Need help with wedding

[PhotoGimp]

I have been asked to shoot a friends wedding as they cannot afford a "real" photographer. My first one! Their original idea was to have disposibles on the tables, and then they heard I was into it and saw some of my work and asked. Now I have everything planned(yeah, like it will go as planned!) am going to check out hall(not in a church, so flash should be okay) a week early to check layout, lighting etc, and meet with the couple to find out exactly the kind of shots they want, particulars etc, have 2 bodies(1 dig, 1 film) 3 flashes and my wife to help, the only problem being I only have a 50 1.8 and 70-200 in that range (as I mostly do macro and wildlife), and have a gut feeling it won't be enough, anyone who has experience with weddings, and has an opinion on what will work, your advice would be great, and any other tips too! Sincerely.
Scared S>%tless

[10kman]

The 50 you mention is plenty fast enough for indoor shots, your 70-200 could be fast enough as well, assuming it's a 2.8.

If you are shooting DSLR, you have a crop factor, so the 50 will really be closer to an 80, and your 70 will be like 112 or so, assuming a 1.6x crop factor.

The 50 may be what you shoot most of the shots with, you can get close enough to frame them nicely, but not so close that imperfections will show up.

You have a good start, a good plan is about 90% of the work. Practice while you are there with the couple and test out lighting, etc.

Bring backup memory cards if digital, plenty of film otherwise. Check out ISO levels as well, see what you can deal with.

Practice and plan, and have fun.

10k

[PhotoGimp]

"The 50 you mention is plenty fast enough for indoor shots, your 70-200 could be fast enough as well, assuming it's a 2.8."
It's unfortunatly not the 2.8, its the f4 version, couldnt justify the cost at the time. Would i be better off with a medium tele 2.8. The 135 2.8 goes for $620 canadian, same as the 85 1.8, or should I look into a wide. I have no idea what gap I should fill!

[another view]

I'd probably look at a wide angle lens in the 28 or 35 range for a prime, or maybe a zoom in the 28-80 range. If you do any group shots, you'll need something wider than a 50 - especially on the DSLR. With a prime 28 or 35, you might find something faster than f2.8 which I would say would be the slowest lens you would want. Another good option would be the new Tamron 28-75 f2.8 at under $400 or a used Tokina 28-80 f2.8 ATX-PRO. I have the Tokina which I bought used for well under $300 - both very good lenses, especially for the money. A zoom will be easier to deal with because of time lost with lens changes and the possibility of missing a shot. You could photograph the whole wedding with something like that 28-75 or 80.

An f4 lens, especially telephoto, is probably too slow to use autofocus with because the room will be dark, but bring it and a tripod along.

More stuff to spend money on: A flash bracket (like Stroboframe) and a battery pack for the flash. Flash brackets raise the flash a little to keep the shadows behind the subject; this is especially a problem with vertical shots without a bracket because the flash would be even in height to the lens. An external battery pack is nice because your flash will recharge much faster and will probably last all day without a recharge.

You can get by if needed without either but hopefully you can bounce the flash off the ceiling. If you were to buy one thing, I think I'd recommend the 28-75 or so f2.8 zoom lens. And practice, practice, practice!