Wedding days can be incredibly stressful as it is, which is why I always highly recommend a solid timeline to for every bride. This timeline creates space in case things run behind (something always does!) and ensure we stay on track so you have everything you’re dreaming of! If you have a wedding planner, I will likely with with them to coordinate a plan based on my needs and your plans but what if you don’t have a wedding planner? That is where I come in! Having done nothing but weddings every weekend for the past 7+ years I can confidently give you advice that will make your day run as smoothly as possible, ensuring you actually ENJOY being there! Here are some of my very best tips, and sample timelines below!

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1. Plan Accordingly for Hair and Makeup Services: If there is one mistake I see too often, it is not anticipating how long things really do take. Hair and makeup usually always take longer than planned by 30 minutes to an hour. It isn’t the HMUA fault, but many times your bridal party or moms will want to tweak things, go back and re-do something or get a touch up. My suggestion is that you (the bride) schedule her own hair and makeup so that you are not the last in the lineup to go. If you have an attendant or mother who will help you get dressed, also make sure they are scheduled so that they are done and ready to go for photos when you are. Nothing is worse than needing to get the bride into her dress and having a MOB who is just sitting down with curlers in her hair! If you’re entire bridal party is having services, ask your vendor if they can bring in multiple stylist to get everyone completed on time!

2. Be Realistic About How Long Things Take: I remember once having a bride email me with four locations she wanted to go for bridal party pictures in the one hour between ceremony and reception. Not only did she want four stops, the drive from the church to the reception was 45 minutes and many of these stops weren’t exactly on the way. Another big mistake I see if unrealistic expectations for how long things will take. If you have a commute between getting ready/ceremony/reception I always suggest driving your route and seeing how long it actually takes— and then add on 10-15 minutes for incidentals. Scheduling yourself to the minute is also only going to give you mega anxiety for the entire day. If you have four amazing locations you want photos in, that is great? But make sure you work with me to really figure out how much time we need for each spot (you would be amazed at how long it takes a bridal party to shuffle on and off a bus…). You also need to remember that when traveling in between locations you will want to touch up, take a bathroom break or have a minute to breath and those moments are just as important as anything else, or your wedding day that will already move so fast will literally be a complete blur!

3. Ditch The Shot List: This is a big one! You’ve probably spent a good amount of time on websites like pinterest since getting engaged, and you may have fallen in love with certain images you’ve seen. It isn’t a problem to show me some things you are loving, but recreating them exactly is where things can go wrong. First, recreating images takes so much time. On your wedding day I am constantly looking for the most beautiful light and location to give you the most stunning images. We have no idea what the weather or lighting situation was in some of those pretty images you’ve seen on other websites. Instead of spending so much time to create one photo, let me do what I do best and create 25 stunning photos in the same amount of time. Every wedding is different, every story is unique so lets create yours (and then next year, your image will be the one on pinterest everyone is dying over!) You also don’t want to send me a shot list of 250 images you’d like; my face will be buried in a piece of paper trying to check off every item instead of having my eyes on your and your day and creating the best images as we go. I always chat with you about a month prior to your day and we talk about special things, specific shots you’d love to have— after that, trust me to do what I do best!

Below are two different sample timelines of eight hours of coverage with two photographers. This timeline is based on a wedding ceremony and reception that is at the same location (or relatively close driving distance (>15 minutes). I have found that eight hours works for a majority of my couples, exceptions would include longer commute times between locations, inclusions of specialty exits (sparklers late at night), etc.

SAMPLE 8 HOUR TIMELINE WITH FIRST LOOK:

12: Photographers Arrive

12-1: Photograph Details

1: Getting Ready Shots; Bride Gets Into Gown. 2nd Shooter goes to grooms location for getting ready shots.

1:45: First Look with Bride and Groom

1:50-3pm: Bride and Groom Portraits//Bridal Party Photographed

3-3:30: Bride Tucked Away, Photograph Ceremony Details

3:30: Ceremony

4: Formal Family Photos

4:20-5: Photograph Cocktail Hour, Photograph Reception Details

5: Bridal Party Entrances

5:15-7: Dinner, Toasts, Cake

7-8: Dancing; Sunset Photos

8:Photographers Pack up and Leave

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SAMPLE 8 HOUR TIMELINE WITHOUT FIRST LOOK:

12: Photographers Arrive

12-1: Photograph Details

1: Getting Ready Shots; Bride Gets Into Gown. 2nd Shooter goes to grooms location for getting ready shots.

