We should ALMOST NEVER be shooting the toast-giver straight-on with a stage, DJ, or bar behind them. 
Do NOT do this: 

If you can make the wide safety shot in the back visually interesting somehow, that would be ideal. 

DETAIL SHOTS- MORNING

THE CEREMONY

Morning detail shots set the tone for the entire film. Focus on the key elements such as attire, florals, jewelry, invitations, rings, and heirlooms, but approach them with intention. These are not static catalog shots. Shoot at 60fps to allow for subtle slow motion and added drama. Look for depth by shooting through foreground elements like florals, veils, or glass, and use reflections when possible to create dimension. Avoid flat, evenly lit compositions.

Prioritize movement and light. Introduce subtle motion such as a curtain pulled back, fabric shifting, or a gentle camera slide. Shape the light so it feels directional and cinematic, even if that means slightly moving your light source during a layflat to create shifting highlights and shadows. The goal is to build atmosphere from the first frame, not simply document objects.

The ceremony should always be filmed with at least 3 cameras. During the processional, the lead shooter’s main objective is to get a creative shot of the bride’s entrance and walk down the aisle. Prior to that, safely cover everyone else walking down. The second shooter should be posted at the foot of the aisle to capture everyone’s faces as they come down. Make sure to also get a shot of the groom’s reaction.

Here are some examples of creative shots of the bride entering:

Once the ceremony begins, the shots we want are: 1. Most important: close up of the bride’s face during the vows. 2. a medium shot of the groom, and 3. a wide two shot from the aisle. If you have a fourth camera, put it in the back or in the balcony for a nice safety shot. 

This ensures we’re never cutting between shots that are too similar and prevents the ceremony from feeling too claustrophobic (all close-ups) or not intimate enough (too many wides). Consider the lenses each shooter has and figure out how to best accomplish this. If you have a fourth camera, put it in the back or in the balcony for a nice safety shot. Remember that the bride’s face is the most important, get in tight.

2. Add some actual action: think about ways we can add action to the detail shots. You can use people, wind, or “wind.” The action makes these shots more interesting 

Always think about the best way to frame your speech shots. We want to avoid band equipment, speakers, and service workers in the background as much as possible. We want speech shots to look as good as all of your other shots. 

Consider the two shots below. The shot on the right is much better.

Dances should also be shot with 3 cameras. Again our minimum goal is tight, wide, and one roving camera. The moving camera’s job should be to get very creative shots that make the film while the other 2 cameras are safely covering the dance. Similar to speeches, coming up with interesting ways to fill the frame can help make our static dancing shots more visually interesting. Again, try to avoid band equipment in the background whenever possible. Here’s a couple (bad) examples, but hopefully you get the idea.  

Decide where the ideal mic placement is for your framing and tell the sound tech where you’d like it. Often, the only way to avoid band equipment etc in the background is to shoot the toast-giver in profile. Please do this. See below.

Try your best to get creative with at least one of your speech shots. If there’s a fourth camera available, the lead shooter can try to find a creative shot while the second shooter mans the safe closeup of the speaker. (The angle of the couple and the wide shot of the speaker should be okay without someone behind the camera). 
Consider filling the frame with plants, candles, guests etc. Here are a couple examples of more creative framing (click through). These are by no means perfect, but should give you an idea of how we can try to make our second angle of the speaker more interesting.

THE RECEPTION

Just like the ceremony, Speeches and Dances should be filmed with minimum 3 Cameras. For speeches, we’d like one tight shot of the speaker, a wide shot of the speaker, and a two-shot of the couple listening (ideally shot on a long lens from far away so they might not even know they’re on camera). 

DETAILS + ROOM SHOTS

Details are one of the few times we really have total control over our shots. The basic slides of everything are great to get, but also try to think of new and creative ways to shoot details. 

Here are a few ways to differentiate your detail shots:

Movement with light: Consider adding some movement within the frame on the more boring detail shots. This can often be done with light, here are some examples:

AVOID

Open dancing is pretty much the easiest part of the day to shoot. The first goal is to get enough footage of the bride and groom dancing (together and separately), followed by getting footage of all the other “main characters” (parents, siblings, wedding party). Once that’s taken care of, the second shooter can continue to film dancing while the lead shooter again goes out trying to get the creative money shots. Often, these are cool shots of the entire room now that the ambiance and lighting has (usually) completely changed. Again composition, filling the frame, action, and light are all things to focus on. Here’s some unique dance floor shots:

OPEN DANCING