Are you wanting to ensure that your wedding day is relaxed, fun, and yet structured so that you get all the photos you want? Good news!! That can totally happen! Being prepared with a solid timeline is the key to helping making your dream a reality. Here’s some of my top tips about how to get the most out of your wedding day with a rock solid timeline!
Hiring someone who is experienced with weddings who understands the flow of how the day can go is crucial to getting the most out of your wedding day. With a planner, you won’t have to be checking the clock, you won’t need to call so and so while you’re getting ready to make sure they’re getting the reception decorated. All of that gets taken care of for you so that you can sit back, enjoy your day, and know that everything is getting down.
Do you want photos that show off all those details you spent months choosing? You might not think about it much ahead of time, but those photos actually set the stage for your entire wedding day! Plus, who doesn’t want gorgeous photos of your dream gown! Details do take time to style, so to save you time, I always recommend putting EVERYTHING into a bag. This would include the rings, a special hanger, jewelry, perfume, and anything else you have that you want photographed. I dive a little deeper into that on this blog post: 10 Things to have Ready When Your Photographer Arrives
This is the biggest time saver of all! If your ceremony is at one location, and your reception at a different location… and then you need to drive over around for photos – that takes up so much valuable time! I encourage my couples to choose one venue that can do it all! This will save you at least 1 hour of driving time – and will get rid of the hassle of trying to find vehicles for everyone.
Part of the reason that I like first looks, is that it allows you to complete almost all (or all, if you choose) of your formal photos before the ceremony! This frees you up and allows you to go straight from the ceremony into the reception! To each their own though, so if a modern first look isn’t your thing, that’s totally okay!
If your package includes a second photographer, they can split up bridal party between the two photographers! This allows you to be photographing the girls and the guys at the same time and cuts down a good 30 minutes of bridal party pictures!
I require that all of my couples meet with me 1 month before their wedding date to talk through the timeline in depth. I sent over a form 2 months prior to the wedding day. It allows me to hear you talk through the entire day and helps us both think through how to make the day flow perfectly!
My last tip is one that might be controversial – here it goes!
I cannot count how many times the timeline has run late when there’s 4+ people going ahead of the bride. If each person goes just 15 minutes over, that means the bride is suddenly running an hour late. Talk this through with your planner and they’ll be able to give you a good idea of when you should get your makeup done.