and websites. Organizations for wedding videogra-
phers appeared in synch with the technology—the
first Wedding Video Exposition was held in 1991
and the Wedding and Event Videographers Asso-
ciation was organized in 1994.
Today the wedding photography industry faces
new challenges such as digital processes that may
replace traditional technologies. With the increas-
ing use and availability of home VCRs, video cam-
eras, and computers, wedding videos have become
a standard expectation for many couples. Video
and computer technologies have altered traditional
practice making it possible for couples to select
images and design albums on the computer.
The professional responsibilities of wedding pho-
tographers are complex and serious given the sym-
bolic enormity of the marriage rite to most couples.
Not only must these images meet all expectations in
terms of technical achievement, they must also cap-
ture more indefinable realms such as ‘‘romance’’ and
‘‘beauty.’’ The wedding photographer must work in
various locations, keep to budget, allow for the busy
schedules of the couples, all while negotiating the
relationships between couples’ family and friends. A
sensitivity to the dynamics of human psychology can
be as valuable as technical knowledge.
Wedding photography is far more than a history
of photographic technologies; it is also intimately
tied to social history and change, ethnicity, gender,
and economics. Despite rising divorce rates, the
ritual of marriage endures as one of the most cen-
tral rites of passage in a person’s life. And while
ritual may be more secular in today’s world, many
couples still pay photographers hundreds or thou-
sands of dollars to package and codify this rite.
Clients are told in industry publications to spend
about 10% of their total wedding costs on photo-
graphy. At the end of the twentieth century in the
United States, the average costs of wedding photo-
graphy and videography are at about $2,000.
Across the globe, wedding costs, including those
for photography and video, have generally in-
creased. Average middle class weddings in the Uni-
ted Arab Emirates can cost more than 50,000
pounds; in fact, a state Marriage Fund was insti-
tuted to help offset expenses while discouraging
mixed marriages (men applying for these funds
must marry Emirati women).
Wedding photographers must also contemplate
each shot within the totality of a final (and often
lucrative) product—the wedding album. Each
wedding photographer’s success depends on cap-
turing a succession of expected images that create a
filmic totality from the day’s beginning to end.
Wedding photographers typically maintain rights
to the negatives and oversee the processing of each
image, providing ‘‘proofs’’ to their clients.
Most albums enshrine approximately 20 to 40
images that relay the loosely-scripted ‘‘story’’ and
highlights of the marriage day. Stages in the rite of
passage are typically documented in images of pre-
parations for the event, to the solemn taking of
vows, to the celebratory reception with its symbolic
events (such as cutting and eating the cake, throwing
the bouquet, etc.). Given the plethora of individual
expectations, religious proscriptions, economic and
social or ethnic factors, tremendous variety exists in
wedding albums since all weddings vary depending
on the country and individual cultural practices. In
India, rituals and customs shift considerably bet-
ween Hindu, Gujaratyi, Punjabi, or Tamil wed-
dings. Some Muslim weddings forbid the use of
photography and video altogether, whiles others
do not. Increasing numbers of Japanese couples
seek ‘‘western-style’’ weddings (versus the tradi-
tional Shinto ceremony); however, they often reject
the rituals of garter throwing and wedded couple’s
kiss so common in American wedding albums.
The wedding photographer’s role, in any cul-
ture, is to make our ritualized behaviors and
beliefs observable in tangible form. They capture
the material culture of marriage (attire, food,
rings, etc.) while attempting, at their best, to create
visual metaphors affirming the institutions of mar-
riage and family. Wedding photography also func-
tions at mnemonic and sociological levels since
ritual behaviors and values are reaffirmed in sub-
sequent viewings.
Given the enormous difficulties faced by success-
ful wedding photographers (negotiating family
members, creating visual ideas, and mastering com-
plex technologies), it is surprising that they have
occupied a rather low place in photographic hier-
archies and that little academic attention has been
paid to their work. Even so, their images occupy a
special place in many homes across the world.
LiliCorbusBeznerSeealso:Vernacular PhotographyFurther Reading
Bezner, Lili Corbus. ‘‘‘A Shining Language:’ Wedding
Photography Today.’’Visual Resources: An Interna-
tional Journal of DocumentationXVIII, no. 1 (2002).
Browne, Ray B., ed.Rituals and Ceremonies in Popular
Culture. Bowling Green, OH: Bowling Green University
Popular Press, 1980.
Cantrell, Bambi.The Art of Wedding Photography: Profes-
sional Techniques With Style. New York: Watson-Gup-
till Publications, 2000.WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY