Tips and tricks for creating space for Photography
Timelines, just like weddings, are as unique and individual as the couples themselves. There are a few things that are what we consider ideal time frames for things. This guideline will give you all the information on key photo moments and a rough idea of the time needed for them.
Hot Tip : Allow for travel time! If there's a location you want to take photos at or your venue and reception are in different cities you want to make sure you add enough time to get there and if needed back.
Some things to consider for your day
Add 5-10 minutes between events to allow for breathing room.
8-10 hours is the typical length of wedding photography coverage, but i'll being using 8 as it is most common. This length of time covers most of a wedding day from start to finish.
Breakdown
Getting Ready
Partner #2 (Typically Groom)
Partner #1 (Typically Bride)
This time frame is the optimal amount of time needed to cover:
Locations/Suit/ Detail shots
Groomsmen + you getting ready
Groomsmen gifts
Getting your suit/s on
On your own portraits
We will need to make sure to leave appropriate travel time for me to head over to the Bride. Padding by 5 to 10 minutes on the travel time is ideal.
As with my approach to shooting I will be primarily hands off during this time for both partners. I will offer guidance or direction only when needed. This is to make sure that the moments unfold as organically as possible.
This time frame is the optimal amount of time needed to cover:
Location/ Dress/ Detail shots
Last touches of hair/make-up
Bridesmaids + you getting ready
Bridesmaid gifts
Getting your dress/es on
On your own portraits
We will leave time before you head to the ceremony space, about 10-15 minutes, for me to head out first. This allows me time when I get there to take location shots, guests coming in, etc.
Traveling
I will always try to make it work to cover both parties. If however you are getting ready far away from each other you will either need to add more time to your package to account for travel or get a second shooter to maximize time and have you both covered.
If you are doing a
After the ceremony
photos with the key people in your life
Family Photos
Ideal time frame is 30+ minutes
Family is important and getting pictures with them is too. This part can get overwhelming very fast so it’s better to do family in as little combinations as possible. I will recruit someone in your party to find and wrangle missing family members. On your questionnaire for your wedding there is a section for groupings you want so we are organized on the day.
Every grouping takes roughly 2-3 minutes to gather, shoot and move. These 10 common groupings of people below can take up to 30 minutes to complete.
X2 Grandparents
X2 Parents
X2 Siblings
X2 Immediate family (parents/sibs)
X2 Extended / immediate family
These are done after the ceremony but can be shot earlier in the day or in part after getting ready.
Bridal Party Photos
Ideal time is 30-45 Minutes
After your family portrait section of the day is complete we'll head to another location close by to do bridal party photos.
For each side I like to get a shot with you and each one of your bridesmaids or groomsmen individually, then group shots of each side both traditional and creative. At the end we will do some shots of you together as one giant group.
These are done after the ceremony but can be shot earlier in the day or in part after getting ready.
Bride and Groom
portraits
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timing the light just right
The best time for lighting
We are looking for the ideal light to do your portraits as a newly married couple in. The most flattering time of day is one hour before sunset and half an hour after sunset.
Below is a link to a sunset time calculator so you can look at your date to see where this falls.
How long is best
The ideal time for this is 45 minutes to 1.5 hours total
The longer we have uninterrupted for your bridal portraits the more relaxed you will be. It allows us to wander further from your ceremony/venue and create images with less overall stress on timing. We can chase the good light and cool locations.
This is also often this is the only part of the day you have as a couple alone (minus me of course) all day.
With that being said there are other timing options available in terms of bridal portraits. We can spilt the time up into 30 minute chunks or even 15 minute chunks. A part can be done at your first look and the other part at cocktail hour. Alternatively We can do 20 minutes at your first look, 20 after the ceremony and a 20 minute sunset sneak out.
This can be spilt up throughout the day into smaller chunks
Dancing
Timeline examples for photography
These are just a few ways to manage your photography time
Here you will find a few examples of an 8 hour wedding day timelines that include bridal portraits in different ways. These are intended to give you a visual idea of how they can work, but remember that it's best to plan your day around what you want to capture in pictures and what's important to you, rather than feeling obligated to include certain things.
Have a few questions still?
I'm happy to answer any timeline questions to help you figure out how to best capture your day!
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Capturing your emotionally charged moments one photo at a time