Do you have an upcoming wedding?

Are you plagued by restless nights and days full of "what if" scenarios playing out in your head?

Don't worry, if you are like most people in the midst of planning your wedding day, you should know that almost everyone worries about potential problems or downright disasters. It's common enough, but here's the thing - not many people take any steps to ensure those worst case scenarios DON'T play out.

Why not?

Are you clear about the rules and guidelines associated with wedding photography?

For instance, what are the essential shots?

What does the photographer actually shoot?

Can they also do video?

There is a lot to know about wedding photography. And whether you are someone just beginning to plan a wedding or someone eager to work as a wedding photographer, there are a few "must know" rules that will benefit be of tremendous benefit to you.

These are rules that apply to the before, during and after periods of the wedding, and they are not about getting the best shots. Instead, these rules emphasize such things as disaster avoidance, meeting expectations, troubleshooting ahead of the big day, and ideas about amateur shots, too.

In other words, they are rules that also answer some of the biggest and most important questions.

Like what?

Well, let's start with what ends up being a major area of concern for lots of couples - discomfort in front of the camera on their wedding day. Have you ever seen a series of photos of a couple and wondered why one or both looked awkward, odd or unnatural in terms of their body position and facial expression?

It is probably due to the fact that they had never had much experience in front of the camera and were surprised by the discomfort of being the main focus of a day of photography.

What's the answer? Let's find out…

Have you recently become engaged or decided to set a date and "tie the knot"?

If so, you are probably feeling a lot of different emotions, and one of them might be panic.

After all, choosing the date is easy; it is bringing together the millions of little pieces that make up the wedding day that can be such a challenge. Perhaps you have a friend or family member who showed you their perfect wedding timeline, or you've already gone online looking for a template for the perfect wedding timeline instead?

Planning a wedding and starting to feel overwhelmed by all of the "helpful tips and tricks for a flawless and unforgettable wedding day that no one will ever forget"?

Sigh…Burnout is a real thing for those planning a wedding, and it can occur at any time - even if as you just get started. While the Internet is ripe with all kinds of advice for the would-be wedding planners, not all of it is realistic or useful.

As an example, spend an hour on Pinterest and you'll initially feel inspired, then a bit overwhelmed, and then you might find yourself thinking about eloping.

There is information overload at every point of planning a wedding and whether it is the location, the favors, the food, the décor, the music, the clothes…well, let's just say that you should have at least ten actually useful and effective tips as you get started.

If you have been planning your wedding, it is likely that it has taken up a lot of your time.

It is probably also taking up a lot of space in your thoughts. It can be such an all-consuming process that it even intrudes on sleep and dreams; with lots of couples saying they've experienced a few nightmares about wedding day disasters.

While our dreams toss out bizarre variations on "disasters" such as forgetting to wear pants, everyone showing up in diving suits and limousines being replaced by roller skates, there are some actual wedding day disaster scenarios.

Many couples can share tales of unexpected issues that sabotaged their long-planned event, and to help you be a bit more forewarned and with some backup plans, we offer you these wedding day disasters to actually plan for (and work around if they strike).

You've gotten engaged and even set a wedding date - that's a huge achievement, but now the real work of "getting married" begins. 

"Oh," you say with a wry smile, "We're hiring a wedding planner to tackle it all." 

Okay, that's a great idea, but there are a lot of things most of us don't know about the entire wedding planning process, and one of the biggest is that (even with a pro wedding planner) it is never "hands off" or "effortless".

So, whether you are going the professional wedding planner route, planning your wedding with some professional support, or making it an entirely DIY affair, there is one thing you must know before it all begins. And that is the point we just made above:

Wedding planning is a time consuming and challenging task regardless of how it is done.

Of course, as with so many other things in life, if you accept and expect challenges, it makes them much easier to tackle when they appear. That is why I'd like to offer you the following list of "things no one tells you about wedding planning".

Some of them are going to be a surprise and some might seem not all that shocking, but still extremely valuable. Let's start with a sort of reiteration or expansion of our main point: