The Wedding season is in full swing so we thought now would be a good time to share a few tips on how to prepare for your Wedding Day.
Having a very detailed Wedding Day Time-line is extremely important for a stress-free Wedding Day!
If you are planning on getting married soon, we think you might find this information quite useful.
And if you haven't chosen your Wedding Photographers yet, please give us a call, we'd love to talk to you about you Wedding!
WEDDING DAY TIME-LINE
There are two Wedding Day
timeline options:
Traditional Timeline:
The bride & groom do not see each other
until the ceremony.
Modern Timeline:
The bride & groom have a “first look”
before the ceremony.
There are
advantages to both options. It will be up to you to decide which is best your
for your wedding day. Here are some time- line samples of both options.
Traditional Timeline
(bride & groom don’t see each other until ceremony):
Disadvantages: Because half of your
wedding day is spent apart you will have fewer photos of you and your spouse
together. You will also have to take most of your family portraits and bridal party
photos after the ceremony, which will likely mean you’ll miss your cocktail
hour and won’t have time for a receiving line.
Benefits: Typically the lighting
conditions are less harsh later in the day, which may make your photos come out
better. 1-2hrs before sunset is the ideal time for outdoor photos.
9:00am: Wake/Shower and eat a
light breakfast.
10:00am: Bridesmaids arrive to
bridal suite.
10:30am: Hair & Make-up begins
for Bridesmaids.
11:30am: Lunch delivered to room
12:00pm: Bride’s hair &
make-up begins.
12:00pm: Photographer(s) arrive.
12:15pm: Capture photos of Bride getting hair & make-up done. We may ask you to move to a specific
room location such as by a window to ensure the best possible photos.
12:45pm: Florist delivers bouquets
and corsages.
1:00pm: Groomsmen arrive to
Groom’s suite.
1:15pm: 2nd Photographer begins
photographing Groom getting ready.
1:30pm: Bride gets dressed.
1:45pm: Groom-Groomsmen portraits
begin with 2nd Photographer.
2:00pm: Bride-Bridesmaids
portraits begin with Primary Photographer.
2:45pm: Groom departs for
ceremony
3:00pm: Bride departs for
ceremony.
3:30pm: Bride & Groom hide
away separately while guests arrive.
4:00pm: Ceremony starts.
4:45pm: Family portraits.
5:00pm: Cocktail hour begins.
5:15pm: Bridal Party &
Bride/Groom portraits.
6:00pm: Guests begin to take
their seats for dinner/ Bridal Party meets for introductions.
6:15pm: Introductions.
6:20pm: Bride & Groom cut the
cake. Sometimes the cake is cut
after the first dance, or even later to signal the end of the reception. It’s totally up to you, but we do
recommend earlier over later so all guests can witness the cutting and have a
piece of cake too.
6:25pm: Prayer/ Welcome by Father
of Bride.
6:30pm: First course served.
6:40 pm: Toasts- Best Man &
Maid of Honor.
6:55pm: Main course served- Bride
& Groom visit tables.
7:45pm: Cake served.
8:00pm: First dance.
8:05pm: Father-Daughter dance.
8:10pm: Mother-Son dance.
8:15pm: Bridal Party/Family dance
or anniversary dance.
8:20pm: Open dance floor.
8:50pm: Bride & Groom take a
few final photos at night or sunset.
9:15pm: Bouquet/ Garter toss.
10:00pm: Late night snack served.
11:00pm: Last dance; Bride &
Groom send off.
“First Look” Modern
Timeline:
Benefits: Frees up the wedding day
because the Bride & Groom can complete all their bridal party & family
photos before the ceremony allowing them time for a receiving line and
attending their cocktail hour. First looks maybe essential in Fall/Winter
weddings where the sun goes down much earlier. Again, you’ll want all
your posed photos completed before sunset.
Disadvantages: Often times the photos
are taken near high noon when the sun is it’s most harsh causing shadows and
squinting. We’ll do our best to
find photo locations to minimize any negative effects.
9:00am: Wake/Shower and eat a
light breakfast.
10:00am: Bridesmaids arrive to
bridal suite.
10:30am: Hair & make-up begins
for Bridesmaids.
11:30am: Lunch delivered to room.
12:00pm: Bride’s hair &
make-up begins.
12:00pm: Photographer(s) arrive.
12:15pm: Capture photos of Bride getting hair & make-up done. We
may ask you to move to a specific room location such as by a window to ensure
the best possible photos.
12:45pm: Florist delivers bouquets
and corsages.
1:00pm: Groomsmen arrive to
Groom’s suite.
1:15pm: 2nd Photographer begins
photographing Groom getting ready.
1:30pm: Bride gets dressed.
1:45pm: First look.
