wedding guide
here to help you plan your perfect day.
I'm so excited to be along for your wedding day and create magic together!
I know planning can be a bit stressful at times, and that's okay! There's a lot on your plate! I'm not just a photographer who shows up to take photos on your day. I want you to think of me as a friend, and someone who wants your day to go perfectly. I've put together this guide to help you piece together every part of your day.
I know everyone's day is different, and what you're wanting might not align with my suggestions. But that's all they are, suggestions. We can always add more time or less depending on your vision for your day! Please be sure to communicate your needs with me so I know how to help! I want to make sure we have enough time for all planned photos, and plenty of time for you to be present and enjoy the day!
make a wedding
email account
You're going to get tons of emails from your vendors (I promise I don't add to that too much). To save yourself some stress and add some organization, create a wedding email account!
add a little buffer room
I want to make sure you're not running from event to event on your day. You should be present and enjoy each part. Adding a few minutes of buffer room for all we do goes such a long way.
Know the sunset time
If we're planning on popping out for sunset photos (which I highly recommend!), make sure you know when the sun sets on your day! A quick Google search will tell you! Sunset photos usually happen 30-40 minutes before the sun actually sets.
ceremony + dinner time
These are the two big events for the day, and the ones you'll be putting on your invites for guests. These two times will tell us a lot about your day- how much coverage we'll need before the ceremony, and into the evening after dinner. So we can plan forwards + backwards from there.
getting ready photos
Focusing on the simple details + final touches
Plan on 60-90 minutes of time
Aileen will be photogrpahing the bride's side, and the second shooter will be with the boys.
What to expect for the bride's side:
- Detail photos of bride's items (dress, rings, etc)
- Bride getting into her dress, shoes, etc
- Candids of the getting ready time
Fun additional photos: girls in pjs / first look with parents or bridesmaids
What to expect for the groom's side:
- Detail photos of groom's items (shoes, cologne, etc)
- Groom buttoning jacket, etc
- Candids of the getting ready time
Fun additional photos: parent pinning boutineer
Quick tips for getting ready:
- Hair and makeup tends to run behind, so plan for extra time just in case!
- Ask your florist for loose or unused flowers for detail photos
- Grab a customized hanger for your wedding dress!
- Gift your bridesmaids some cute PJs for getting ready photos! And to be comfy on the big day!
- Designate someone special to help get into your dress
- Write letters to each other! Such a cute and romantic way to kick off the day.
Bride's detail checklist: Dress, rings, perfume, bouquet, necklace, earrings, handkerchief, bracelet, invitations
Groom's detail checklist: Shoes, tie, cologone, cufflinks, watch, ring, boutineer
first look
If you're on the fence about doing a first look, I highly recommend it! Not only do you two get to spend more time together on your day, you can knock out so many photos before the ceremony. That way, you can ease right into the cocktail hour and enjoy time with your guests.
Tip: Plan to have this moment be private between the two of you. It'll be all the more special!
If you aren't into doing a first look, no worries at all! We can totally wait for the ceremony!
You can always knock out separate sides of the bridal party photos before the ceremony to save some time later!
Plan for 10-15 minutes
ceremony
typically 20 - 30 minutes / catholic ceremony 60-70 minutes
The biggest part of the day! All the nerves and excitement comes down to this moment! You should be present, and everyone in attendance should be as well. Cell phones, cameras, ipads, etc. can be very distracting and take away from this beautiful, once in a lifetime moment.
An unplugged ceremony means no phones. It will help keep your photos timeless, and the focus on where it should be- on the two of you!
If you have the option to write your own vows, you totally should! It's such a cute and personal touch to your ceremony.
Tips:
- If you want an unplugged ceremony, have a sign out front and have your officiant make an announcement.
- Hold your first kiss at the ceremony to make sure the moment is captured!
- Plan for everyone to either blow bubbles, throw flower petals or biodegradable confetti as you exit the aisle! Makes for such cute photos and helps make the moment more magical!
group photos
Family Photos
Typically these are done immediately following the ceremony. If you're doing a first look, we can plan to do them before if time allows. I'll help you plan your shot list, but try and keep this to immedaite family to save on time.
Timing will depend on the size of your family + the list you have. Typially I try to plan on 20-25 minutes, but it could be more or less if you have a big or small family.
Bridal Party Photos
With a second shooter, we'll be able to tag team your bridal party photos. Aileen will do the bride's side, and the second shooter will shoot the boys side. Then we'll all come together for some fun group photos!
Timing will depend on the size of your bridal party. Typically I plan for 20-30 minutes, but if you have a smaller bridal party, maybe plan for about 10-15 minutes.
wedding couple portraits
My favorite part of the day! You two getting some one on one time together!
You can expect similar posing to your engagement session. Please provide your feedback on your engagement photos so I know what you want your wedding photos to look like!
We'll also do individual photos of each of you!
I'd also love to make some time during the reception to grab some sunset photos! If we could sneak out for 15-20 minutes that would be great!
Plan on 45-60 minutes
reception
general reception tips:
- Entrances
- Cake cutting
- Toasts + Blessing
- Dinner (60 minutes at least)
- Sunset Photos
- First dance + parent dances
- Any other events you want photographed
- Open dance floor (30-40 minutes)
my suggested order of events:
Speeches: We love kind words, but multiple speakers giving long speeches can cut into the timeline and push things behind. Keep wedding day speakers to priorities, ask them to keep it to 4 minutes, and have others either speak at your rehearsal or even write you a letter.
Dinner: Dinner can sometimes run a bit behind, so having buffer room in your reception is a great idea. If you finish dinner early and want to walk around and say hi to your tables, that would be a great time!
Sparkler Send Off: Want to do a send off but don't want to push your coverage to the end of the night? A suggestion would be to do a mock send off before the dance floor opens. It's a way to get everyone up after a big meal, and allows more people to be in your photos before they have to leave. Once the "send off" is done, everyone can come back in and head right to the dance floor.
Photos with your guests: If you're wanting photos with all your guests, there are a few time efficient ways to make this happen. If the space allows, we can do one big group photo with everyone. Or we can do a photo dash- have the wedding couple on the dance floor, and tables running in and out of frame for a quick group photo.
Last Photos Of The Night: I love to end our time together with photos of just the two of you. We can get you together on the dance floor for a final photographed dance together.
have more questions?
Feel free to shoot me an email to talk about your timeline a little more in depth, or send me a rough draft and I'll give feedback! I hope this helped!