I’m a pretty organized person, so it’s probably no surprise when I say that during the planning of my wedding I went into hyper-organized mode and generated lots of checklists and worksheets for everyone involved with the ceremony. Every list I made and handed off was one more thing I didn’t have to worry about, so I did it readily. I’ll share more about those lists later (why not subscribe to our feed so you don’t miss any?) but today I’d like to tell you about one of my favorite worksheets — the one I created for my wedding photographer.

I knew the photographer would have no idea who my family members were or what pictures I wanted taken, and I was certainly going to be too busy to tell him during the ceremony, so I wrote it all down. I included lots of details so that the photographer and I were both sure that everything would go off without a hitch.

I’m including my worksheet here for you to download, modify, and use to help plan your wedding.

As you go through the worksheet and customize it, here are a few major points to remember:

1. Be specific — If you’ve got a great idea for a picture with your father by the tree in the back yard that he planted when you were born, then tell your photographer that. Think it through and write it down, so that nothing important is forgotten.
2. Daydream to build your list — How do you build a list of all the shots you want of your wedding? Try daydreaming and imagining the day in your head. Every time your head builds a shot that makes you smile, jot it down. Imagine looking through your album after the wedding is long over. What pictures do you see? A picture of you and your spouse holding hands by a lake? Then put that on your list.
3. Assign a primary contact person — Remember that your photographer has never met your Great Aunt Lucy on your mother’s side, and if you have her on your list, your photographer will need help finding her. Assign a good friend to this task and introduce her to the photographer beforehand, so that he knows he can ask this friend for help if he needs it.
4. Let your photographer know your style — The last page of our worksheet has room to include some sample pictures that you’ve found that you like. These don’t need to be huge pictures (thumbnails will do fine), and don’t expect your photographer to copycat every one. Just include a dozen or so that reflect the style you like, so that your photographer can model your pictures after those when possible.
5. Be reasonable — Don’t write down EVERYTHING that comes to mind. Your photographer is a professional (hopefully!) and will know what he’s doing. He will know that he needs to take pictures of key elements of the ceremony that are common to all weddings, but he won’t know about the specific things that YOU want that are different. Focus your list on those unique shots and let him fill in the rest.