Your Wedding Day Timeline

We all know a wedding day has the possibility to be stressful. You’ve probably heard horror stories from friends. However, one of my goals as your wedding photographer is to help you have a stress free day that flows smoothly and is full of fun!

I strongly feel that a good timeline can make or break your photography experience. That’s just it. I want you to have a memorable experience with MLP, not just receive photos. I want you to have an experience that is fun, relaxed, and incredible. The last thing I want is to lead you through a disaster! Over the years, I have learned how much time is appropriate for each portion of the day. I always tell my brides that it is not their responsibility to come up with a timeline for the day. That is my job! After filling out a questionnaire on the client portal, I make a rough draft of how I think it should best flow and then we go over it together, perfecting it for the big day.

Here is how a typical wedding day flows for a MLP Bride:

{45-60 mins} Detail Shots (dress, shoes, jewelry, rings, bouquets, etc)

{20-30 mins} Getting Ready (putting on dress, shoes, jewelry, etc )

{15-20 mins}  Bridal Portraits

{10-15 mins}   First Look

{30-45 mins}  Bride & Groom Portraits (part 1)

{15-20 mins}  Groom & Groomsmen Portraits

{15-25 mins}  Wedding Party Portraits

{20-30 mins}  Bride & Bridesmaids Portraits

{15-30 mins}  Family Portraits

{30-45 mins}  Break Before Ceremony (Makenzie gets ceremony details & reception details if same location)

{15-45 mins}  Ceremony

{10-20mins}  Bride & Groom Golden Hour Photos (Part 2)

{1.5-3 hours}  Reception

 

Details:

Every bride loves having those beautiful shots of her bridal details. It’s an important part of the story and I love having some time to shoot the dress, shoes, jewelry, bouquet, stationary, etc. These shots allow me to get warmed up for the rest of the day. I normally like to allow at least 45 minutes for these shots, but love it when I can have a full hour. While I’m shooting details, I’m also capturing some shots of the bride and her girls getting ready! If the groom is getting ready at the same location, I can pop in to get some of them too!

Getting Ready:

Next, it’s time for the bride to get into her dress! I think it looks best if the people helping the bride are dressed, whether it be her mother and/or all of the bridesmaids. I also recommend having all the clutter picked up in the room. This ensures that everyone and everything looks nice in those images. After the bride is in her gown, she can put on her jewelry, veil, shoes, and other final touches! From there, I normally do a few bridal portraits since she feeling fresh and beautiful!

First Look:

This is one of my favorite parts of the day! I love watching the groom see his bride! I will find the perfect location for this earlier that day and will try to ensure the location is private and as secluded as possible.

Bride & Groom Portraits:

After the bride and groom take their time with the First Look, we will move into portraits of the two of them while the initial excitement is still there! I will choose the locations for these shots as well based off of where we can find good light! As we shoot these portraits, the bridal party can continue getting ready and get prepared for the wedding party portraits.

The Guys, The Girls, & The Whole Party:

If we are staying on location, these are normally divided as listed above in the timeline. I start with the guys first. This allows the bride to go touch up her lipstick and such, take a break off her feet, and round up her girls. I spend time with the guys getting group shots, the groom with each guy, and individual shots of the groom. Once the girls are ready, we move into the full wedding party photos. Once we’ve finished with those, the guys are finished and can find a safe place for their jackets and boutonnieres. I work with the girls for group shots, the bride with each girl, and a few more bridal portraits. If we go off site for these photos, we will most likely lump all these together as we walk and find great places to shoot!

Break for the Ceremony:

After family portraits are complete, the bride will go into hiding so as guests arrive they don’t see her. This a great time to relax and breathe before the bride walks down the aisle! It also gives me time to snap some photos of all the ceremony details and reception details if it is at the same location.

Ceremony:

It’s time to get married!! Most ceremonies are 20-30 minutes long. If your ceremony is longer than 30 minutes, we’ll make adjustments to the timeline! Breathe and soak it all in…your ceremony will pass by so quickly!

Golden Hour Portraits:

Approximately 90 mintues before the sun goes down is called The Golden Hour by photographers. This is when the sun is glowy and golden. I love having a few extra minutes with the bride and groom to take a few “Just Married” portraits before heading into the reception. Your guests will need to arrive and find their seat anyway. We have a few minutes to spare! Depending on your timeline, another option is to sneak out of the reception for a few mintues for these golden portraits.

Reception:

The party can begin! Now, I’m just a long for the ride to watch everything unfold. I can give you tips for a great reception order (blog post coming soon!) but your DJ will have suggestions too!