1:45: Photograph Bride with Bridesmaids/2nd Shooter Photograph Groom and Groomsmen

2:30 Ceremony

3: Formal Family Photos

3:20-4:45: Bridal Party/Bride and Groom Portraits // 2nd shooter leave to photograph reception details

3-5: Guests at Cocktail Hour

5: Bridal Party Entrances

5:15-7: Dinner, Toasts, Cake

7-8: Dancing; Sunset Photos

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I hope these tips have been helpful as you start to plan your day and think about how you want to feel throughout your wedding! Aim for lots of time to do things, work with your planner and photographer to make sure you won’t be rushed on your day and most of all have fun preparing! Ready to inquire about your wedding? Visit the page below more more info!

In this image the sun was behind the large weeping willow tree, diffusing through and giving a warm glow and most importantly keeping bride and groom in even, open shade throughout the entire ceremony.

I love helping in any way I can to ensure we get the best images during every portion of your big day. Here are a few tips and suggestions after years of shooting weddings in all sorts of locations and lighting situations.

1. Location, Location, Location! You really need to consider lighting and where the sun will be at the hour and time of year of your wedding day. If you’re having your ceremony outdoors, this is a must. If you’re able, visit your ceremony location about a year in advance and try and choose your spot at that time. The lighting should be very similar so you can make the best decision possible. You should look for open shade; that means an area where sun isn’t speckled and spotted. I prefer the sun to be behind the ceremony setup like in the image above. Having the sun behind (either directly or off to the left or right) allows a warm glow to wrap around you making the difference between “pretty” images and “stunning” ones. It will also ensure that you and your fiance aren’t squinting at one another the entire time. The one downfall of this may be that the sun is on your guests, however, the photos of YOU will be much better. Below are a few more examples of ceremony lit from the back.

2. Natural Light: Should you choose to have an indoor ceremony, think about how much natural light the space has. The more windows the better! Try and position yourselves so that the light pours in from the windows toward the ceremony space (for example, if you’re in a venue with floor to ceiling windows on one side, and plain brick on the other you would choose to stand in front of the brick wall as opposed to in front of the windows. The key is to have the light coming in toward you, not behind you like you’d choose outdoors!) The reason for this is so that you and your fiance don’t become silhouettes in the photo, with a blown out (white) background.

3. Slow It Down! Sometimes it is nerves, sometimes you just want to get it over with but no matter what the reason for speeding up as you enter or exit, please think about slowing everything down. Lighting may be changing and we work quickly to get the best shot as your bridal party enters. Take your time and enjoy the moment. Once you are pronounced husband and wife, take your time with the first kiss! We want to get the best shot of this must have moment and your guests LOVE to see this part so don’t feel like you' are kissing “too long”! But the most important time to slow yourself down is during your recessional. You’ve been pronounced husband and wife and you are ready to run out and celebrate, but these are some of the most amazing photos we get of the day so taking it slow so we can get every sweet image of that moment when your faces are the most full of joy!

4. Make Your Exit Fun! I love when couples have their guests toss petals or blow bubbles. Once couple had gold and white mini poms that guests shook, while another had confetti poppers. These images of a really fun exit are always some of my personal favorites and are sure to take your wedding from amazing to over the top stunning!

5. Think About Spacing: Make sure there is adequate room between your first row of guests and your bridal party. As photographers we utilize this area a lot during the ceremony. During your entrance I stand at the front to get you coming down the aisle while Jonathan (my husband and second shooter) works from the back. In the up front space I step/squat so that I am not visible from his photo from the back. During ceremony we may come up on the sides to get up close reactions of you during your vows. This space allows us to work discreetly and get the best shots as possible.

6. Restrictions: If you’re getting married in a church, make sure you’ve communicated with the staff or pastor about any possible restrictions. Did you know some churches don’t allow photography at all? There is nothing worse than us finding out we aren’t allowed to be in the aisle or use flash if needed until 3 minutes before you’re walking down the aisle. If we know about special requirements ahead of time we can prepare adequately.

7. Use Our Expertise: If you have a wedding planner, chances are they are already on top of all these things. But if you don’t, (or even if you do!), don’t hesitate to include us in the the decisions about location and lighting for your day. Being included in the process ensures you get the best of the best for every moment.

If you keep these tips in mind, you’re sure to have the ceremony images you’re dreaming of! Browse for tips for brides below!

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