Wedding Advice: Planning your Timeline for Photography-How Much Time Should We Plan for Photos?

 

Wedding timelines can easily be overwhelming to plan. One factor which often gets overlooked is how to plan your timeline to prioritize photography. Photogrpahy is not the reason why you are having your wedding. Your wedding day is not one big photoshoot. However, in order to capture the day well, plan enough time for your photogrpaher to capture everything, plan adequate time for portraits, and plan the best you can for the best light, it does take careful planning. I can work with any conditions, and your day will be captured how it actually looked and felt, but it always makes a world of difference when couples take photography into account when planning their timeline.

Once you have a preliminary timeline, I ask all couples to send this to me so I can make suggestions. You can either take these suggestions or disregard them completely, but overall I feel it is my responsibility to educate clients on what the ideal timeline would look like from a photographic standpoint. The number one priority of your wedding day, though, is of course your love, ceremony, your family/friends, and your vision for how you want the day to unfold.

Throughout the rest of the day I shoot candidly- which truly are some of the most amazing moment captured and some of my favorite photos. But, for portraits and details please think about the information below.

Preparation:

-I recommend an hour of getting ready photo time for the girls, and if the guys want getting ready shots 30 min with the guys (this includes photographing details, getting into your dress, finishing touches of hair/makeup, and candids of interactions with your wedding parties during prep)
-Have all details in one place for me (dress, shoes, jewelry, garter, etc)
-Have an invitation suite with your accessories for me to photograph
-Consider swapping your plastic wedding dress hanger for a wooden one
-Take into consideration space and natural light when planning your getting ready location/hotel room

 

Consider taking time to see your father/mother before the ceremony. If they aren’t present while you are getting ready, this is often a very special moment to see your father or mother before they walk you down the aisle. This was one of my very favorite moments at my own wedding, and often couples do not take time to plan for this.

You can read more information about planning for preparation time here.

 

Wedding Details:
-I need at least 30 minutes in the reception room/ceremony site/around the venue to photograph the little details of your wedding. This does not need to be planned into your own timeline, but just an FYI so you know what I need as a photographer to document the scenery and details of the venue. Typically I leave before the bridal party to arrive onsite to photograph ceremony details and enter the reception room prior to the guests are allowed entry to photograph there.

 

 

Wedding parties:
-15 minutes with each group, 10 minutes together as whole group IF we are shooting them separately before the ceremony.  If we have the whole group together, we can work with 15 minutes in total.

 

 

Bride + Groom portraits:

-20 minutes minimum, but prefer 30-45 minutes of photo time

This is one of my favorite times of the day. This is the time where we get to take time away from everything else and most couples find it to be really enjoyable to take the time to be alone and just enjoy time together. Things slow down during this time which is a nice contrast to the fast paced timing of a wedding day, and it is so important to enjoy one another during this time.

-Try to schedule some portrait time during ‘golden hour’ if at all possible

If you have booked me as your wedding photographer, I can guarantee that a deciding factor in this was how I use light. The use of natural light is among the most prominent characteristics in my style, so it makes a huge difference to take this into account as you plan your wedding timeline. While I am well equipped and knowledgible in artificial light, if you want me to do my best work and create images in my own style, plan your timeline carefully to accommodate not only for enough portrait time, but also for the right light during portrait time.

Light can not be 100% accurately predicted since we can not control the elements, but typically the warm hazy light which is characteristic of my style occurs the hour before sunset. Sometimes this falls in line with the portrait timeline, and other times couples will opt to sneak away from their reception for 10-15 minutes to take advantage of this light.

Light is the most unflattering mid day- we can always find or create shade, use reflectors, or other tewchniques to counter unflattering light, but taking into account the best possible use of your venue’s light will make a huge difference in what we are able to capture and create.

-If doing a first look, plan a minimum of 15 minutes for the first look/portraits, or up to 30 if you want to do most of your portraits before the ceremony. Plan on doing 15-20 minutes additional portrait time post ceremony when the lighting is more ideal if possible.

If you are doing a first look, you then have a little more flexibility with family and wedding party portraits. These can be done either before or after the ceremony. We often find that family portraits taken prior to the ceremony run with more ease-the excitement of the ceremony and all of the guests often causes delays in formal portraits and if you have the ability to finish these prior to the ceremony it is often a more relaxing experience for the couple and family members.

Family formals:

-25-45 minutes depending on how large your families are and how far into your family tree you want these to extend- send me a list of who will be included and I can advise.

It is important to know who you would like included in this list in advance ensure that this time runs as smoothly and easily as possible. I recommend having your best man and maid of honor (or someone who knows your families well) ready to round up the family members post ceremony.

Meal Time:

Wedding days are often 8-12 hours of photography coverage. In order to ensure that I can provide high performance coverage the entire day I (like most photographers) add a meal provision to my contract. Vendor meals should be planned into your timeline with your coordinator or caterer at the same time that you are eating. This ensures that your photography coverage stops briefly while you are eating (trust…. eating photos are not flattering…) and resumes when toasts or the next event occurs.

When to End Reception Coverage:

Some couples want their entire reception documents, while others opt to end coverage earlier after the major events have occurred. If you would like coverage of the entire reception, great! If you have a limited budget and want to end coverage earlier to make your photography more cost effective,or if you ar ejust not a fan of drunk dancing guest pictures, also great! If you are ending early, I suggest enough coverage to capture any reception events (cake cutting, bouquet toss, etc) and at least 30 minutes of dancing. Keep in mind that wedding timelines often run late, and if you opt to end early you may find that you want me to add on an extra hour or so to capture anything which runs late.