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Planning your wedding day can be exciting and overwhelming, but with a little organisation and thoughtful consideration, you can reflect your style and personality. One important aspect to focus on is timing, crucial in ensuring your wedding photography turns out beautifully.

Getting Ready

Let’s start with the getting ready part of the day. It’s always a good idea to allow extra time for the photographer to arrive early. This way, they can ease into the day without any rush and get to know everyone involved. Having a coffee (or glass of bubbles hint hint) and a chat, can help everyone feel more comfortable, resulting in more natural and relaxed photos. Keep in mind the bride usually requires more time for hair, makeup, and getting dressed, so it’s common for the photographer to spend more time with the bride during this phase.

The Ceremony

Moving on to the ceremony, there are a few additional things to consider. It’s important to factor in a slight delay in starting the ceremony, as it’s not uncommon for things to run a few minutes behind schedule.

End your ceremony with a colourful and fun confetti exit to celebrate your marriage. This can make for some truly gorgeous, incredible photos. You can opt for flower petals as an eco-friendly option.

Family Photos

Planning group and family photos immediately after the ceremony when all your guests are still gathered together is best to optimise time. Family photos can be done efficiently in around 15 minutes with proper preparation. It’s helpful to create a list of the specific groups you want to include in these photos and assign someone to help organise everyone. Once the formalities are complete, everyone can relax and enjoy the celebration.

The Portraits

When capturing portraits, it’s best to have a conversation with your photographer to develop a plan together. The duration of the portrait session can vary depending on factors like the number of locations you want to visit. As a general guideline, portrait sessions can range from ​30 minutes to an hour and a half. Remember, photography is all about capturing light, and the quality of light greatly affects the beauty of your images. The ideal time for portraits is during the “golden hour,” just before sunset. During this time, the light becomes softer and warmer, creating a lovely glow that photographers adore. If your reception falls within this hour before sunset, I recommend setting aside 10 minutes to sneak away ​from the reception and capture some stunning sunset portraits. These photos will surely enhance your wedding collection.

Seasons

Now, let’s talk about planning your wedding in different seasons. Winter weddings have their own unique charm, with softer and more magical lighting. However, remember that daylight hours are shorter during winter, so it’s wise to schedule your ceremony earlier to ensure enough time for your photographer to capture your portraits.

The midday sun can be quite intense for summer weddings and cause people to squint in photos. It’s a good idea to plan your ceremony for later in the ​afternoon when the light is softer and more flattering. By choosing a later ceremony time, you can avoid the discomfort of bright sunlight and ensure more comfortable and beautiful photos.

Lastly

Don’t forget to consider traffic when planning your wedding day. Factor in travel times and any major events happening on your chosen date that could congest traffic. Traffic delays can eat into your portrait session time, so it’s best to plan ahead and avoid any potential traffic jams, especially if your wedding falls on a Friday.

Remember, these tips are just a guide, and it’s essential to have open communication with your photographer to create a customised plan that suits your preferences and needs. If you have any more questions or need further assistance, feel free to ask. I’m here to help!

​If you would like a copy of my wedding planning guide, contact me, and I’ll send it your way!