As a wedding photographer, I photograph 1-2 (sometimes 3!) weddings a week from May through October. You are most likely planning a wedding for the first time & I don’t want you to feel like you have to figure it out alone. After photographing so many weddings, I’ve noticed what makes a day go by seamlessly & I’m here to make sure your day goes by seamlessly, too.

In this post, I’ll walk you through some of the big events of your day with tips to ensure your day is as perfect as possible & share an 8-hour photography timeline template with you.

Just a little reminder:
As you begin planning your wedding, I’m sure there will be moments where you feel overwhelmed & maybe pressured to incorporate trends & do things you think you should do. I want to remind you that your day is about you two – your love, your story, the things that feel right to you. You’re allowed to plan your day however you would like, and I’ll be right there ready to support you and be your biggest cheerleader.

Getting Ready & Details

When I arrive at the venue, I usually meet you where you’re getting ready. I say hi & start taking photos of your details. If you want your details photographed, it’s helpful for me (and you!!) when your details are in a box, ready to go when I arrive.

You can put this together the night before so it’s one less thing to stress about day-of. This way, you don’t have to look around for all the items while getting your hair or makeup done. Having everything ready for me means more time for candids when I’m done & starts the day off super organized. If you don’t want detail photos — you can ignore this part!

When it’s time to get dressed, the loved one who will be zipping/buttoning your dress or putting on your boutonniere should already be dressed since they’ll be in photos. I’ll wait for you to get mostly dressed and begin taking photos when your people start zipping or buttoning you.

Getting ready seems to always run longer than expected, so plan a little extra time just in case things go off schedule.
Actually, everything seems to take longer than expected, so plan in buffer time for everything. And if you want to have time to film TikToks or Reels, sit & drink mimosas with your friends before getting dressed, or have a first look with your parents, make sure that is specifically planned into your schedule. If it’s not in your timeline, things might start to feel rushed since we’ll have to squeeze it in at the last minute.

First Look & Private Vows

We usually have so much time before the ceremony, so capturing as many important photos earlier in the day allows you to be in the moment during the second half of the day. Even if you aren’t doing a first look, taking photos with each partner’s groups (family & wedding party) is a great plan.

If you are doing a first look, take as long as you need during this time & let me know when you’re ready to begin portraits. Sometimes couples will choose to do their private vows right now too.

Immediate Family Photos

Family photos are such an important part of your wedding day because these are the people that made you who you are and both of your families are all in one place. This part of the day can be the most stressful since we are trying to coordinate with so many people. Having clear communication with all these special people is crucial! Let them know where & when they should meet for photos, so everyone is ready to go.

This part of the day is so special that it has its own blog post!

How to plan Stress-Free Family Photos

Ceremony

Woohoo! It’s time to make it official! I usually will stand up at the front as you enter the ceremony space and if there’s a second photographer, they will start at the back. Once the ceremony begins, I will rotate around until the ceremony is over. I will stand at the end of the aisle for the first kiss, and the second photographer will stand on the side so we can capture it from multiple angles.

A common trend is pause halfway through the aisle as you’re leaving the ceremony for a little dip kiss, so if that’s something you’re planning on, let me know :) If you are planning on doing anything unique or special, please let me know so I know to be in the right place for it!

If you are doing extended family photos after the ceremony, have your officiant make an announcement after you have walked back down the aisle so those people remember that they need to stay in the ceremony space while everyone else is going to cocktail hour.

Cocktail Hour

Sometimes during cocktail hour, family members will stay in the ceremony space for family photos. As a photographer, I know these formal photos are important, but nothing compares to the candid, emotional, authentic moments that happen while you’re celebrating with your people. These end up being some of my favorite moments from your day. So, it’s important to me that I capture group photos as efficiently as possible. Keeping your shot list short and specific gets you back to being in the moment!

If there are two photographers, I will stay with you two and the other photographer will snap candids of your people during cocktail hour :) Couples who take all their family photos before the ceremony just have to sign the license and then they can go mingle with their people!

Reception

Once we finish group photos & signing the official stuff, I’ll follow you two around and capture those sweet moments with your people. If you want lots of candids of you two lovebirds together during cocktail hour & the reception, try to mosey around together as much as possible.