Timing on your wedding day is one of the most important plans to put together. Be inspired to follow these suggestions and tips in order to get the photos you want, and enjoy them while your guests are happily entertained.
One of the most important things in photography is light. It can create the difference between an average photo and an unbelievable photo.
I work with the sunlight to create the photos that I do. Natural light versus artificial light can give two very different looks.
My style is very natural and I don’t carry around lots of lights and soft boxes; instead I pose my couples in a way where the natural light from the sun falls onto them beautifully.
If it is an overcast day, the clouds act like a HUGE softbox and diffuse the light for me, so at midday, when the light is very harsh, with no clouds, I won’t shoot in the sun as it creates harsh shadows on the face and what I lovingly call “raccoon” eyes, and nobody wants that. When it is overcast, the light is soft and very forgiving even at midday.
Even better, is the “golden hour” light. This is the hour before sunset. Everything starts to glow, and soft, beautiful, long shadows are formed. A halo of light wraps around you and I get very excited in this light as I know this will create a gorgeous shot.
When working out a wedding timeline, I always work backwards from sunset. Visit http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/sunrise to see what time the sunsets on your wedding day in your venue area. So if the sunsets on your wedding day at 1730, I will work out how much times is allocated for your couple shoot, the bridal team, the family, & how long the ceremony is. This will determine what time the ceremony will start and hence what time should be on the invitations.
The reception will generally start once the couple has entered after sunset photos and it’s always a good idea to feed your guests starters before heading into speeches so that their tummies (and yours!) are not empty.
My advice on the formalities is to keep it simple. Try not to have 15 people stand up to speak, as it can get long and drawn out for the guests. If you really want many speakers, keep it short, so that the next speaker can go up to talk. (Have a Master of Ceremonies who can interject if necessary.)
People love a dance floor, so don’t leave it until 11pm to open the dance floor as a lot of older guests would have left already.
In order for me cover your wedding with the best results, I will need enough time to capture each part of the day. Below is a guideline for the amount of time I will need:
Decor Shots: 30mins
Bride before ceremony: 1-2 hours
Ceremony: 20mins-1hour
Family & Group shots: 20-30mins
Couple photos: 45mins-1hour
Reception: all depends on you…
Decor: I prefer to photograph this before I go to the bride getting ready. It is important to communicate to the person responsible for the decor that it be ready on time.
Bride Portraits: This is done in the final 30-40 minutes before the bride leaves for the ceremony. When things run late (makeup and hair starts late, and the dress takes long to get into) the portraits time is usually the time that gets taken away.
These portraits are really important and special and the only time that your makeup and hair is untouched by the wind or tears. It is also a moment for you to reflect that you are about to marry your person and I am able to capture that raw emotion. Please ensure that you plan for this time.
Family and Group Shots: Please ensure that you send me a list of the group photographs that you would like.
Please also assign your Master of Ceremonies or Best Man or Maid of Honour to help gather your family members for these shots.
These shots are very important, but I like to photograph the group shots as fast as possible, and it is helped when people are present for the photos so we can get through the list quickly.
Think carefully about who to include in family shots. My suggestion is keep it to immediate family. It will take a long time to get through the shot list if you include your brother-in-laws aunties cousin and all their kids. :) If things run late, this is time that starts to eat into your couple shoot time.