Wedding gatecrashing photography brief

Gatecrashing, sometimes called door games, is a lively custom some families and couples choose to hold when the groom's party arrives at the bride's home or hotel room. Whether you hold it, how long it runs and what it includes are decisions for the couple and their families. This page helps you brief a photographer. It belongs to our guide to Chinese wedding occasions.

Which activities are you holding?

Start with the list. Write what will happen, in the order you expect. Include who leads, who takes part on each side and when you expect the door to open. If you have not decided, say so, and tell us who will.

We do not suggest games. Our job is to photograph the ones you choose, in the way you want them recorded. Our guide to keeping wedding games comfortable for participants explains how to agree boundaries.

What is the reveal moment?

For most couples, the key moments are the arrival of the groom's party, the first glimpse as the door opens and the first meeting. These cannot be repeated naturally, so the photographer must be ready.

Tell us which of these matter most. If there is a private first meeting, see our guide to photographing a door game and private first meeting, which looks at how to plan it.

Where will people stand?

A doorway and a corridor are tight spaces. The groom's party often crowds the corridor, the bride's side holds the door and the photographer needs a view of both. Share a photo or plan of the space. We then suggest positions that give a view of the door and the reveal without blocking anyone.

Ask the host about common areas, lifts and noise. If the setting is a shared building, our guide to gatecrashing photographs in a shared residential building covers permission, neighbours and access.

Can moments be repeated?

Some moments flow once and cannot be repeated without feeling staged. Others, such as a handshake or a first look, can be repeated if you wish. Decide your preference in advance. Our guide to deciding which moments can be repeated for photographs lists options.

If you prefer that nothing is restaged, tell us. We work with what happens and do not ask anyone to do it again.

What are the boundaries?

Photographs should only show what people were comfortable with. Tell us if any participant prefers not to be photographed, if any game involves something participants have declined or if some moments are meant to stay private.

Name one person to speak for the couple during the games. They can tell us quietly if a boundary needs to be respected.

A hypothetical example

Imagine a couple planning a set of door games at the bride's apartment at 8.30am. The bridesmaids lead three activities, the groom's friends take part, and the door opens at about 9.15am. The couple wants the arrival, two of the games and the reveal. They prefer that one activity is not photographed because a friend is uncomfortable. We would plan a position at the end of the corridor, arrive before the groom's party and rely on the bridesmaid in charge to tell us when the final door is about to open.

Questions to ask whoever leads the games

• How many activities are planned, and which is the longest?
• Which activity is the most likely to change on the day?
• When will the door open, and who gives the signal?
• Which participants have agreed to appear in photographs?

Their answers help us place the camera before the groom's party arrives, and they show whether the time you have set is realistic.

What to tell the photographer

• The games and the order you expect
• Who takes part on each side
• What must not be photographed
• The location and building rules
• A contact who speaks for the couple
• How long the activities are expected to take

Our team reads the brief and confirms coverage and positions in your written quotation. Use our priority photograph list builder to rank the moments.