Have you allowed enough time for your Wedding Photos?

Hi! I know today´s topic is not very exciting but having a well planned timeline for your wedding photography is essential.  Having one will allow you to enjoy your day and it will allow you to get all the beautiful photos you have dreamed of.

 

Why do you need to plan the Photography schedule/timeline of your day? Because without it, you might not have enough time to take all the photos you want.  Maybe in your head you imagine that on your wedding you will have beautiful bride and groom shots in glory golden light, but then your dinner happens during that same time. And the only time you have to have those beautiful shots done is when the sun is still harsh and not so flattering. Or maybe you want photos with that aunt that came from Australia, or with your Uni mates and all you are left is with some iPhone photos of them dancing away. The more important Photography is for you, the more you need to carefully allow time for all the shots you want on your wedding day.

Don’t worry, I will do the timeline with you and we will discuss it during our pre-wedding meeting. Once we discuss it, you might have to go back to your wedding planner to tweak a few things. Most wedding planners allow enough time for photographs but sometimes things need to be moved around, extended or made shorter. Here are some of the most important things to consider:

  • My standard wedding coverage is 9 hours. It seems like a lot, although some times, things get delayed and I need to stay longer. Some weddings are very intense with lots of things going on and then I need to extend my coverage.
  • I usually start with the bride at the Hotel or home. I need 1 hour minimum from the time make up and hair is finished.
  • I need make up and hair finished by the time I arrive please. Hair and make up artists tend to delay my whole schedule, please ask them to be punctual! And please tell them at what time they should be finished.
  • It is nice to have the bridesmaids ready before I leave the Hotel so I can photograph them all together with the bride. The bride´s mum and dad should also be ready for a few shots before I leave for the ceremony.
  • If you have all accessories or details laid out for me to photograph that will speed things up for me. Please include wedding stationery if you have it.
  • I usually meet the groom at the ceremony venue (in front of church, at the bar, finca, etc). I only need half hour with the groomsmen. All of them should be ready for photos when I get there. I will take a few with all the boys and a few just the groom, then with close family if they are available (mum and dad are important here).
  • I allow 30 mins before the ceremony to get my stuff ready, photograph the details and guests arriving and then the bride driving in and walking down the aisle.
  • Cocktail time is very intensive for B&G. We need to take family portraits, photos with friends if you wish to, and most importantly, take the couples shots. I try to schedule these as late as possible so that the sun is as soft as possible. Realistically, if your cocktail is one hour long, you will only have 5 mins to sip some champagne. Alternatively, you can make the cocktail half and hour longer or do a First Look.
  • A First Look is when bride and groom see each other before the ceremony and have their session then. I love the idea, the only thing is that the light is usually very harsh in the summer at that time. But it frees you up to enjoy the cocktail more.
  • Ideally I need 1 hour to take those really nice photos of bride and groom you see on Pinterest. The more time you give me, the more variety and choice you will have. In real life, I am usually given from 1 hour down to 5-10 mins. I shoot spontaneous photos throughout the day but I still love to have an alone session with bride and groom.
  • We can also do a day-after session with your bridal gown on, kind of like a Trash-the-dress session (this would be an extra, please enquire for prices)
  • Please allow 10 mins for a large group shot and 15 more minutes for family shots (standard close family).
  • During dinner and dance I just go with the flow! After our agreed finishing time I´ll just collapse in the car! hah!

 

If you are planning your wedding now, have you allowed plenty of time for your precious wedding photographs?

 

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