Have a chat with all of your vendors about a timeline for your wedding day. This will help things run smoothly and you’ll be able to relax more on the day. Here are some tips to keep in mind for your photos.

PREPARATION PHOTOS

Get your girls together and open the bubbles! I like to allow 2 hours of coverage, starting 2.5 hours before your ceremony, for preparation photos. Talk to your hair and makeup stylist about the best time to start your preparations.

For preparation photos with the guys I allow 1 hour of coverage, starting 1.5 - 2 hours before the ceremony. If you want photos of the guys suiting up, hold off putting your suits on until your photographer arrives. Sometimes an activity like throwing a ball around or a game of cards can look great in these photos, but if you just want to share a glass of whiskey with the lads that's cool with us too. 

CONGRATULATIONS

Allow some time (maybe 20 minutes) after your ceremony for guests to come up and congratulate you, before jumping into family photos.  This is a special part of the day and your guests will want to hug and congratulate you!

FAMILY PHOTOS

Family photos can take longer than expected and sometimes it can take 5 minutes per group. Write down a list of the different family members in each group. Start thinking about this sooner than later, it can feel overwhelming writing this the night before! It's also a good idea to send a list of the group shots to your MC so they can help with finding guests on the day. 

BRIDAL SHOOT

It's becoming popular to have a 'first look' and your bridal shoot before your ceremony. This is definitely something to consider, I'm all for it. It's less traditional which might work for you, it also calms your nerves leading up to the ceremony.

I recommend allowing 1-hour minimum for your bridal shoot. Take into consideration adding on travel time if you are traveling to a different location. 1-hour might seem like a long time for photos, but I promise the results will be worth it!

Let your caterer know what time you’ll be starting the bridal shoot as this may be helpful if they are preparing food for the bridal party to bring along. At the start of the bridal shoot, you can all relax, catch up and have a bite to eat.