Wedding Timelines

Allowing Enough Time

Happy Tuesday everyone! It’s been a while since I have posted a helpful tips post and one of the biggest problems brides come to about it their timeline. Many times they have no idea where to start, how much time each part of the day takes and they even overlook some things and end up running behind. It is so VERY IMPORTANT to work with your photographer from the beginning allowing enough time for everything.

When I first started shooting weddings I would wait until the last few weeks to put together a timeline and by then, the bride had already done her timeline but didn’t include some really important parts. No big deal right?? Well… yes! The arrival of the makeup artist was already locked in, the reception schedule locked in and there was no room for change but I realized that if I want my bride & groom to feel relaxed and stress free their wedding day then something needed to change.

It all starts with the getting ready part of the day. This takes more time than you realize! We need to capture the bride’s details which include the dress, shoes, perfume, invitation, jewelry, and bouquet. Then the finishing touches of the brides makeup followed by getting into the dress/shoes/jewelry and finishing up with bride photos alone looking fabulous! Not just that, but we also have to do the same thing with the guys.. details, dressing and portraits.

How long does this take? Roughly 2.5 Hours.

Things that can cause us to run behind during the getting ready process are:

1) Hair/Makeup Artist Runs Behind.

Allowing enough time for makeup is important. Usually the Hair or MUA (Makeup Artist) will give you a time estimate but normally this is not accurate. Pad the time they give you so that if they run late, it won’t mess up the whole day. Do a test run and see how long it takes you, then you can estimate your start time allowing enough time for the perfect face.

2) Getting ready too far away

If your wedding is more than 20 minutes away then it is too far. HELLO!! We live in southern California. If there is traffic, you are late for your wedding. It’s also a problem when the bride is getting ready somewhere far away from the groom. If you want photos of both the groom and the bride, then the photo/video team has to include more time driving just to get from one location to the other and then on to the ceremony. If you are working with an hourly collection then this poses a problem. Have your photo team waste time driving, or get ready close by and have them spend that same time shooting those amazing photos (which is why you hired them right?). Try getting a few hotel rooms nearby so that your photo/video team can bounce back and forth from brides room to grooms.

The fist look. This doesn’t take much time but you need to figure out where this is going to take place. Talk to you venue and see how early you can arrive. Sometimes this question doesn’t get asked and a week before the event the bride realizes that they can’t get in until an hour before the ceremony. This leaves the question… Where do we go for our first look/portraits? Sometimes hotels have pretty locations but if they don’t just talk to your photographer to find out if there is a location nearby like a garden or park where you can go. Just be aware that some locations require photography permits and an additional fee.

Romantic portraits & bridal party portraits usually follow the first look. Make sure you are allowing enough time to get the photos you want!

How long does this take? Roughly 1.5 Hours.

Things that can cause us to run behind during the portraits are:

1) Bridal Party showing up late

It never fails. Every few weddings we have a couple groomsmen or bridesmaids who don’t arrive on time. Make sure you tell your bridal party to arrive a little earlier than you need them. Especially the ones who are known for being late arrivals.

2) Miscommunication

Make sure that you plan ahead! Set a time and location, then send a text to all the bridal party with the information. Do a google map with the exact location plotted out. If you are meeting at a park or garden this is so important. Make sure they know where to be and when.

Before the ceremony you should always pad 30-45 minutes for the bride to get hidden away.

Guest will be arriving and you don’t want them to see her! Also, this gives the photo/video team time to take detail photos of the ceremony location, and usually the video team will want to mic the groom and get their cameras set up.

Ceremonies vary in time but in generally they run about 30 minutes to an hour. Sometimes catholic and other religious ceremonies are longer so please adjust accordingly.

Family photos are usually after the ceremony. We advise couples to stick to the basics of Immediate family only. This includes parents, brothers and sisters (and their families), and grandparents. If you really want a photo with aunts/uncles and cousins. Keep it to one large photo per side otherwise you will be taking photos for a really long time.

How long does this take? Roughly 30 Minutes.

Things that can cause us to run behind during the the ceremony/family photos are:

1) Not calculating the correct length of the ceremony

This usually happens with religious ceremonies. Priests get long winded and a one hour ceremony turns into two. Yes, it has happened so keep this in mind. If you aren’t sure, pad extra time. It’s better to have extra time then not enough.

2) Family leaves for cocktails

Very often people disappear into cocktail hour not realizing they need to stay for photos. This results in more people disappearing to go find them. Make sure you advise all family of where they need to be for photos and when. Hand out papers for them to keep so they remember. This wastes a ton of time so do whatever you need to!

3) Don’t forget to look up the sunset time

This is especially important for late fall/winter/early spring weddings. This can change your timeline and may cause you to have an earlier ceremony. If the sun is going down early and you need more time, the other option is to do your family photos before the ceremony and join your guests for cocktails.

Before the reception begins, add some time in for the bride to bustle her dress and for the DJ to line up the bridal party for the grand entrance. Usually this takes some time and no one ever adds in time for this.

The reception usually doesn’t run too far behind unless the food takes longer than expected. This though is not as big a deal because there is nothing afterwards. The reception is the last thing. Make sure you tell your coordinator and catering company to feed the vendors at the same time as everyone else. This keeps everyone happy and fed (after all they have been working all day) besides, there is not better time for this. No one wants photos of themselves eating and after dinner all the events start so there isn’t any other time for them to eat. Love your vendors.

How long does the reception take? Roughly 2.5-3 Hours.

The party may go longer than this but usually all events will be done and guests will be drunk dancing. The photo and video team doesn’t usually need more time than this.

All together you should allow a minimum of 8 hours for your photo and video team at your wedding. If you have less than this, consider skipping the groom getting ready photos and minimize bride getting ready photos. We normally like to shoot 8-10 hour events so that we don’t feel rushed and have plenty of time but as you know, not everyone has a package that includes this much time. Anyhow, I hope this has helped you figure out your timeline and encourages you to talk to your photographer about a rough timeline as soon as you book. It will help you make wise decisions throughout the whole process.

Until next time…

XOXO

Stephanie