AOA,
Hi to All, just thought I should introduce myself being a newbie on this forum.
I have been looking at some of these wedding threads for some time now and its absolutely fantastic that you guys are all over the world however you communicate as if you have known each other for years.
ok, back to me then 
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I am male, married, 2 kids, and only 30something… I think thats more than enough about me.
I am based in the UK and run a wedding/events planning company ( I am trying not to mention any particular names so I don’t get into bother from the administrators)
My passion is photography, I am a wedding photographer. I do all types of weddings, british, chinese, african, hindu, sikh and muslim, not done a jewish one yet though???
Can anyone answer this question? Why are pakistani weddings always running at least an hour late here in the UK, minimum???
I would like to offer a few wise words to you potential brides and grooms from a photographers point of view.
nothing is in any particular order as they all work together
1, plan plan and plan
2, everything that is going to happen on the BIGGEST day of your life must be planned to a tee. and this must be informed to the photographer.
3, rehearse as much as you possibly can, I know noone has time but it will definately pay off
4, ask your photographer for advise, for pretty much anything, as they will have seen it all, what will work and what wont.
5, Have an itinerary for the day and make sure your photographer checks this to see if your plan of events will work. i.e. people always seem to cut their wedding cake towards the end of the wedding, why? by this time at least half of your guests have gone home as they have been fed, or they aren’t interested in what’s happening now because they have been at your wedding for hours and the initial buzz of seeing the bride is now over. The wedding cake should be cut before dinner, Ideally just after the bride has made her entrance and everyone’s eyes are still focussed on how stunning she looks and what a gorgeous couple you make. this way you have everyones attention and then the cake can be taken away so it can be cut and served with your desert or tea later. Its that simple.
6, be comfortable, with each other and the photographer, he is capturing the most special day of your life, give him more, as in more opportunities, i.e, talk to each other (bride and groom), make plenty of eye contact, specially when exchanging rings and cutting the cake, it looks fantastic on film and in the pictures. don’t get annoyed if thing are not going to plan, there is absolutely nothing you can do whilst everyone is focusing on you and this makes a terrible picture.
7, plan some time for the photographer in your agenda, a time were there will be just the two of you and the camera.
8, on your walima reception, ask the photographer to take you somewhere nice for photographs before the reception, as this is not always possible on the wedding day and this will also give you a more natural and comfortable settings before you have 500 guests to deal with.
9, make sure you get yourself a decent album, take longer to pick it up if it helps you save some more money, your photographer should agree to this.
10, Be fussy, very fussy, on who you hire, as its too late afterwards, this goes for anyone who you hire to do any pat of your wedding.
11, try and choose a venue which has character and gardens, as this will give you great natural backgrounds for your pictures.
12, try and get as many pictures done outside as possible, much better than your typical indoor shoots
13, be adventurus or even daring when possible, after all it is your wedding day and not everyone has to see all the pictures do they?
14, have a written contract with your photographer, outlining what services will be provided and what extra charges can be added. I hear so many scary stories, seriously, and to think, weddings are not cheap and then your told that your package did not include things that are pretty standard as one would expect.
15, check with your photographer how he backs up his work, i.e, what if his hard drive fails or his laptop gets stolen, after all, you only get married once.
the list can go on and on ( a bit like me:D)
in other words, although your photographer is not there to plan your big day, they can certainly let you know from their artistic eyes what will look good and what will look spectacularly great.
I think being married to a make-up artist actually helps. I get to know the brides before the wedding day when they come to see us at our studios but thats an advantage for me. You should get to know your photographer beforehand so he knows your personalty and he can understand what your likes and dislikes are, this will help him capture your wedding the way it suits you best.
I hope some of the above makes sense and helps some of you,
if you have any questions please let me know i would be happy to help if I can.
any comments good or bad let me know
Affysmooth