"If anyone asks if they can bring their dog to the pre-wedding shoot, I always say yes," said award-winning photographer Julia Boggio at BJP's Unveiled event yesterday. "They always end up spending more money on the dog than anything else - even if they also bring their child."

Boggio, like an increasing number of photographers today, offers her clients a pre-wedding shoot, in the studio or shot on a location of their choice. The studio shoot takes up a lot less of your time than the wedding, she advises, and shooting outdoors in the UK has become a popular option for wealthy Asian couples, who fly over to the UK for shots which are then displayed at their wedding reception back home. "It's a good shoot to do if you can get on the forums [read by Asian couples]," she advised.

Lisa Devlin, who won BJP's inaugural Unveiled wedding photography competition last year, also likes to shoot the couple before the wedding. Her engagement shoots, as she terms them, help her get to know the couple better and find out how they like to be photographed, helping her prepare for the big day as well as making for some great shots in their own right. "Weddings are so busy, couples often say to me they found it hard to find the romance on the day," said Devlin. "The engagement shoots are much more intimate."

Devlin also works hard to find intimacy at the wedding itself, though, often opting to shoot the couple in three or four 'minishoots' over the day rather than in the traditional slot after they arrive at the reception. "The light at that time is harsh and they want to get back to the drinks reception, so I find it's often not the best time," she told the Unveiled audience. "I like to take them out again just before or after dinner when the light is much softer. I find the light then worry about everything else."

Unveiled also featured talks by Hugo Burnand, who took the formal shots at Prince William and Catherine Middleton's marriage; Catherine Westwood, editor of Wedding magazine; and Alexis Cuddyre, founder of the OMG I'm Getting Married blog. Cuddyre advised photographers how to make the most of social media and the boom in wedding blogs, while Westwood ran through how to get your work into Wedding magazine, one of the UK's biggest bridal titles. "Edit, edit, edit," she said. "I don't want to see 10 images of the dress but I don't want to see 100 shots of the same wedding either."

Photographers at the event, which was held at the Hasselblad Studio and sponsored by the Pro Centre, also had the chance to try out Hasselblad's kit and shoot a bridal model - as seen above. The model, Arina, is wearing a dress donated by Luella's Boudoir.

BJP's Unveiled wedding photography competition is open for entries, and the prize includes getting your work published in Wedding magazine and a week's free hire of your dream kit from the Pro Centre. Click here to enter.