Catholic weddings always leave us speechless. Elegant artisan craftsmanship. And thousands of years of tradition. The way Catholic Weddings unite two people with a deep commitment is just beautiful. And we absolutely love to photograph them! In almost ten years of being wedding photographers, we’ve learned a few things about the logistics of planning a Catholic wedding when it comes to your photography.

• 

• 

01 MOST CATHOLIC CHURCHES DO NOT ALLOW FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY.

Photographers are required to follow house rules no matter the venue. And Catholic churches almost always do not allow photographers to use flash inside the building. We understand that churches first and foremost see weddings as a sacred ceremony — which they absolutely are! And that means that any distractions need to be eliminated.

Unfortunately, what this means for us as your wedding photographers is we have to compensate for the lack of natural light with internal camera settings. And this often results in very beautiful images that have extra grain. And it also means that these photos most likely cannot be printed any larger than 8×10.

We always recommend taking as many photos outside in natural light as possible. It’s traditional to take family photos inside the church. But we know that our couples love to print their photos. And with little natural light and no ability to compensate with flash, we like to encourage you to take those important photos outside. We also work with our couples to compromise — take a few photos inside, and take them again outside so that you have the option.

02 CATHOLIC WEDDINGS HAVE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON YOUR TIMELINE.

If you’re planning a Catholic Wedding, then you know that your wedding mass will most likely be one hour. And that’s IF the mass before yours isn’t running late and your own ceremony doesn’t run long. Including the time it will take for your family photos, we recommend budgeting at least 2 hours of your photography time here.

Too often we see couples have to compromise and make last minute decisions on their wedding day. And in our experience, this causes a lot of stress. The last thing we want for you on your wedding day is to be stressed! So when you’re planning your Catholic weddings, keep in mind how much time it will actually take to get through each stage of the day.

• 

• 

03 GET READY CLOSE TO YOUR VENUE

You can also help your timeline by getting ready as close to your venue as possible. And that is because any travel time between your getting ready location and your venue is included in your photography time. Too many couples planning Catholic weddings forget to consider this when they’re getting ready at home and traveling to a church that’s far away. We’ve had to travel up to an hour between getting ready locations and venues. And we STRONGLY urge you not to do that. Instead, find an Airbnb or hotel that’s close to your church. This will give you more time for photos that matter!

04 CHOOSE A RECEPTION VENUE CLOSE TO YOUR CHURCH

Similarly to how your getting ready location should be close to your church. We also believe your reception venue should be close by. And this is for the same reason. You want as little time as possible to be used for travel. And that can get used up really quickly! Any time you have to spend traveling is less time with your guests and less time with your photographer. So as you’re planning Catholic weddings, we strongly recommend that you book a reception venue that is no more than 30 minutes from your church.

• 

• 

05 HIRE A WEDDING PLANNER FOR CATHOLIC WEDDINGS

And the best way to make your Catholic wedding day go smoothly? Hire a wedding planner. In fact, even if you’re not planning Catholic weddings, hire a wedding planner. And it has always been one of the best investments our couples make. A wedding planner will manage all of these details for you so you don’t even have to think about it. And they’ll work with us to make sure that your photography investment is maximized. They don’t want you to miss out on any photos just as much as we do! And having a wedding planner will often not only save you time, but it will also save you money. And you get to spend more time doing the fun stuff. That’s what it’s all about!

If you’re looking for a wedding planner for your California wedding or for Catholic weddings, we’ve got some great people in mind. Check out our blog post 8 California Wedding Planners We Love And Trust to see some of our favorites. And make sure you let them know we sent you!

• 

• 

CATHOLIC WEDDINGS

We are so blessed to get to work with so many Catholic couples as they plan their Catholic wedding. And we think their photos were absolutely beautiful! Check out Sonia + Alex’s Catholic Wedding and Garden Reception on our blog. Wasn’t it gorgeous!? Last year we photographed close to 10 Catholic Weddings. And this year we’ve got more all over the Bay Area. Are you planning a Catholic wedding and looking for a wedding photographer? Click here to apply for your date.

CALIFORNIA WEDDINGS

Need a reception venue for your California weddings? Our couples have chosen some of the most beautiful reception spaces! And we love sharing inspiration for Catholic weddings. We love Gilroy Gardens and Clos La Chance Winery if you’re having a Gilroy wedding or Morgan Hill Wedding. And we also love The Glasshouse if you’re getting married in Downtown San Jose. Our couples who got married at St. Cecelia Church in San Francisco had their receptions at the Golden Gate Club and California Golf Club. Still looking for a California wedding photographer? We have availability! Click here to apply for your date.

• 

•