WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY TIMELINE | IDEAL TIMES FOR YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY
BRIDAL DETAILS
Ideal Time Allotment – 35 minutes
Ideal Time of the Day – Morning
Ideal Location – Bridal Suite or Hotel Suite
Advice – Having at least 35 minutes for details ensures that we have plenty of time to get that perfect photo of the dress, rings, shoes, bouquets, and the other details of the day. We want to make sure that all of the rings (including the wedding bands) are with the bride in her suite. Remember to bring: a hanger for the bride’s dress, any notes you wrote to each other, etc.
There are times when a hotel room is too crowded or simply unappealing; we have to take the dress all the way down to the lobby or even outside. This can take some time, but as you can see from the results, it’s well worth the additional work.
PREPARATION
Ideal Time Allotment – 45 – 60 minutes
Ideal Time of the Day – Morning or Early Afternoon
Ideal Location – Bridal|Groom Suite or Hotel Suite
Advice – Having an hour of preparation is ideal for our style. During this time, we are getting close-ups of the makeup and hair being applied as well as the candid moments and the bridesmaids and groomsmen get ready for the day. Keep in mind that these are some of the most emotional and fun times of the day, so you don’t want to cut it short.
The lead shooter will be with the bride while the second shooter will be with the groom (if applicable).
Grooms, this is your 007 moment. We want to take advantage of your suit details and your best poses for making you look like a Hollywood star. While it doesn’t take guys an hour to get dressed, there are still tons of great moments during this time between the groom and his family and friends.
Things to consider: Who do you want to be present during this part of the day?.
INDIVIDUAL PORTRAITS
Ideal Time Allotment – 30 minutes
Ideal Time of the Day – Morning or Early Afternoon
Ideal Location – Bridal Suite, Hotel Suite, Venue Lobby, or Venue Garden
Advice – Right after preparation is the best time for individual portraits of the bride and groom (separately). We will want to take advantage of the grounds of the hotel if possible, or if the scenery is not that picturesque, we can find some good window lighting in the hotel room as well. Also, keep in mind that this unique look that can’t be duplicated in any environment throughout the rest of the day.
Besides makeup and hair being completely fresh, the day hasn’t gotten hectic yet so we can take our time and get those perfect portraits.
FIRST LOOK AND DAYTIME COUPLES SESSION
Ideal Time Allotment – 30-60 minutes
Ideal Time of the Day – Morning or Early Afternoon
Ideal Location – Venue Garden, Empty Venue Hallway (shaded areas with natural light)
Advice – During this time, the bride and groom enjoy seeing each other for the first time on the wedding day. We have had dozens of brides tell us that they wish they had done one, but we have never had a bride say they wish they hadn’t. Your fiancé will fall in love with you all over again. You will get the opportunity to have a moment together alone that will elude you the rest of the wedding day. Talk to your married friends and get their opinion.
If no first look then we will use this time for a few basic portraits of the bride and groom, bridal party and family
Ideally, we are saving the bulk of the couples session for later (see the “couples session” section below). However, if there is no other time in the day, it is best to allocate another 45 minutes to an hour here so that we make sure we have enough photos of just you two.
WEDDING PARTY PHOTOS
Ideal Time Allotment – 30-45 minutes
Ideal Time of the Day – Morning or Afternoon
Ideal Location -Venue Lobby, Venue Garden, Beach, Park, Off-site Location
Advice – This part of the day can happen right after the prep or first look and should take place outdoors if we can. If a first look isn’t happening or there is not enough time after the prep, we can do this right after the ceremony as well. We start off with the basic, classic photos focused on great expressions and lighting.
We typically photograph the bride with bridesmaids, bride with groomsmen, groom with bridesmaids, groom with groomsmen, full wedding party together, and individuals of the bride with bridesmaids and groom with groomsmen. Then we move into a set of fun and creative shots.
You chose these members of your wedding party for a reason, now let’s make sure that we capture their fun and unique personalities!
CEREMONY DETAIL AND VENUE
Ideal Time Allotment – 15-30 minutes
Ideal Location – Ceremony Site
Ideal Time of the Day – Morning or Afternoon
Advice – Please allow 30 minutes for the second shooter to take pictures of the ceremony site, completely set up with no guests or vendors in the area.
Our second shooter can break off to take detail photos of your ceremony site if needed. We will try to take a wide shot as long as all of the decorators are completely finished right before the guests are allowed to sit at the ceremony site.
