You’re counting down the days until you receive your wedding photography gallery. You can’t wait to see the photos taken while you were putting on your dress, during your first look, walking down the aisle, and all of those sunset portraits that you know are going to be gorgeous.

But what most couples are shocked to see is that a lot happened on their wedding day while they weren’t there to see it!

Think about it…. The couple spends much of the day behind closed doors. While getting ready, only a limited number of people are allowed to see you. The doors to the bridal suite are opened and shut quickly as your bridesmaids sneak through the gap.

Sometimes there’s a lot going on that brides and grooms never get to see, and one of my favorite parts about my job as a photographer is getting to show them all of the fun things that happened on their wedding day.

These are all moments that happened at the start of the ceremony before the bride ever entered the room.

Your groom putting on his tie and cufflinks, your grandparents holding hands during a prayer, the reaction from your guests during toasts… so much happens while you aren’t looking!

After all, you’ve spent months (or longer) preparing for your wedding. You’ve planned the decorations, drinks, deserts, and favors. You’ve spent time strategizing where to set up tables and imagining the flow of guests in your venue. You’ve dedicated so much time and effort, because you want it to be awesome, and you want your friends and family to enjoy themselves.

But on your wedding day, there’s a lot to take in. You may have forgotten to notice if your guests played with the board games you set out, or if they enjoyed the cocktail hour tables you debated including.

After your wedding, you’ll have made so many memories. And when you first open the link to your wedding gallery, you expect to see those memories documented, but suddenly you’ll realize that your wedding photos will also let you see what incredible memories other people made too! How amazing is that?

Want even more candid photos of your guests?

The easiest way to get more photos of what’s happening while you’re not around is to have a second photographer! With two photographers, you’ll not only have two perspectives and double the photos during the big important moments, but you’ll also be able to have a photographer in two places at once throughout the whole day.

One photographer with you while you’re getting ready, one with your partner… one photographer photographing your first dance, one photographing your parents’ reactions at they watch from the side of the dance floor… you get the idea!

What Every Couple is Surprised By in Their Wedding Gallery