FAQ For Clients: How to Make a Rockin’ Wedding Day Schedule

Hands down, the thing that I get the most questions about from my couples is how to plan and out and schedule their wedding day in order to get the best photographs. It always makes my heart happy when they do consult me, because even though, as a photographer, I will always make the best of every situation and go with the flow while being as unobtrusive as possible, it definitely helps me out when we come up with a game plan beforehand and try to hammer out an optimal schedule.

The first thing you should be aware of about the schedule-making process is that things almost never go according to the schedule. I mean, it’s a wedding day. It’s pretty much guaranteed that at some point, things will fall behind, an unexpected hiccup will rear its ugly head, or at least one groomsman will think that the time he was told to show up was more a friendly suggestion than anything. But that doesn’t mean you should throw the idea of a schedule to the wind. In my opinion, the best way to approach it is as a set of guidelines, not concrete rules, because honestly… do you really need to give yourself any more reasons to potentially have a meltdown on your wedding day? Running a little behind schedule should not be one of them. If you’re laid back and just focused on enjoying your day, then everyone around you will be too.

I currently offer 10 hours of wedding day coverage in my basic package, which is usually more than enough time to cover everything from getting ready to the sendoff. In an ideal situation, those 10 hours are generally broken down like this:

• 1-2 hours of getting ready and shooting details like the dress, shoes, etc.
• 30 minutes-1 hour of portraits of the bride and groom (including time for first look if desired)
• 45 minutes of portraits of the bridal party
• 30 minutes of portraits of the family
• 1 hour or so of shooting candids of guests and details of the ceremony and reception site
• 30 minutes-1 hour for ceremony
• 3-4 hours for the reception

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There are several major factors that will determine how I would advise you to arrange your schedule: the time of day and time of year of your wedding, the number of locations where events will be taking place (and how far apart they are), how many formal pictures you want, and whether or not you want to do a First Look. (For all the reasons why I think First Looks are pretty awesome, check out the post I wrote about them here.)

