Photography coverage for a micro-wedding of 50 guests or fewer

What we cover at a wedding of 50 guests or fewer

When you are planning a wedding for 50 people or less, generally speaking you are in a much more intimate setting. Most of the guests are your close friends and close family, and that changes the feel of the reception. Things become more flexible, because you do not really have to do all of the so-called wedding formalities.

That includes the first dance, the parent dances, the speeches and the cake cutting. None of them are required. Some couples keep one or two, some skip all of them. Please let us know what needs to be captured and how formal or informal you would like your reception to be.

That conversation tells us which formalities are important to you, so we can plan our positions and timing around them. It also tells us when the celebration has reached the point where we are able to leave the party with everything that matters already photographed.

Why a smaller guest list loosens the evening

A reception for 150 guests runs on a schedule because a DJ, a caterer and a planner are moving a big room from one moment to the next. With 30 or 40 people at a few long tables there is often no MC, and the evening moves at the pace of conversation.

Without the formal structure, the meaningful moments tend to be smaller and closer: a grandmother's toast from her seat, a friend's speech that was never on a program, the two of you slipping out to the patio. We document those connections rather than waiting for scheduled events.

How to brief us before an intimate reception

Before the day, we talk through the reception and write down the moments that count. If there is a toast, tell us who is giving it and roughly when. If you are cutting a cake, we want to know, so we are not across the room at that moment.

The same goes for anything you are deliberately skipping. If there is no first dance, we will not hover near the dance floor waiting for one, and spend that time on candid photographs of your guests instead. Mention informal traditions too, such as a family game or a song.

• List the formalities you are keeping and those you are skipping.
• Name anyone whose moment must not be missed, such as a grandparent.
• Let us know the point after which we are free to leave the party.