love stories
Wedding Planning Guide
Here’s a few helpful tips for timing on your day from what we’ve learned over the years of documenting many different love stories. Every wedding is unique and every couple should plan their day to fit them. We hope this can be helpful as you’re mapping out your wedding day!
Sample timeline.
Most wedding days operate under the same sequence of events. Here is a rough timeline so you get an idea of how long certain parts of the day can last. You have us for 6-8 hours so here’s what we would cover in that time.
Timing is always dependent on light and the ceremony usually happens about an hour or two before the sun sets so you get those gorgeous sunset couple photos after the ceremony. It can also be earlier or later depending on your preference.
01
Getting Ready
1:30-2:15pm
Here we will get the tail end of getting ready. Hair/makeup is mostly done and we’re getting detail shots of the dress before it’s on. We”ll usually bounce between the bride and groom if you’re getting ready close by.
02
First Look/Pre-ceremony Portraits
2:30-3:15pm
First looks are amazing and we strongly encourage them. But we leave that 100% up to you. If you want to wait to see each other until the ceremony we absolutely love that as well!
03
Group Portraits
3:15-4:00pm
For group photos we suggest sticking with bridal party and immediate family. When the groups get larger it can get super overwhelming really quickly.
We recommend during the reception to get other group photos with your guests as you make your rounds.
We will usually wrap up photos around 30 minutes before the ceremony so you can get some time to freshen up and relax before everything starts. This is also when we will go and get detail shots of the ceremony and reception.
04
Ceremony
4:30-5:00pm
Most ceremonies last roughly 3o minutes but some can go up to an hour or be as short as 5 minutes. The day is centered around this moment and can be exactly as you want.
05
Couples Portraits
5:15-6:15pm
If we’ve done portraits earlier in the day we’ll usually take some time around sunset for you to sneak away from everyone and share a brief moment alone. This is for you guys to just enjoy being married and love on each other. It can be as short as 15 minutes or as long as an hour.
It is totally up to you and how much time you want to be together. We know how important it is for you to be with your guests and leave this part of the day completely in your hands.
06
Reception
6:15-9:30pm
This part includes cocktail hour, dinner, speeches and dancing. Some weddings have games or traditions that are special to them and where they come from. This part of the day is the most documentary style and we are here to capture what’s happening. From the tears to the laughs we are here for it all.
Here is where our night ends together.
Getting Ready
Homes are the best for getting ready. Airbnb’s or house rentals nearby the ceremony location work perfect. You can fit everyone easily and the light is always better in a home.
If possible have a designated room for you to get ready alone. Have your maids or groomsmen get ready in a separate room. Leave all extra bags or excess clutter in a separate area that’s easy to get to. This way you’ll have a calm area to get ready but it will also be easy for us to document the moments of getting ready and getting into the dress.
This is usually when we will capture the details. The dress, accessories, the invitation suite.
First Look
Wether or not you do a first look is completely up to you. Some couples like to have a private vow reading, or exchange gifts. Others like to just have a simple moment to collect together before the day begins. This moment is yours and we are here to capture it as it unfolds.
We will usually find a place away from everything that is quiet and beautiful for you both to be together.
Here’s some reasons why we like them –
You get more time together on your wedding day.
You get to calm your nerves before your ceremony.
It in no way lessens the impact of when you walk down the aisle for the first time.
It’s one of the few moments during the day that you get to be alone before the day goes in fast forward.
Group Portraits
This is the part of the day that can be the hardest and we make it as fun and quick as possible. These photos matter as the years go one and we want you to enjoy these moments with your loved ones.
If you’ve done a first look then we will usually do these photos before the ceremony if not then most couples do them immediately after the ceremony.
If you’d like to make a list of people before the wedding for us to use that is always helpful. But if you prefer to just let the immediate family know the day of that also works. Have a designated person who knows everyone, either a family member or someone on the bridal party that can round everyone up for you so you don’t have to worry about that during your wedding day.
Ceremony
This part of the day is so important and its one of our favorite part of the day. This is the moment where you are surrounded by the people you love as you marry your favorite person.
Timing of this is totally up to you. Some couples have this in the middle of the day, others around sunset and some have it at night surrounded by candles.
Here is where traditions vary and we get to capture speeches, or music, or breaking the glass. Some couples have their vows read while others read them to each other.
Lighting wise either all sun or all shade is the best for us to capture. This way you aren’t squinting in the sun while the other person stands in the shade. We have no preference for time of day and love capturing it all. If you close your eyes and picture yourself during the ceremony, what do you see?
Couples Portraits
If we’ve done portraits earlier in the day we’ll usually take some time around sunset for you to sneak away from everyone and share a brief moment alone. This is for you guys to just enjoy being married and love on each other. It can be as short as 15 minutes or as long as an hour.
It is totally up to you and how much time you want to be together. We know how important it is for you to be with your guests and leave this part of the day completely in your hands.
Reception
This part includes cocktail hour, dinner, speeches and dancing. Some weddings have games or traditions that are special to them and where they come from. This part of the day is the most documentary style and we are here to capture what’s happening. From the tears to the laughs we are here for it all.
If you seat us with your guests we won’t miss a thing and we love hearing stories from your friends and family.
