15 Minutes??

Let me start by saying I love my dear, sweet fiance but sometimes his ideas/expectations especially when it comes to the wedding make me laugh and shake my head. Last night we were reviewing the initial pricing we received from one of the caterers I contacted. He was concerned because they didn't include the pricing for the Raw Seafood Bar which is an additional option that they offer per their menu online. I explained to him that this was just an initial proposal to show us some basic pricing and we can add/delete things later.

This transitioned us into a conversation about the post ceremony pictures/cocktail hour. The Raw Seafood Bar that he wants to add will probably be around $1,000 extra which I'm not thrilled about but I know how much he loves oysters and shrimp and all that comes with it. I pointed out to him that if we get this for the Cocktail hour there is a good chance he won't be able to really sample much of it because we'll be busy taking pictures. However I did mention the idea of having someone bring him a plate while the pictures are going on. Actually I think we might end up just including this during the dinner portion.

That's when he explained that our post ceremony pictures should only take 15 minutes! 15 minutes! Now I must say I'm not personally a fan of having a lot of posed pictures with every family and wedding party combination imaginable (I prefer the photojournalistic approach) and I do plan to take as many pictures before the ceremony as possible. With that said I also know that taking even the most basic posed pictures will still take time. It's not like a photographer places you, snaps one shot and moves on. They usually take several of each pose. Not to mention it takes time to organize and pose everyone, especially right after the ceremony when everyone will be excited and talking, hugging etc. I also pointed out that while I don't want/need a lot of posed family and wedding party shots I do want to take many with just he and I. One of the great things about our venue is that it's a very large property with numerous photogenic spots and I want to take advantage of that.

I tried to explain that one of the main reasons to have a cocktail hour is to give the guests something to do while pictures are being taken. He wants to spend that time drinking and chatting with our guests, which I understand and agree with. However, pictures are very important to me and we will have the rest of the night to drink, eat and socialize.

He insists this shouldn't take more than 20 minutes. I think he's nuts. We'll see who ends up being right.