Understanding your wedding timeline

Understanding the timeline on your wedding day in terms of photography

It can be really tricky planning a wedding! How are you meant to know how to cram it all into one day whilst also making people happy? In this blog, I have written in bullet point style a rough schedule idea/plan for your wedding day from a wedding photographer’s perspective. Please note that this is written as if you were to have a full day package with me. You may want to go for the smaller package, in which case this blog may help you decide which package to go for and at what points in the day to have me.

Preparation- I will get to you about ninety minutes before you leave for the ceremony. This will enable me to capture you having your hair and make-up done, having drinks with your friends and family, and putting on your dress/suits. I can also get groups photos of you with your bridal party and family. If you want your partner’s prep covered then I would recommend having a second photographer, especially if you aren’t getting ready at the same venue.

Before the ceremony- I will leave preparations about 15 minutes before you do so I can get to the ceremony in time to capture your partner nervously waiting. This will also give me time to photograph guests arriving and get any group photos your partner may want before they are married.

The ceremony- The ceremony usually lasts between thirty minutes to an hour. During the ceremony I will stand at the front with you both to capture the vows, the rings being exchanged and the kiss. I will walk up and down the aisle to take photos of guest’s reactions and wide shots of the venue. You may also want a second photographer to cover this whilst I am at the front with you.

Confetti/drinks reception- To get that awesome confetti shot, I will line up your guests so I can walk down the middle of them as you walk towards me. During the drinks reception I will very much blend into the background in order to get those natural shots of people laughing and chatting.

Group photos- I try my very best to make this as stress free as possible. Don’t worry, we will have a plan for this bit. I will send you a questionnaire when you book me as your wedding photographer, one of the questions is what group photos do you want? This helps us to plan for the day and will make it all quick and easy. See my blog on how to get the most out of group photos.

Couple portraits- We will run off to get some beautiful couple portraits. See my blog on ‘my approach to wedding photography- couple portraits’.

Speeches and food- I will be there to capture every speech and your guest’s reactions. However, I take a break during the food because people obviously don’t want pictures of them eating. It is up to you whether you do speeches before or after food. I would recommend doing it after food so you have guests with nice full bellies and will listen and not in between courses or before food. Otherwise, you may have some grumpy and hungry guests!

Sunset couple portraits- If the weather is good, we will run off to get some beautiful sunset couple portraits. See my blog on ‘my approach to wedding photography- couple portraits’.

Mingling- My approach for most of the day is to blend into the background and be more like a friend at your wedding than the paparazzi. I strive to get those natural candid shots of people laughing, drinking, talking or even crying (don’t worry, in a good way! Not because they are waiting for someone to finish their speech before they can eat).

Cake and first dance- Last but not least, it is the classic cake photo and the first dance. I will then stay for about 15/20 minutes after the first dance to capture the best shots- the drunk dancing!

Now we have spoken about the day in more detail in terms of photography I thought I would just share some top tips with you when it comes to your wedding photography. Here we go…

Enjoy yourself and have a laugh- Something that I hear from most if not every couple when booking their wedding photography package is ‘my partner and/or I are super shy in front of the camera’. Don’t worry, this is totally normal! Standing in front of a camera is an odd thing to do. To avoid this awkwardness, make sure you have a laugh and have fun whilst on your couple portrait session. Dance, joke and laugh at each other. I will always guide your through your portrait session so look to me for cues and guidance. Never feel embarrassed to say ‘I don’t like this pose, or I feel uncomfortable’ because you won’t be happy with the photos if you don’t. Couple portraits are not about putting on a performance, it’s about being yourself.

Think about props- Sometimes the best photos are with an umbrella or smoke bombs or maybe a little furry friend, your dog.

Have an unplugged wedding- This means no phones during the ceremony and crucial moments. Phones can completely ruin a photo and you will always look back at your professional photos and see Uncle Brian’s phone right in front of your face and Uncle Brian’s photo was a bit crap! Another point to make, is to think about having someone to de-clutter the background. For example, when at prep ask one of your bridesmaid or groomsmen to be in charge of clearing up every so often so there is no clutter in the back of your photos.

It’s your day, do it your way! Never let go of your partners hand on the day, stick together and talk to people together rather than separately. Otherwise, you will get into bed that evening and think ‘oh I only saw you for ten minutes today’. Remember it’s your day, do your own thing. Don’t let anyone tell you what you should and shouldn’t be doing.

Make sure you feel comfortable with your wedding photographer if you don’t, you will feel awkward and pressured on the day and during your couple portraits. You won’t be able to relax in front of them which will mean you look back at your photos and think ‘that’s not me’.

Have a detailed timeline for photos- make sure you schedule for photos to be taken during the day. You will be surprised but a lot of couples forget to do this and we have to squeeze it in. The best time for photos is after the ceremony and again at sunset.

My last top tip is ‘price, style, reviews, connection’ is the photographer within your budget, do you like their style of photography and editing style, do they have good reviews on Google and do you have a good connection with them.

Hope this is helpful! Please do get in touch if you want to discuss your wedding photography, I would love to hear from you!