No flash photography during the ceremony?

This is one of the reasons a good photographer costs more. "Faster" glass costs more money. A faster piece of glass lets you shoot in lower light to get the photos you want. The professional grade cameras we use also help that by having less "noise" (graininess) when moving the ISO up for shooting in darker environments.

And no, a high quality camera and piece of glass, you don't need a flash.

Here is a picture of my little guy playing with my newest camera (Canon 5d mk II) in complete darkness, only the xmas lights, no flash:

Thank you both SO much! I was really worried for a moment that I would end up with horrible pictures becaue of the "no flash" rule.

Danielle, this is where having a professional photographer is vitally important...when there is no flash allowed. There are 2 pieces of our equipment that allow us to shoot in low light. The professional camera body has a highly sensitive image sensor that allows it to capture images in low light. A lens with a large aperture (opening) is the second piece...it allows more light into the camera. The two combined allow us to shoot in low light conditions. (this is why we charge so much...$$$ equipment to do this) A tripod also helps. Consumer point & shoot cameras won't work in this situation...the sensor is too small, not sensitive enough, & the aperture is not open enough. I'm curious as to how dark the interior of your church is? Is your ceremony during the day when ambient light can come through the windows or is it at night. You definitely want to let your photographer know about the rules if they haven't shot there before. If you have a pro, you have no worries.

Here is a shot from a venue that had a no flash, and no "working" in front of the last occupied row of pews:

Some venues will end up being flash in/flash out, meaning that you can use it while the bridal party is coming and going. Some venues don't even allow ANY photography during the ceremony!

Thanks Brian! I actually entered that shot in a couple contests. The photos that beat me, weren't impressive. I have no problem admitting/admiring a good piece of work, and they just weren't as good. Oh well.

There are certainly aspects of both of the big two that I'd like to combine into one body! The number of AF points on the Nikon namely!

That picture turned out AMAZING without any flash! I'll be sure to give my photographer a heads-up about this rule. And fortunately the wedding is at 4:00 in the afternoon and the church has a bunch of stainglass windows & the interior of the church is all light stone... which I guess would probably be better than a dark wood interior.

And FWIW, the wedding picture I posted, is on my old camera body (I put my fast zoom on a backup body which I have on me in addition to my main camera body), that is 3 years old now. Bodies released in the last year are stellar when it comes to low light.

Thank you all for putting my mind at ease... I was REALLY worried!

Awesome shot Cathy! Yours, too Matt!

Fortunately most churches I've shot in had decent lighting, but yes, your professional photographer should be able to shoot in low light situations.

Make sure you ask your photographer if they are prepared for low light, and inform them on the rules and regulations. This is something they should ask anyway, and they probably will. Even if flash is allowed, I rarely ever use my flash during the ceremony. And if I do, it's on a couple of light stands aimed at the ceiling, so it's not even on my camera.

But yes, it'll be fine! There are worse rules, like the photographer not being able to cross the threshold and only being able to use the balcony. In those cases, I have my wife sit with the guests with a lower end slr to capture the good stuff the best she can from one angle.