Keep your wedding day stress free
Managing your wedding day timeline
Your wedding is one of the most important occasions in your life. The planning of your wedding could take months, if not years. As a wedding photographer, it comes down to me to create wedding photography that not only documents your special day, but elevates it into memories that will last for a life time.
Consider this; there is no way to re-do your wedding day and there are succession of tasks to go through on the day that need to fit together like a perfectly cut jigsaw.
The following words are some helpful pointers on how best to plan the timeline on your wedding day. They are recommendations I give to couples on how to run the day and how to get the best out of your wedding photography in the planning stage.
Morning preparation stage is an important part of your wedding day, arrange enough time both bride and groom to be photographed
Tight but loose at the same time
Paradoxical! I know. It’s about organising your day properly. Having enough gaps in between each activity and working out the time needed for them in order to keep the day flowing. For example, you might have a very busy schedule before the ceremony but have a long wait between the ceremony and the start of the wedding breakfast. I would suggest pushing the ceremony later in the day so the day is spread out better.
Location, Location, Location
Most weddings taking place at multiple locations. It could be 3 to 4 different locations. From preparation in the morning, the groom/grooms men getting ready, the church and the venue(s). For me, a fair amount of time will be dedicated to traveling between them and I always recommend having the locations as close to each other as possible. This will give me more time to photograph every stage of the preparation and keep the day flowing as planned. It is important to factor in the photographer’s travel time when planning.
Its goes without saying that the groom plays a massive part of your wedding, As the grooms usually getting ready in different location, it would be ideal to factor in the traveling time for the photographer.
Start at the end and work backwards
Yet another paradoxical concept but let me explain. You should always plan every stage of the wedding from the end of your last activity. For example, your ceremony starts at 2pm and your wedding breakfast starts at 4pm. On paper, 2 hours is sufficient time. In practice, this might not be enough for your photography. The ceremony will take around 30 to 40 minutes, then the reception with your guests. This will most likely leave only 1 hour for your wedding photography. Which isn’t ideal. I usually suggest to my clients to push the wedding breakfast back for 30 minutes or so, which gives us more time. The last thing I want to do is rush your wedding photographs.
Think of your wedding guests
Goes without saying! The wedding guests are your beloved family and friends. They are a massive part of your day. There will be times they have to wait and are not doing much. Therefore, keeping them entertained and fed is always a good idea, especially if you have lots of children at your wedding.
Arrange plenty of activities for your guests.
Chat with your supplier
Your supplier is a great asset for your wedding. They have much more experience in organising a wedding than you do. Considering most people only get married once, this isn’t surprising. Their input could be a real help.
Stick to your timeline.
In my experience, it is hard to see how the day will pan out regardless of how much planning you have done before hand. However, as a photographer, my job is to produce beautiful wedding photographs on your big day, and to do that I rely on a plan that works. It is highly recommended that we stick to the same timeline so your wedding day is photographed to the best of my ability.
A well planned wedding is like a fantastic wedding party group portrait, all the elements need to be at the right place and at the same time.
Your author
This blog post is provided by Jack Chen ABIPP ARPS. Award winning photographer based in Reading UK, specialising is wedding and portrait photography. If you are interested in any service, visit the website.
Contact detail
Email: jack@luxvita.co.uk
Mobile: 07971939813.