whats more important, getting ready or the reception pics
Question Asked: 31/07/2025
Wedding Date: 9/08/2018
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(12) · Brisbane, Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast, servicing all of South East Queensland.
Posted: 26/06/2026
Answered by: 6 Experts
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(4) · Sydney, Blue Mountains, Hunter Valley, and the Southern Highlands
Posted: 8/11/2025
I would say reception photos. Reception has many iconic parts of the day including speeches, first dance, dance floor, tablescapes, and more. Many couples also change into a second look too that provides more photo opportunities as well.
As other's have said, clearly very subjective but a couple points might help. The getting ready photos can be a part of the day to have some more mindful moments of anticipation and building excitement. Depending on the approach of the chosen photographer, this can lead some very intimate photos where the art and style of the photographer can show though. This is amplified if the venue selected for getting ready lends itself to photography. It's helpful to choose a room/ location what offers the best natural light for the time of day/ year of your getting ready and if possible enables the process of story telling.
On the other hand, if you're venue options for getting ready are more limited and not really well suited for photography, I.e a small house or room, it might be better to go bigger on the reception with a more fun, candid approach.
Hope that helps.
Personally I think the reception photos are where the magic truly happens. While getting-ready shots are beautiful the reception is where the energy shifts—guests are relaxed, laughter fills the room, and unforgettable candid moments unfold.
I absolutely love capturing the raw, unscripted emotions that come out during heartfelt speeches—tears, joy, laughter—all the little moments that show just how much love there is.
From the grand entrance, the first dance, father-daughter dance, to the cake cutting, bouquet toss, garter toss, and even fun games.There's a story in every part of the evening. And as the night winds down, we can sneak away for some romantic night shots under the stars.
These are the memories you’ll cherish forever—and I’m there to make sure not a single moment is missed.
Hey - great question! Having recently had my daughter's wedding, the reception pics were great in that you get to see moment and feelings that you wouldn't have without the pics. At the getting ready, you are there and witness all moments.
Bestever.pics is great because you can collect in original size, all those moments which your friends and family capture on their phones. They just have to scan our Custom Event QR Code with any phone and upload. It's that simple. Check out our packages or drop us a line. We are happy to help. Our starter package is about the price of a reasonbable bottle of wine.
Cheers
Robert (Co-Founder)
Its a very subjective question and really depends on personal prefrences. Generally the only people at the morning prep re the bride, the bridesmaids and the brides family so although these do present a very relaxed an meaningful start to wonderful day the reception is where all the guests will be including obviously the groom and groomsmen, the reception can be full of formailities such as speeches, cake cutting, fun games and of course the first dance. So afain it really depends on what is your priority.
There is a 3rd way that encapsulates the later part of the morning prep and first part of reception that can be photographed for the same amount of photo coverage so you get a bit of both and we can be clever with time allocation too. Best of luck with it all !
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Honestly, both earn their place for different reasons, so the real question is what kind of memories matter most to you. Getting ready is where the quiet, emotional moments live: your mum doing up your buttons, reading a letter from your partner, the nervous laughter with your bridesmaids. The reception is the opposite energy, full of speeches, the first dance and guests letting loose. Neither is more important on its own, they just tell different chapters of the same day.
If I had to nudge you, I'd say the getting ready moments are the ones most couples underestimate and later wish they'd captured properly. The reception will always be a bit of a blur for you because you're being pulled in every direction, but the calm of the morning is something you'll only ever see again through photos. That said, the reception is where your whole guest list finally appears in your gallery, so there's a strong case for it too.
Here's the practical bit: you rarely have to choose all or nothing. We can shoot a tighter window of getting ready, coming in once hair and makeup are nearly done and the light in the room is at its best, then redirect those hours to the reception, or the other way around. A quick chat about your run sheet usually sorts out a balance that covers both without blowing out your hours.
One thing worth knowing whichever way you lean: because we edit every photo in-house ourselves, the feel of your morning images and your reception images stays consistent across the whole gallery, so the day reads as one story rather than two halves shot by different hands.