2:15pm: Bridal Party photos.
3:00pm: Bridal Party departs for
ceremony together.
3:30pm: Family portraits.
4:00pm: Bridal Party hides while
guest arrive.
4:30pm: Ceremony
5:00pm: Cocktail hour begins/
Optional receiving line or more Bride & Groom portraits.
6:00pm: Guests begin to take
their seats for dinner/ Bridal Party meets for introductions.
6:15pm: Introductions.
6:20pm: Bride & Groom cut the
cake. Sometimes the cake is cut
after the first dance, or even later to signal the end of the reception. It’s totally up to you, but we do
recommend earlier over later so all guests can witness the cutting and have a
piece of cake too.
6:25pm: Prayer/ Welcome by Father
of Bride.
6:30pm: First course served.
6:40 pm: Toasts- Best Man &
Maid of Honor.
6:55pm: Main course served- Bride
& Groom visit tables.
7:45pm: Cake served.
8:00pm: First dance.
8:05pm: Father-Daughter dance.
8:10pm: Mother-Son dance.
8:15pm: Bridal Party/Family dance
or Anniversary dance.
8:20pm: Open dance floor.
8:50pm: Bride & Groom take a
few final photos at night or sunset.
9:15pm: Bouquet/ Garter toss.
10:00pm: Late night snack served.
11:00pm: Last dance; bride &
groom send off.
These times are estimations and will vary
depending on your wedding day events but should give you a general idea. A
time-line should be as detailed as possible to keep the day running smoothly.
Ask for guidance from your wedding photographer or wedding consultant to get it
perfect. Once you have it completed, we suggest sharing it with your bridal
party, immediate family, and your vendors a couple of weeks before the wedding
so everyone is on the same page.
A few Tips:
•
Both
the bride and groom should spend the night and get ready in a hotel near the
place where you want to have your photos taken. Having everyone in the same
place will relieve stress and make it easy for everyone to meet in a central
location.
•
Have
housekeeping come into the room before everyone arrives to make the bed and
clean up the room so it looks pretty for photos.
•
Have
the wedding dress, shoes, accessories, and an invitation ready in one place for
the photographer. We also
recommend a fancy hanger for your Wedding dress for photos of your dress
handing by a window etc.
•
Have
your hair stylist and make-up artist come to you on the wedding day rather than
going to a salon. You’ll be more comfortable in the bridal suite and it will
free up some time.
•
Arrange
to have sandwiches or some sort of lunch delivered to the hotel rooms, and do
your best to take time to eat. Dinner is usually several hours away and you
don’t want anyone to feel lightheaded. Also have a cooler prepared with bottled
water for your bridal party and vendors.
•
Have
your florist deliver the bouquets and corsages to the hotel before photos.
You’ll want them available for your bridal party portraits.
•
Avoid
having an entourage of people in the bridal suite with you. Usually just bridesmaids
are enough. The more people surrounding you, the more questions you’ll be asked
and more potential stress you’ll have.
•
Limit
the amount of alcohol you and your bridal party consumes until the reception.
It’s wise to cut out hard liquor completely until the reception. The more sober
your bridal party is the better they’ll listen to directions and be where they
need to be on time.
•
Factor
in travel time from photo locations to the ceremony and reception, etc. Give
yourself a buffer in the case of traffic. You may want to do a little research
to see if there are any festivals or events happening near any of your planned
locations so you can be prepared for the congestion.
•
Family
formals can be stressful because there are a lot of people involved and it
requires the Bride and Groom to stand for long periods of time in the same
place smiling. To make this time go by quickly and smoothly, compose a family
formal shot list in advance and limit the amount of combinations to just the
essentials. Allow 2-3 minutes per group.
•
All
posed family formal and group guest shots should be complete before sunset. Venues typically dim the lights, which
makes it especially difficult with out setting up portrait lights.
•
Plan
toasts for either the beginning of dinner or the end of dinner rather than
spreading them out amongst courses. This will give your vendors and opportunity
to take a break uninterrupted as well as give you the opportunity to visit your
guest’s tables should you choose to.
•
Consider
feeding your vendors first so they can finish their meals and return to
providing their services as quickly as possible. Your photographer(s) eat at this time too.
•
If
you are not having a first look, we advise against having a receiving line
after your ceremony. You’ll need this time for family photos and Bride &
Groom portraits.
•
First
looks are becoming the new norm. They allow you to complete all your portraits
before the ceremony so you’ll have more time to enjoy your reception and spend
time with your guests. As photographers, we try to make first looks as intimate
and special as possible so you still have that moment to reflect back on.
•
The
lighting conditions at sunset are the best for portraits. We like to take
advantage of this time for a few Bride & Groom photos if possible.
