Phone during the ceremony?

Keep it in your bag. I photograph the ceremony anyway, and my pictures should show your faces, not your screens. Anyone filming from the aisle is standing exactly where the couple should be seen during the entrance and the exchange of rings.

Please not during the ceremony. A flash interrupts the moment and often washes out the very frame I am taking at that second.

Group photos: what helps?

Stay close when the couple has planned group photos, and come over when your group is called. Put your glass, bag and sunglasses aside for a moment. Each group then takes a minute or two, and the couple is back with you quickly.

Turn slightly away from the camera, put your weight on the back leg and keep your arms from pressing against your body. Bring your chin a little forward, not up. And keep looking at the camera while I am still shooting, not at your neighbour yet.

Just celebrate. The best guest pictures happen when you forget I am there: laughing at the table, during the speeches, on the dance floor.

How much money do you give at a wedding?

A rule of thumb in Austria: per person, roughly what your seat at the dinner costs. For acquaintances that is around €100 per person, for close friends €150 or more, for family usually well above that. Couples often give €200 to €300. Add a card with a few personal lines. If the couple has a gift list or a wish, follow it.

What does the dress code mean?

Black tie: dinner suit and evening dress. Cocktail: dark suit, a dress around knee to calf length. Formal or elegant: suit and tie, a dress or an elegant trouser suit. Tracht welcome: dirndl, lederhosen or a traditional suit, mostly at country weddings in Austria. If the invitation says nothing, dressing formally is never wrong.

White, cream and ivory belong to the bride, unless the couple asks for it. In the photographs, a second light dress stands out immediately.

Plus-ones and children?

Only if they are named on the invitation. Reply by the date given. The couple plans seats, food and often the group photos around your answer.

Ask the couple. Some want their own pictures to be seen first, or prefer no photos online at all. Posting the wedding dress before the ceremony is off limits.

For wedding guests

A guest at a wedding

I have been photographing people for more than 20 years and cover weddings in Vienna and abroad. That means I see the day from every row, including the back one. Here is what helps guests: with the photos, the gift and the dress code.

A view down the ceremony room with guests seated

In the photographs

Later on, the couple will look for you in the pictures. A few small things make the difference.

Phone during the ceremony?: Keep it in your bag. I photograph the ceremony anyway, and my pictures should show your faces, not your screens. Anyone filming from the aisle is standing exactly where the couple should be seen during the entrance and the exchange of rings.
Flash?: Please not during the ceremony. A flash interrupts the moment and often washes out the very frame I am taking at that second.
Group photos: what helps?: Stay close when the couple has planned group photos, and come over when your group is called. Put your glass, bag and sunglasses aside for a moment. Each group then takes a minute or two, and the couple is back with you quickly.
How should I stand?: Turn slightly away from the camera, put your weight on the back leg and keep your arms from pressing against your body. Bring your chin a little forward, not up. And keep looking at the camera while I am still shooting, not at your neighbour yet.
And at the party?: Just celebrate. The best guest pictures happen when you forget I am there: laughing at the table, during the speeches, on the dance floor.

Marco & Laura · Palais Coburg, Vienna, Austria · Wedding photography by Marina Danilova

Guest etiquette in brief

The questions guests ask most often.

Guests at the illuminated wedding table at night

How much money do you give at a wedding?: A rule of thumb in Austria: per person, roughly what your seat at the dinner costs. For acquaintances that is around €100 per person, for close friends €150 or more, for family usually well above that. Couples often give €200 to €300. Add a card with a few personal lines. If the couple has a gift list or a wish, follow it.
What does the dress code mean?: Black tie: dinner suit and evening dress. Cocktail: dark suit, a dress around knee to calf length. Formal or elegant: suit and tie, a dress or an elegant trouser suit. Tracht welcome: dirndl, lederhosen or a traditional suit, mostly at country weddings in Austria. If the invitation says nothing, dressing formally is never wrong.
Can I wear white?: White, cream and ivory belong to the bride, unless the couple asks for it. In the photographs, a second light dress stands out immediately.
Plus-ones and children?: Only if they are named on the invitation. Reply by the date given. The couple plans seats, food and often the group photos around your answer.
Can I post photos?: Ask the couple. Some want their own pictures to be seen first, or prefer no photos online at all. Posting the wedding dress before the ceremony is off limits.

A black-and-white photograph of the wedding dance surrounded by guests

Getting married yourselves?

Then write to me. I cover weddings in Vienna and abroad as reportage, with calmly composed couple portraits in between. The portfolio shows what that looks like.

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