Advice Wanted Requesting advice and tips for photographing a wedding

[L0n3Gr3yW0lf]

One other idea I had for rentals would be a combo of the S56 f1.4 and one of O17 f1.7/P15 f1.7/S16 f1.4 which I could rent as a pair for less than the cost of either one of the f1.2 lenses, I just don't know how much of a bump the S56 is over the O45.

Sigma 16mm f 1.4 is a great lens though a bit big for what it could be, it's the same size as the Olpua 17mm f 1.2 Pro. The only downside is that it will have more purple fringing then either options you mentioned, it will give you a bit more work to do in post (if you plan on having prints then it's mandatory to edit out the purple fringing because it's very noticeable in print, "feels" more unnatural then on the screen).
The Sigma 56mm f 1.4 will give you significant more shallow DoF at medium distance (like half body and full body shots) but if you do shoulders and heads only it will be less noticable. Also Sigma 56mm f 1.4 can be difficult to use indoors any wider then headshot, you will need more then 2 meters to frame the shoulders and more then 4 meters for half body.
Renting is more reasonable if you don't plan on using/keeping prime lenses BUT if a focal length feels like it's worth investing I would go for it, especially the f 1.8 or Sigma primes because they are reasonably priced. It's a harder sell for Olympus Pro primes as they go for more then 500 £ used each.
If you are happy with f 2.8 DoF of the Olympus 12-40mm f 2.8 Pro then this lens with the Sigma 56mm f 1.4 is the best combo for travel and shooting a wedding. The Olympus 45mm f 1.8, while faster for sure, is quite close to the telephoto end of 45mm. You may find yourself just zooming in indoors instead of swapping the lens for the 45mm. The Sigma 56mm f 1.4 had a different framing and mindset to use and so different then 40mm f 2.8 that you might feel a lot more worth it to swap the lens when such a need arrises.

 

[L0n3Gr3yW0lf]

Sorry I missed it, and I've actually just read the thread you posted following the wedding. Well done on making it through unscathed, sounds like it went reasonably well and your experience hasn't put you off having another go!

In terms of kit, I have the 50-200 f2.8-3.5 (on my EM1ii) which I will use in conjunction with the 12-40mm f2.8 (on my EM10ii) to cover the ceremony so shouldn't need the 40-150 f2.8. To cover the wide prime I am definitely leaning towards renting the 17mm f1.2 (which I can get for £46 for 3 days), but may have to fall back renting the either O17mm f1.7 (£13 for 3 days) or the P15mm f1.7 (£15 for 3 days) or even the S16 f1.4 (£18 for 3 days) if I don't have enough funds, or rely on the 25mm f1.7 (that I have) and the 12-40mm f2.8 (that I am getting early next year). Like you found, I am thinking that the longer prime will be the lens to produce the wow shots (85mm for you, 45mm for me), and that everything else will support it to build the story around them, so forking out nearly £50 for the 17mm pro doesn't make sense... but I also think I might regret not doing it (over thinking again!). Now I've written down that I expect the 45mm to get the wow shots, I'm also thinking that renting the 45mm f1.2 might be a good idea... potentially spending the money where it'll give the biggest benefit! (damn brain, need to stop! ).

Wish I read this one first before writing my reply on your 2nd post.
With 2 bodies you will find it a lot easier to be versatile and reactive. You won't need the 50-200mm (great lens, I had it too) unless you are outdoors. 50mm f 2.8 is not that fast indoors. It's a good lens to take out because at 200mm end you can really bring in some seperation (not from the f 3.5 aperture but from the focal length).
Indoors I would stick with the 12-40mm Pro on the E-M1 and a 17ish f 1.4ish on the E-M10 because the zoom will let you react to compositions very quickly (like dance floor and hugging/kissing for the congratulations that will go throught the day). 45mm can be useful at the ceremony and venue when you want to get in for the intimate shot or reaction (for the family) but you will need to for that. At the venue you will need to be conscious that there will be lots of people moving and dancing so even if the place is big the room to work may be less so. The ceremony you have more space to work because everyone is sitting or staying together but there may be tables, chairs or architecture in the way. (I found this most frustrating at the ceremony because it was an effort to get tor he right spot at the right time and sometimes I had to resort to zooming in and hope for the best or zooming out and hope the crop and straightening will fix it).
For the WoW shot it is up to you if you think it's worth renting a 45mm Pro or Sigma 56mm f 1.4 or stick with the 200mm end of your Olympus zoom, depends on what you are most comfortable with and if you have the open space to work that in the portrait session. Getting the WoW moment indoors (either ceremony or venuie) is going to be very hard to do but worth a try once in a while.
What I found for me is if I can get a shot that I was hopping with then I felt that I had a bit of time to try to get the WoW image. I always left myself a backup composition/image before to tried something more difficult either for me or for my gear. (It is difficult, at least for me, to feel the responsibility of someone's most precious memories to be recorded, it's a burden I don't want very often)