For planners, coordinators & venues

Everything you need to brief me, on one page

How I arrive, how I work the day, what I need from you (very little), the insurance your venue will ask for, and a date check that doesn’t make you fill in a couple’s form.

3 hoursBefore the ceremony, I’m there
30 minIs all the group photos take
£5mPublic liability, certificate below
1 personMe, a small bag, no lights

The day, from your side of it

I photograph weddings as they happen, so the honest answer to “what do you need from us?” is: not much. I don’t run a shoot in the middle of your schedule. I need the ceremony time, the venue, and to be told when the big moments move. That’s it.

Arrival
About three hours before the ceremony, usually with the couple getting ready. If they’re getting ready off-site I’ll come to the venue for the ceremony with time to spare.
Groups
Half an hour, straight after confetti. The couple and I agree eight to ten combinations beforehand; I’ll ask you or the ushers to help gather people. A patch of open shade near the drinks reception is ideal.
The couple
Three slots of fifteen minutes — after the ceremony, just before the meal is called, and at sunset. I’ll tell you the sunset time for the date; that one’s the one worth protecting.
The meal
I photograph the room and the tables, then stand down while food is served. No table needed — wherever the other suppliers are eating is perfect, and whatever they’re having is fine.
Speeches
Shot from the guests’ side as much as the top table. If speeches move, a nudge from you is all I need.
Finish
There’s no coverage end time. I stay until the dancefloor has properly gone, usually around 10pm.
Kit
Two Sony A9 III bodies on me, two A9 II bodies in the bag as backup, and prime lenses only — 24, 50, 85, 135mm. Silent shutter all day and no flash until the dancefloor. No tripods, no light stands. I’m in the corners, not the aisle.
Your power
Never used — everything runs on battery. There is nothing of mine to PAT test and no certificate for you to chase.
Your rooms
Nothing gets moved. If a room is dressed, that is how it gets photographed, and I will never hold up a ceremony or a service to finish a picture.
The files
Both cameras record to two cards at once, and the day is backed up again on site as it runs. The wedding exists in three places before I leave the building.
If I were ill
Covered contractually, with second shooters I work with regularly who can step in. It has not happened in fifteen years.
Drone
Only with the venue’s say-so. Flown briefly during the drinks reception, within CAA rules, never over guests, and covered by the insurance below. If the venue prefers no drone, that’s the end of it.
On the day
Call or WhatsApp me on 07590 192914 — I answer it, not an assistant.

Insurance, without having to ask

£5 million public liability plus professional indemnity, carried inside the price. The current certificate is always at the link below — it points at the live document, so if your file is from last year, this one won’t be.

Download the certificate

Photographs for your venue

If I’ve photographed a wedding at your venue, ask and I’ll send a set of high-resolution images of the place — the rooms, the grounds, the details — for your website and socials, at no cost. The only thing I ask is a credit to @mattwingphoto and that images of a couple are only used where they’ve said yes to sharing (it’s a question in every contract, so I’ll know).

I tag the venue in everything I post, and I’m happy to be on your recommended-supplier list with a page like this one written for your venue.

Venues I already know

Repeat weddings at Gaynes Park, The Orangery, The Green in Cornwall, Lusty Glaze, Braxted Park, Blake Hall, Gosfield Hall, Apton Hall, Hengrave Hall, Swynford Manor and Northbrook Park, among others. If you are not on that list and would like to be, that is rather the point of this page.

Checking a date for a client

You shouldn’t have to fill in a couple’s enquiry form to ask if I’m free. Put the date in; I’ll tell you straight away. If it’s free, message me with the couple’s names and I’ll hold it while you talk to them.

Tell me about the couple

A planner who’s read this page can brief me in one message. WhatsApp is quickest; email if you’d rather have it in writing.

WhatsApp Matt matt@mattwing.co.uk