Is it tacky for him to carry his camera around? I'm not talking while going down the aisle or during the ceremony. Of course I wouldn't do that. (although, I did think about wearing a GoPro chest harness, but decided against it)
How about a quick cell phone selfie before we start?
That's what you pay your photographer for, dude :-) I suppose a cell-phone selfie wouldn't hurt if you were out of sight of the waiting crowd, but... If you're talking about during the reception, you'll have way too much going on to be shooting pictures. In my opinion anyway.
When my daughter was married back in 2007 I was banned from taking my dslr, however I did carry a point & shoot to capture shots after the ceremony. Being father of the bride you have to spend most of the time socialising, so you are on the inside rather than on the outside. I still managed to get quite a few shots though.
To me, there is a big difference emotionally between images I would pay a photographer to take of my daughters wedding and those pictures I would take. The paid photographer takes pictures that record the day. I take pictures that will have a special bond between me and my daughter and to an extent, our family because as good as a paid photographer might be, they can't know what is deep down important to me. Yes, I would take my camera and you can bet I'll enjoy the day as well as the pictures I take that day.
FWIW - With my daughter's dance performances, I pick one of the three or four they do, and leave the camera at home, and just enjoy it. Everything looks different through the viewfinder, thinking about what to shoot, how to shoot it.
No matter how good of a photographer you are, the camera will never capture all the nuances of the occasion. And your memory of the event is what is really important.
My wife & I did a special reception after we came back from the honeymoon closer to where her parents lived - she put on the wedding dress, and I took pictures of her, and folks who couldn't come to the wedding came and we enjoyed a very nice celebration without the stress of the wedding day.
Now, if we can just get this cold front to move a little faster and get this rain out of here, so this thing can happen outdoors as planned. Everyone west of me, please start blowing toward the east. Thanks, it's appreciated.
