The most essential tool to ensure your wedding photos are seamless, stress-free, and tell your story the way you want, is the wedding photo timeline. The timeline for your wedding becomes an organizing tool, a form of communication, a checklist, and a time manager between vendors so we don't pester the couple on a day when they shouldn't have to worry about a thing.
Here are some of the most frequently asked questions I have come across regarding timelines:
1) How early should the photographer arrive?
The photographer's arrival time on the day of your wedding will depend on your wedding package. In most cases, they will arrive toward the end of the bride's time with the Hair and Makeup team or just before getting dressed if the celebration being planned is Groom-Groom nuptials. This is when candids are captured, details are documented, and the tone is set for the rest of the day.
2) When should we schedule our first look?
The First Look, if you choose to do one, should be just after the getting ready time when you look your absolute best and just before your wedding party photos. It will also help you relax and have fun through your portrait time with your wedding party and family.
3) How can we schedule family and group photos efficiently?
The short answer, prepping and communicating.
Each photographer will most likely have their way of handling family and group photos, but I have developed a four-step process that, when followed, makes family photos quick and seamless. It starts with the questionnaire that I send out before our timeline meeting and ends with organizing the chaos on the day of.
4) How do I create a wedding day timeline that flows seamlessly?
Make time for yourself and add buffer time for things that require the cooperation of a lot of people. Adding buffer time is easy - the spots that are most likely to need more time are the time with your hair and makeup team (I usually recommend starting an hour earlier for an entire wedding party), adding fifteen minutes anywhere there is travel, and adding fifteen minutes to your family photo time for large families. Scheduling time for yourself is a little more difficult but what is most popular is to take half the cocktail hour to hide with your plate of appetizers - be sure to make sure that no one can bother you.
5) How late into the reception does the photographer stay?
A lot of this lies with the preference of the couple and how they want the story of the day told. The key moments to document at a reception include the couple’s grand entrance, the cake cutting, the first dance, special dances, and speeches. After those have passed and the dance floor opens it's all opinion. When I'm planning a timeline with you, I suggest only an hour into open dance, as long as all the things that you want to do can fit in that time. If there are late-night surprises that you want to be documented, then we extend that, of course.
I hope these are helpful tips for you when putting together your own timeline. The best thing I can tell you outside of these is - when in doubt, ask your vendors!!
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