IMMEDIATE FAMILY
Ideal Time Allotment – 30-45 minutes
Ideal Time of the Day – Morning or Afternoon
Ideal Location -Venue Lobby, Venue Garden, Beach, Park, Off-site Location
Advice – Family Formals can take place right after the ceremony. It’s important to have additional images with your parents, grandparents, and siblings beyond the basic formal (mentioned in the section below).
To expedite this for both you and your guests, make a list of every combination of photos that you want using the time frame that we included. If we can finish early, then we will have more time for your photos together.
Plan on 3 minutes per group on average. For example, if you have 10 groups, schedule in a 30-minute time slot.
We all know how much weddings mean to the immediate family, and we want to make sure we’re capturing enough pictures with them.
FORMALS (EXTENDED FAMILY, IMMEDIATE FAMILY, AND FRIENDS)
Ideal Time Allotment – 30-60 minutes
Ideal Time of the Day – Morning or Afternoon (Post Ceremony)
Ideal Location – Ceremony Site
Advice – Formals should take around 30 minutes to 1 hour depending on the size of your family and the number of guests.
Plan on 3 minutes per group on average. For example, if you have 10 groups, schedule in a 30-minute time slot.
Some couples have decided that they want a picture with all guests while others have decided that they only want pictures with select VIPs to save time. We recommend something in between.
We also recommend being very organized, with a list of groups and helpers from each side of the family to help round people up.
COUPLES SESSION
Ideal Time Allotment – 1 hour
Ideal Time of the Day – Late Afternoon (Sunset)
Ideal Location – Venue Garden, Beach, Hotel Lobby, Park
Advice – We made it! This is game time, where the magic happens. We want to shoot these images at sunset to give you the best possible outcome because that is when the light will be the most flattering for both of you, as well as the scene. If there is any time that needs to be cut from any other portion of the day, this isn’t it. We want to take the full hour to make sure that we are able to get to the locations we want to shoot at, and then shoot a variety of images for your album. One hour after the ceremony will mean that you will need to extend the cocktail hour a bit, but we can assure you that your guests will be fine. These portraits will help tell your story and in order to get the most creative images possible, we need the time to make everything perfect for you.
If your wedding is in downtown or in an area with tall buildings, it’s not as important for us to have this specific time frame (although it still helps).
However, if you booked your venue because of the spectacular view of the ocean or the gorgeous vines in the winery, it’s essential to follow this advice in your timeline.
RECEPTION DETAIL AND VENUE
Ideal Time Allotment – 20-30 minutes
Ideal Time of the Day – Early Evening
Ideal Location – Reception Site
Advice – Toward the end of the creatives, please allows 30 minutes for the second shooter to take pictures of the reception room, completely set up with no guests or vendors in the area. They will capture the uplighting and ambiance of the venue in its entirety. This is the only opportunity we have to capture the beauty of the reception room prior to guest arrival.
RECEPTION FIRST LOOK
Ideal Time Allotment – 10-15 minutes
Ideal Time of the Day – At the end of Cocktail Hour before doors open for guests
Ideal Location – Reception Site
Advice – This is when the reception space is revealed to the couple for the first time. It’s a great opportunity to capture a genuine reaction, as well as a moment alone with the dance floor to practice your first dance, which also makes a great photo!
COUPLES SESSION – RECEPTION SNEAK OUT
Ideal Time Allotment – 20-30 minutes
Ideal Time of the Day – Dusk to Night-Time
Ideal Location – Areas with interesting lights, fountains, cityscapes, and mirrors
Advice – During the reception, please plan on sneaking out for a couple of night shots. We only need 20-30 minutes, as we understand the importance of being a good host. However, this time is important if you appreciate the night photography that we deliver. Ideally, we would like to photograph this session right as the sky turns the deep shade of blue we see at dusk. That will allow us to capture some really pretty images. The ideal time for this is right after you grab a bite to eat or during the open floor dancing after you’ve danced a few songs and would like a break. If the timing doesn’t work out, then we can move this session to the end of the night just before we leave. This session allows us to close out your album by creating a really beautiful final spread.
Additional Wedding Day Details
Table Shots – Table shots are when you go around visiting tables. There are two options for photography during this time. (1) You can take formal pictures with each of these tables or (2) we can simply focus on photojournalism, capturing the smiles and hugs as you mingle with each table. If you’re planning on doing formal table shots, please keep in mind that these will take about 3-5 minutes per table. For example, 20 tables would require 60-100 minutes of time.