Wedding Day Timeline

Planning your wedding day timeline to ensure there is plenty of time for all of the photographs you want captured on your big day is one of the best things you can do to ensure your day goes flawlessly and is completely stress free.  When in doubt, leaving yourself plenty of time and padding ensures we can adapt to any unforeseen delays.  Below is recommend time needed for photography to document key elements of your love story! 

Details  

* Ideal Time Allotment – 30 minutes
* Ideal Location – Bridal Suite or Hotel Suite

* Advice – Having at least 30 minutes for details ensures that we have plenty of time to get that perfect photo of the dress, rings, shoes, bouquets, and the other details of the day.

There are times when a hotel room is too crowded or simply unappealing; we have to take the dress all the way down to the lobby or even outside. This can take some time, but as you can see from the results, it’s well worth the additional work.

Getting Ready 

* Ideal Time Allotment – 90 minutes
* Ideal Location – Bridal Suite or Hotel Suite

Having about an hour and a half of bride and groom prep is ideal.  This is such a fun time of day for you and your wedding party to bond and you can always feel the excitement in the air! During this time I take candids of the ladies hanging out, your hair and make up being done, fun photos of your girls in your pjs, as well as everyone helping you get ready for the final moment! I also use this time to capture some beautiful individual bridal portraits. 

While I  will be with the girls,  the second shooter will be with the groom and his guys. Of course, it does not ALWAYS take the guys the whole time to get ready but there are always great shots to be taken of everyone hanging out, having a drink, or whatever shenanigans may be taking place!  We also use this time to get some great individual portraits of the Groom looking dapper ! 

Wedding Party 

* Ideal Time Allotment – 30 to 60 minutes
* Ideal Time of the Day – Morning or Afternoon before the ceremony. If you are not doing a first look, the full wedding party will be photographed after the ceremony, however this limits the amount of photos we will get due to time restraints. 
* Ideal Location -Venue or Prep Location Lobby, Venue Garden, Beach, Park, Off-site Location

* Advice – Wedding Party Photos should be around 30 minutes to 1 hour. This time can be broken up before and after the ceremony if you will not be doing a first look. During this time,  I strive to get a variety of poses of the full wedding party, the girls together, the guys together, as well as the both the bride and groom with each one of their bridesmaids or groomsmen individually. 

First Look and Couples Session 

* Ideal Time Allotment – -60 -90 minutes
* Ideal Time of the Day – Before the Ceremony and During Sunset
* Ideal Location –  Around the Hotel you are getting ready, at a nearby park or at the wedding venue  (shaded areas with natural light for afternoon sessions and around the venue for sunset)

* Advice – The first look and couples session should be around 60-90 minutes combined.  The first look will take about 10-15 minutes, and the rest of the time will be spent on couples portraits. The time should ideally be broken up into an hour before the ceremony and 30 minutes during sunset to capture the beautiful golden hour light. Please note, if you have a videographer, depending on there shooting style, this can cut our time by up to half.  Please ask your videographer how much time they need to thereselves for shooting and plan accordingly. 

Ceremony Details 

* Ideal Time Allotment – 15 minutes

* Ideal Location – Ceremony Site
* Ideal Time of the Day – Before guest arrive
Advice – Please allow 15 minutes for the second shooter to take pictures of the ceremony site, completely set up with no guests or vendors in the area.

Family Formals 

*Ideal Time Allotment – 20-40-minutes
*Ideal Time of the Day – Directly after the Ceremony
*Ideal Location – Ceremony Site

Advice – Formals should take around 20 t0 40 minutes depending on the size of your family and the amount of groupings you would like photographed. The majority of the time is spent tracking down the different groups, so planning and communication for the family formals is key. Creating a list of which groups you would like photographed and communicating to those family members to stay at the ceremony site its a great way to ensure we use our time wisely.  Assigning a bridesmaid, groomsmen or sibling on each side to be the leader/director for that side of the family is also helpful.

Reception and Venue Details 

* Ideal Time Allotment – 30 minutes
* Ideal Time of the Day – During Cocktail Hour before guest enter
* Ideal Location – Reception Site 

* Advice – Please allow 30 minutes for the second shooter to take pictures of the reception room, completely set up with no guests or vendors in the area.

Similar to the ceremony details, this is the only opportunity we have to capture the beauty of the reception room prior to guest arrival.

* Ideal Time Allotment – You want to make sure you have photo coverage throughout all of the scheduled programing, such as First Dance, Toasts, Bouquet and Garter Toss, and Cake Cutting. After that, typically 30 minutes to an hour of dancing is sufficient to capture the PARTY!

* Advice – If you will be doing a Grand Exit, then you will need coverage until the end of night.

“Sneak Away” Night Shot

* Ideal Time Allotment – 20 minutes
* Ideal Location – Around the Reception Venue

* Advice – Sneaking away during dinner or dancing for a night shot is a great way to spend a little alone time on a busy night. If you love these moody night shots, make sure to schedule some time for a “sneak away” shot during your reception!

Other things to keep in mind

Cultural weddings with longer ceremonies and pre wedding events,  such as baraat's or tea ceremonies should be planned for accordingly.  Please inquire for specific recommendations.