• Time of Day and Year: As a photographer, I’ll constantly be thinking about light and how to make the most of it for your photographs. You’ll probably notice that a lot of my portraits are shot in natural light, either outdoors or by a window. I’m not opposed to bringing in off-camera lighting, and I can absolutely do that if desired or necessary, but to achieve what you see in my portfolio, I generally advise planning time for portraits when the light will be best. This means that if you’re planning a fall or winter wedding, when the sun begins to set a lot earlier, and you still want to do an evening ceremony, I would generally recommend doing as many of the formal photos as we can beforehand. If you are dying for an outdoor ceremony when the weather is warm, I would recommend choosing a start time that’s late enough to avoid the hottest parts of the day, but also just before sunset so that we can make the best use of the gorgeous golden light that comes right after the ceremony ends. In the summer months, a start time between 5:30-6:00 pm is usually perfect. If you want to do a morning or early afternoon ceremony, that can definitely change things. Depending on how early you start, we may not actually have enough time to do many formal portraits beforehand, so you might want to allow for that time to happen between the ceremony and reception (or even right after the reception if you can get everyone to stick around long enough). Also, if you really would rather do portraits during a time when it may be dark outside, or the weather may be inclement, I can definitely whip out my lights and do an indoor set up, no problem. But since many couples ask what I would ideally prefer, I thought I’d throw that out there. :)
• Number of Locations: I always say that keeping the number of locations to a minimum on your wedding day makes a HUGE difference in controlling chaos. If you’re getting married in a hotel ballroom or at a resort or club, it’s a great idea to rent a room there to get ready in because it will cut down the amount of time spent driving around on the wedding day (and reduce the risk of people getting lost and being late). Also, if you can have hair and makeup come to YOU instead of you going to a salon, that can also be a big help. There are many hair and makeup artists these days who are more than willing to travel, so it’s a good option to look into. If you can have the ceremony and reception at the same location, or at least very close to each other, that makes a big difference for me as the photographer, because I can go back and forth and shoot reception details (before all the guests get in) when there’s downtime before the ceremony. And trust me, guests will love you for not making them drive all over creation and again, risk getting lost and being late. All in all, the more locations you have, the more driving time we’ll need to build into the schedule. While not a bad thing necessarily, it could cut down on the amount of photos being taken, and I find that most of my couples want the most bang for their buck. When in doubt, keep it simple! :)
• Number of Formal Photos Desired: The general timeline I gave above can definitely vary depending on how many portraits you want to do. Most brides and grooms want to keep family and bridal party shots sweet and simple, and I am 100% in agreement with that. One of the biggest compliments I get as a wedding photographer is how quick and painless my formal shots are, so I like to keep my reputation going. :) This means that I don’t do a thousand variations on bridal party shots. Generally I do the bride with bridesmaids, the bride with each bridesmaid, same for the groom and groomsmen, and then the bridal party all together. If the group is particularly fun and adventurous and we have the time, we might get a little creative and do some more crazy stuff. It really makes a difference if we can do all the bridal party shots beforehand, so that they are able to go straight to the reception and start having fun and mingling with the guests. Then for family photos, I generally start with a big group shot of both sides of the family, then break it down into smaller groups (dismissing people to the reception as we go) until we get down to the bride and groom and their parents. The family shots are generally done immediately following the ceremony, but it’s always great if we can do them beforehand so that you can get to your reception and start the party as soon as possible.
• First Look or No: Whether or not you want to do a first look will definitely determine how much we do before the ceremony and how much we do after. If you choose not to see each other before (which I totally respect and will definitely work with!), then I’ll try to do as many groupings as possible before the ceremony without having the two of you together (i.e. the bride with her bridesmaids, the bride with her family, and same for the groom). Then, immediately after the ceremony, we’ll bang out all the rest of the groupings with the two of you together, and then hopefully still have 15-20 minutes to do portraits of the two of you. Because portraits of the bride and groom are one of my favorite parts of the day, I treasure this time and love it when we’re not terribly rushed and you’re not anxious to get to the reception, which is why I personally love having time before the ceremony for this. However, I’ve also gotten pretty dang good at rapid fire portrait sessions, so if necessary, I can (and have!) totally work it. And heck, if you decide you want more portraits without time restraints, we can always schedule a “day after” session, which can really take place any time after the wedding, and you can get all dressed up again and we can have the freedom to go anywhere and get as creative as we want with these. Totally up to you, because it’s ultimately YOUR wedding! :)

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Here are some other pointers for making your day run as smoothly as possible:

• Your hair and makeup will almost ALWAYS take longer than you think (especially if you’re having your maids get theirs done too), so schedule your appointment for at least 30 minutes earlier than you think you need to. It’s not the stylists’ fault, it’s just that it takes time, and it’s better to, in the best case scenario, have extra time to sit around before the ceremony than to be crazy rushed and frantic the rest of the day.
• A wedding coordinator is a VALUABLE resource. All of this that I’m writing is strictly from a photography standpoint and based on my experiences, but a wedding coordinator can not only help you think about all the factors you should take into consideration when making a schedule, but he/she can also help you stick to the schedule and keep things moving along. Most of the time, especially during the getting ready portion of the day, I act as a fly on the wall and don’t do much directing, so if you need to have someone there to make sure everyone stays on track, it’s great to have a coordinator. They can also help you determine a good timeline for the reception, from when you should do a grand entrance to when you should cut the cake to when you should do your first dances. As a photographer, having a coordinator present can be awesome, because she will let me know when important things are coming up so there’s no way I’ll miss them. If hiring someone isn’t in your budget, or you feel like the day will be simple enough to not require one, you could consider just asking a close friend or family member (someone who’s good at speaking up and leading) to take on the role for the day.
• Consider appointing a family member (or someone who knows your family well) to be the ringleader for family portrait time. Formal family portraits, especially when they happen right after the ceremony, can be absolutely chaotic. We’ve all been there. But three things can make all the difference in how smoothly it goes: making a specific shot list beforehand of the groupings you want, making sure that everyone knows exactly where they’re supposed to be and when they’re supposed to be there, and assigning someone to make sure that the family members do get exactly where they’re supposed to be. I will probably have no idea what Uncle Joe looks like, and I definitely don’t want you, as the bride or groom, to be running around trying to track him down, so if you pick someone ahead of time to make sure everyone gets to where they need to be, I can focus on shooting and YOU can focus on just being deliriously happy and not stressed out. :)
• If you opt not to do a First Look and we will be doing many of the formal portraits after the ceremony, having a cocktail hour is a great solution, because your guests can go ahead and begin eating, drinking, and celebrating, but you won’t feel like you’re missing your own reception. Also, it gives me a chance to sneak into the reception room before guests are allowed in to get shots of the decor and food.

