Wedding photography timeline

1) Bride & Groom preparation.

The moment when You are already getting dressed for the most beautiful day in Your life. Wedding preparations of the Bride and Groom are the first most important event during the wedding.

When is the best time to start photographing wedding preparations?

You probably feel intuitively that there is no single right answer to this question. Each wedding day is different, each preparation for the wedding has its own rhythm and the time is always selected individually, depending on Your plans or willingness  usually it takes 2 – 3 hours. Guys, as usual, have it easier – they just jump into a jacket and go on. I suggest that You start photographing the Bride after applying make-up and hairstyle.

First, plan the preparations for the wedding in time, not forgetting about the spare quarter of an hour. Haste and stress are the last things you need on this day.

Gentlemen, You usually go first. In time, it looks like this:

Photos of details, Getting ready, Portraits of the Groom and his team.

I recommend to start by taking pictures of his accessories: his watch, perfume, cuff links, glasses etc. While the groom is getting dressed, I usually photograph his suit, shirt and bow tie. It is always important for the groom to choose a person in advance who will help him to put on his suit and attach a boutonnière. You can choose a few people if You desire, a relative or and a close friend. It is a very special moment to be captured, and You want these people to be by Your side. When the groom is dressed up and ready for his special day, I finish off documenting the preparation process with a family portrait. Family members must be ready by the time the groom is dressed up.

Groom getting ready will take around 45 min tips for You – enjoy the time with the closes one have fun.

Dear Ladies, don’t forget to take few photos while doing your hair/make-up but, I propose a little more time with Your loved ones, with Your family, a bridal party with friends, a mini bridal boudoir session, last vigilant corrections in the mirror, a longer portrait session. I guarantee that these shots will be much closer to You than the frames from the hair and make-up preparation.

Photos of details, bridal party, Boudoir, Getting ready, Portraits with family and bridesmaids.

Brides getting Ready will take around 1 h and 15 min tips for You take time to relax and have fun with Your bridesmaids.

2) Wedding ceremony.

Before You have the guests seated, it’s important that the photographer is there to capture the complete set-up of Your ceremony site, so the photographer capture the scene at its best.

Usually the ceremony takes one hour, but most of the time we just follow the events as they happen.

It is understandable that after the ceremony, each of the guests would want to congratulate you and spend some time with you. However, it is important for the bride and the groom to keep in mind the limited time left for their pictures if they want them. It is always better to be on time for that part.

3) Couple Photo shoot.

The couple pictures could take from 1h30 to 2 hours, depending on the proximity of the location and its surroundings. The time for a couple photo session should last no longer than two hours, otherwise the couple will get tired before their reception. If you don’t have any time left for your couples pictures, don’t worry, You can always have your couple photo shoot scheduled after Your wedding. This way You will avoid the stress that the wedding guest wait for You too much. There are some pluses and minuses about that, but I will discuss it in another article.