Pre-wedding shoots
Before the ceremony, the story.
A couple of unhurried hours, no schedule and no three hundred guests, which is exactly why the pictures look like you.
What a pre-wedding shoot is
A dedicated session, usually two to four hours, booked in the weeks before the wedding, relaxed, unchoreographed and entirely about the two of you.
Your wedding day is fast, scheduled and watched by hundreds of people. A pre-wedding shoot is none of those things. You pick the location, the outfits and the feeling, and there is nobody waiting on you.
We shoot portraits in a place that means something, the detail of what you are wearing, and mostly, the unposed minutes in between, which is where the pictures people actually keep tend to come from.
It is also the practical reason to book one: it is your first hour in front of us. By the wedding you already know how we work, and we already know how the two of you are together. That shows in the wedding coverage more than anything else you can do beforehand.
What couples use them for
Rarely just pictures.
- 01
Save-the-dates and invitations
Images made specifically for the stationery, the wedding website and the announcement, rather than cropped out of something else.
- 02
Getting comfortable
The first time in front of a camera happens with no audience and no clock. Most couples arrive convinced they are bad at this and leave having enjoyed it.
- 03
Documenting the clothes
If you are wearing traditional dress, this is the session where it gets photographed properly, the jewellery, the fabric, the henna, instead of in the gaps of a wedding day.
- 04
A place that matters
The neighbourhood you met in, the park you always walk, the cultural landmark your family is tied to. Environmental portraits that are actually about you.
- 05
Something to post
A set of images made for how people actually share them, delivered long before the wedding pictures arrive.
- 06
A rehearsal for us
We learn how you two behave together, which side you each prefer, and what makes you laugh. All of which we use on the day itself.
Options
Pick by what you want to end up with.
On location, stills
- Two to three hours
- One photographer
- Location of your choosing
- Roughly 150–250 edited images
- Two to three weeks
On location, film
- Two to three hours
- One filmmaker
- Location of your choosing
- Edited film: 3–5 minutes
- Three to four weeks
Both, or at home
- Two to three hours with a two-person crew for stills and film together
- Or one to two hours at home or in a studio
- Roughly 150–250 images, or 80–120 for an at-home session
- Three to four weeks
We don't publish prices, because no two of these weddings are the same. Tell us the date, the venue and how many events you are running, and we will send an itemised quote with nothing to decode.
Twenty-five years in the room
Why book it with us
It is not just photographs. It is practice.
We know how to photograph the clothes
A saree, a sherwani, a lehenga and a kurta all move and catch light differently, and the jewellery has to sit right in frame. Knowing that is the difference between documenting an outfit and flattering it.
We do not pose you into stiffness
We watch for the real thing between you rather than arranging it. The couples who say they hate being photographed are usually reacting to being over-directed, not to cameras.
It makes the wedding coverage better
By the day itself we are not strangers with lenses. That familiarity is worth more on a wedding morning than any amount of equipment.
Questions
Before you ask.
When should we book it?
Four to six weeks before the wedding is the sweet spot. Book earlier if you need the images for save-the-dates.
We hate being photographed. Is this going to be awful?
Almost everyone says this first. Two hours with no audience and no schedule is a very different experience from a wedding day, and most couples are enjoying themselves well before the end. That is rather the point of doing it in advance.
Could we just do this on the wedding day?
You can, but it is the worst hour to try. The day is tight, you are being pulled in six directions, and the portraits show it. A separate session gets better pictures and takes pressure off the day.
What if the weather turns?
We move it to the next window with decent light, at no charge. If your dates are tight, we will plan an indoor fallback from the start.
Where should we do it?
Somewhere with meaning beats somewhere impressive. Parks, the neighbourhood you met in, London's bridges and markets, or a cultural landmark where we can get permission. We will suggest options once we know what you like.
Can we use the images on our invitations?
Yes. That is one of the most common reasons couples book one. You own the files.
Is this the same as wedding day coverage?
No, it is a separate session and a separate booking. Some couples do both, some only do a pre-wedding shoot. Either is fine.
Enquire
Is your datestill free?
Tell us the date and the venue and we will come back within one working day with availability, a crew size and a straight price.