try to gather the guests for shots you don’t want, or pose everyone in the way they prefer.
To head this off at the pass, you have a few options. You can tell them that you want them to relax and enjoy the wedding rather than “working.” You can give them a special job like taking photos at the rehearsal dinner/post-wedding brunch, capturing shots of the children and younger guests, or have him run the photo booth if you have one. Perhaps you could even request that they be the “behind the scenes” photographer for some candid Instagram photos (we could all use a free content creator, right?)
Alternatively, you can request that no guests bring cameras outside of their phones, as you have specific shots, groupings, and set-ups in mind, or that you have a very limited time for posed pictures.
Deputize someone to help out
You shouldn’t be worrying about anything on your wedding day. Emotions can be running high, and the last thing you want is to spend your time reminding Uncle Bob to put his camera down.
Deputize someone in your wedding party or your wedding planner to distract or redirect him (perhaps to one of those other jobs we mentioned), or to remind that photo hog friend that they’re not getting married today. You can have another person — perhaps an usher — designated to call off the shot list, or remind people to put their phones away until the reception
Make sure to check out our resources page for more tips and advice to help you create your perfect wedding day photos.
