Valeen Thivierge
The rules. Most every church has them, some more than others. I won't begin to go into the rules that my daughter encountered when she was planning her wedding because quite honestly, no one would ever believe them. I do still have the signed 'rule list', but it wouldn't be very nice to post it, just trust me it was beyond anything I'd ever seen or read. So even having said all that, I do still respect the church rules. It was the way I was brought up and in my opinion, it's part of being a professional photographer.
Unfortunately, because some in the past haven't had the respect they should for the ceremony and for where they are, it has made it harder and harder for the rest of us to get all the shots you want during the ceremony. I have talked to priests, ministers, and justices of the peace and other officiants who all would like to accommodate the couple's wishes, but they know what can happen, because it has... and regretfully have had to make these rules.
To me, there is no reason for a photographer to stand over the shoulder of the JP for most of the ceremony to get 'the shot'... or to fire off hundreds of flashes, blinding the minister while he tries to read and annoying everyone in the place too!! Especially when you can get shots like this without a flash and they don't even know you're there!
So on to the biggest rule that nearly every church has. No Flash. Most wedding photographers will tell you that while the lighting in a church is beautiful to look at, it's very difficult to shoot and made even harder with the rules of 'no flash'. We will do what we can with the light we have available and the professional grade cameras that are excellent in low light, but the photographer has to know what to do with it, another reason to hire a pro for your wedding.
Here are a few examples of shots done with 'no flash'...different lighting, different effects. And oh, by the way, I love my Nikon for being a superb low light camera. :)