Wedding Day Timeline

Wedding Schedule

As a photographer, I will show you the times that we usually run for each timeline as we go through the day. If you are planning this yourself or with a wedding planner, having a schedule is very important so things have a good ideal timeline as we go through the day. I always recommended someone managing the time. So we can get the shots as every waking moment happens for your day.

Wedding planning timelines can be quite challenging, so it’s always important to have a very good plan and have a photographer that understands these timelines. As a photographer, I always like to plan out shoots every step of the way to make sure we have time to capture. Remember the day will go fast, so we will try to make everything fun and enjoyable for you and try to remind you it’s about your celebration! These are just the ideal timelines I’ve noticed over the years in doing fine art photography for our clients getting married. Here are some points to consider when planning a wedding.

• Weddings oftentimes run late, but do your best to be on time. Wedding planners and coordinators can dramatically help this.
• The day will fly by, remember it’s your wedding, and have fun and enjoy it!
• Let’s make it amazing by just having fun and getting the best moments on your amazing day.

RINGS, DRESSES, SHOES, AND THE SMALL DETAILS

An ideal time of Day: Morning

Ideal time frame: 30min to  1 Hour

Ideal Location: Home, Hotel, Suite

Advice

A lot of brides think that this isn’t an important part of the wedding when often it’s one of the most important parts in my opinion as a photographer. Prep time is a super important day because we get pictures of all the items and small things, but we are seeing both the bride and groom’s reactions to each part of the process before they get married. Remember in all hopes this will be your first and only wedding, investing in all of it is super important and seeing each detail of it so we can tell the story helps bring out the story of your wedding day.

I feel like seeing parts of the dress is pretty important to me too so you can see the details of the rings, the dress, and the small things begins the story to a movie or a collection that will be seen forever so its important to have it documented.

PREPARATION PHOTOS FOR WEDDING

Ideal time of Day: Morning

Ideal time frame: 1 Hour

Ideal Location: Home, Hotel, Suite

Advice

Preparations really show the expressions and the excitement of the day. As fine art photographers, we are attentive to capturing candid moments during this time. We want to be able to capture things like the bridesmaids, to the groomsmen getting ready. Also capturing family as well and getting them to be part of the event before the big moment in the ceremony.

The lead shooter is attentive and makes sure they are polite but quick to get candid expressions and when the bride is getting ready we are getting the finished touches-ups as well as shots that will show how excited everyone is.

INDIVIDUAL POTRAITS

An ideal time of Day: Morning

Ideal time frame: 30 Minutes

The ideal time frame for Scenic Shots: Bridal or Groom 2-6 Hours or Full Day

Ideal Location: Home, Hotel, Suite, Venue or even Lobby, Scenic location

Advice on Location: One of the things I pride myself on understanding the location when it comes to bride photos. I really do love nature and creating that deep dramatic look in desert photography locations or nature in general. My advice for these types of shots is to make sure you should dedicate a day to travel to scenic locations to get more photos out of it. Also hiking to a beautiful nature location helps. Bring snacks and water for a long day if you plan to take a photo shoot in a hard location or in the desert you want to make sure you stay hydrated. For a bigger project consider taking a team with you as well.

Advice on Portrait Shoot during the wedding: Things are happening fast so as a photographer. We have to make sure we create a timeline to get photos of the most important people at the wedding. The bride and groom, but in all fairness everyone is important. Before everything starts it’s important after the bride has her makeup in an indoor setting we take individual photos of the bride in a well-lighted setting to get ideal wedding photography shooting in an area that has a good background. I tend to take the photos separately to prevent the groom and bride from seeing each other.

THE FIRST LOOK AND COUPLES SESSIONS

The ideal time of Day: Morning Or Early Afternoon or During Golden hour ( Sunset )

Ideal time frame: 45 minutes to 1 hour 

The ideal time frame for Scenic Shots: Bridal or Groom 2-6 Hours or Full Day

Ideal Location: Home, Hotel, Suite, Venue or even Lobby, Scenic location or areas with natural light

Advice: The first look should be about 30-45minutes.Around this time we usually plan the location and try to get the reaction whether it be video or photography. We want to try to get this shot when they are about to look at the dress for the first time. The groom can be turned around then shortly after we can take a couple of photos around the venue or a venue scenic location. We want to try to allocate some time for this so we have photos in this small amount of time.

CEREMONY PHOTOGRAPHY

Ideal time of Day: Morning Or Early Afternoon or During Golden hour ( Sunset )

Ideal time frame: 30 minutes To 2 hours

The ideal time frame for Scenic Shots: Bridal or Groom 2-6 Hours or Full Day

Ideal Location: Home, Hotel, Suite, Venue or even Lobby, Scenic location or areas with natural light

Advice: The ceremony is one of the most important shots during the wedding. You are doing your vows, your first look, walking down the Aisle. This is a candid moment things are happening fast so let the photographer just capture it. My suggestion is also to have rehearsals the night before as well to practice. It the timing of the walk and going down the Aisle

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Reception Photography

deal time of Day: Night Time or Late Afternoon

Ideal time frame: 2- 4 hours

The ideal time frame for Scenic Shots: Can walk away from the venue and work

Ideal Location: Home, Hotel, Suite, Venue or even Lobby, Scenic location or areas with natural light

Advice: You want to have at least 2-4 hours to shoot this reception.