A family shot from Ashley + Andre’s yet-to-be-blogged wedding. What a difference gorgeous light makes… and look at those happy faces! Family portraits don’t HAVE to be terrible. :)

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And fiiiiinally, just to kind of show how all of these elements come together in the formation of a schedule, I’ve created two sample schedules for two completely different wedding day scenarios. Let me know what you think or how you would customize them to fit your needs!

MORNING WEDDING

Ceremony start time of 11:00 am, in November, no First Look

6:00 am Start hair and makeup; I arrive

6:30 am I start shooting details while hair and makeup is happening

[If time allows, I also shoot groomsmen getting ready.]

8:00 am Bride gets into dress

8:15 am Photos of bride by herself and with her bridesmaids

9:00 am Photos of bride with any family who is present

9:30 am Bride retreats to room to relax and I find the groom and groomsmen

9:45 am Photos of groom by himself, with groomsmen, and with any family present

10:15 am Everyone hides away as guests begin to arrive; I shoot candids of guests arriving and, if possible, details of the reception room

11:00 am Ceremony starts

11:30 am Ceremony ends and family portraits begin

11:50 am Family portraits end and bridal party portraits begin

12:10 pm Bridal party portraits end and portraits of the couple begin

12:30 pm Portraits of the couple end and everyone heads into reception

12:45-1:00 I and my second shooter grab a quick bite to eat while guests are eating (no one likes pictures of themselves with their mouths full of food!)

1:00 pm-4:00 pm Photos of all the festivities- primarily candids from here on out

 

EVENING WEDDING

Ceremony start time of 6:00 pm, in May, First Look

1:00 pm I arrive; hair and makeup are in full swing

1:20 pm I shoot details and possibly the groomsmen getting ready if they are nearby

2:30 pm Bride gets into dress

3:00 pm First Look happens

3:15 pm Portraits of the bride and groom

3:45 pm Portraits of the bridal party

4:30 pm Portraits of any family members who come before the ceremony

5:15 pm Everyone hides away as guests begin to arrive; I shoot details of the ceremony site, candids of guests arriving, and, if it’s at the same site or close by, details of the reception

6:00 pm Ceremony starts

6:30 pm Guests, bridal party, and family members who have been photographed are dismissed to cocktail hour or reception; I shoot any remaining family with bride and groom

6:45 pm I get an extra 15-20 minutes of portrait time with the bride and groom right at the golden hour of beautiful sunset light

7:10 pm Bride and groom arrive to enjoy the last half of the cocktail hour or to start the reception

7:30 pm I and my second shooter grab a quick bite to eat while guests are eating

7:45 pm- 11:00 pm Photos of all the festivities- primarily candids from here on out

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Obviously, these are just sample schedules, and you’ll almost always need to customize yours to fit your own needs, but it always helps to have a jumping off point. The important thing to remember is that while it’s good to be organized, don’t become so attached to the schedule that things fall apart the moment we get behind. I always, always, always build in a little buffer time, so DON’T STRESS. That’s why you hired professionals- to help you make sure things go according to plan and to come up with creative on-the-fly solutions when they don’t! :)