The Wedding Day

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.