PHOTOGRAPHER & VIDEOGRAPHY GUIDELINES
Weddings are something in which we take great joy in our parish, and part of that is making sure that all involved know the layout of the space and to be sure that expectations of all are properly set and understood. Sweetest Heart of Mary is steeped in culture with 135 years of tradition and beauty. Please take a moment to read through the guidelines below - adhering to them will ensure that everything goes smoothly for everyone. We have had almost exclusively positive experiences with our photography guests, and look forward to meeting and working with you!
ACCESS TO THE CHOIR LOFT: If you would like to come to the choir loft (the elevated space in the rear of the church) please be sure you speak to Ron, our music director BEFORE the wedding. He is am almost always in a red polo and black pants. To gain access to this space, you MUST connect before 5-10 minutes before the wedding begins. Between 5 & 10 minutes before the wedding starts, the doors to the loft will be LOCKED if no one has inquired about access, and this will remain for the duration of the wedding. If you have arranged access, please follow the instructions given, but the following area always true:
Stationary equipment may be set up in the loft, but MUST be unmanned/remote.
Personnel may come up to the loft a few times to get important moments, but may not remain in the loft for extended periods of the wedding. This space is for the musicians (even if it’s just the organist) and it’s important that that space be focused on that purpose.
Our church does have its own video camera and live streaming setup. We do record many events in the church, including weddings, so please know that this is happening and just be aware of the equipment. You might see this being set up before the wedding, especially if it’s the first event of the day. It is also one of the ways in which our organist can maintain an awareness of what is happening during the wedding, (when you see where the organ is located and it’s orientation, you’ll understand!) so we ask that you not block those cameras.
AUDIO - There is NO access to the church’s sound system. We realize this is a cause for frustration for some, but experience has guided us to not connect to or make modifications to our system in any way. The groom will have a mic placed on his so he can be heard in the church during the vows. If you’d like to connect with Ron ahead of time (before the day of the wedding) it is possible to make arrangements for a multichannel audio master of the ceremony.
STAGING AREA - The best place to use as a staging area is in the BACK of the church, on he same side you came in on. There is a more open area there by the confessionals that is perfect for assembling equipment, etc. This also avoids blocking higher traffic areas in the church by storing equipment in the center and front sections. There is at least one power outlet available to you there should you fine you need one.
The experience of all guests and worshippers is very important to us, as well as maintaining the safety of all those inside our church. Plus, as stated, we try to maintain a reverent atmosphere in our church, and we simply ask that guests honor that culture and tradition. We know that each church and culture has their specific traditions, but when it comes to how our space is revered, we just ask that you honor and respect ours. As such, we do have some restrictions as to which spaces are accessible to any guests, and where equipment can be placed (tripods, etc). Some places are simply off limits, others it depends on when, so please take a moment and read below. Likely, you will find these to be straightforward and simple, and many hundreds of weddings have been successfully photographed over the years! Please be aware that not honoring these restrictions could result in a loss of the deposit placed on the church by the couple.
BEFORE THE WEDDING you are pretty much free to go where you like to get any footage of the space. Just be aware of other preparations happening as the wedding gets closer to beginning. Remember, this is a great time to find Ron to arrange any desired access to the choir loft in the back of the church!
DURING THE WEDDING:
NO personnel or equipment is allowed beyond or on the communion rail for any reason at ANY time until the entire wedding service has concluded, including devotions on the side altars (ie “Flower to Mary”). This includes tripods, unmanned cameras, etc. That is considered sacred space and is reserved only for those participating in the wedding.
During the procession: Handheld cameras are allowed in the front between the columns and center aisle, but NO TRIPODS are allowed under any circumstances. Genuflection toward the altar is part of the procession, and we want them to be able to genuflect to the Altar of Christ, not the photographer.
IMPORTANT: After the procession and during the entirety of the ceremony: The center aisle in front of the cross aisle to the communion rail is to be kept clear at all times. No equipment is to be placed in between the large columns in the front, but as long as the center aisle is kept clear, a handheld camera may be brought in momentarily and subtly between those columns to get a special moment. To clarify, this also means you may not place cameras on the floor anywhere between the columns in the front, or in the center aisle in the front half of the church. Also, we ask that you not disturb guests in the pews and allow them to enjoy those moment, too!
DURING COMMUNION: Please keep the front and center aisle clear at all time to avoid interfering with guests receiving communion (which is done at the communion rail).
Your time for posed photography will be AFTER the wedding - and we will be happy to assist you in that (see below). DO NOT take posed pictures before the recession, save them for after during your alotted 30 minutes. This may be new for some photographers, please take this into consideration when planning how you will photograph the wedding.
During the recession, you may be in the center aisle to get pictures, but please do not lengthen the ceremony in any way (stopping the procession, interrupting the final moments of the services for any reason). This helps keep the day’s schedule on time!
AFTER the wedding you have 30 minutes to get any posed photographs you want. You are allowed to use that time as you see fit! We will try to assist you with the noise level in the church to assist you in doing that job (the acoustics are not kind to photographers!). You are absolutely allowed to set up any lighting that you need to make your pictures the best that they can be! Often there will be another event after, so we do ask that you adhere to the 30 minute timeline. If there is any sort of announcements that we can make to assist you in this, please let us know!
It is important to know that we have a STRICT NO DRONE policy for our church (this includes inside the church, and outside as well). Literally millions of dollars of stained glass windows alone…. :-)
Our wedding coordinators are volunteers, and they may approach you if there are any issues with the above guidelines during the wedding. Please don’t take offense as none is intended! It’s a lot to remember! If someone is asked to move or move equipment, we trust that will happen quickly.
Above all, we just ask that you remember that you are in a house of worship that is very important and sacred to many people. We are happy to help you preserve this magnificent event for your clients, with a mutual understanding of respect for this 130 year old church!
As with any set of guidelines, these have been developed over the last 10 years at least and after about 850+ weddings. These guidelines insure that those present are able to feel present for the ceremony, that the liturgy and sacred spaces are revered and honored according to our traditions and culture, and that the safety of all present is ensured. I know this basically feels like a list of “don’t”s but many churches as old as ours simply deny all access to some of these locations, or prohibit videography/photography altogether, so we are so grateful for your cooperation in helping us accommodate everyone involved!