IDEAL TIMES FOR YOUR WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY
MAXIMIZING YOUR WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY
Weddings, by their nature, are planned and designed to be photographed. Every meticulously planned detail - from the embellishments of the wedding dress to the font choices of the table cards - collectively lend themselves to a unique aesthetic that separates your wedding from others.
In order for me to achieve my best work and thoroughly document your story, the wedding’s timeline needs to sufficiently accommodate the time necessary to fully capture every important part of the wedding. So I’ve put together this guide as a template for the ideal time frames you should consider when planning your day. I want this guide to give you an idea of my process throughout the day so in turn it can help you help me document your wedding in the best way possible.
Rings, Dress, Shoes, and Other Details
Ideal Time Allotment - 15 minutes
Ideal Location - Bridal Suite or Hotel Suite
Notes - These details are typically the first things I photograph on your wedding day when I first arrive on site to begin photography. This time allotment applies to both the groomsmen and bridesmaids and is part of getting-ready coverage. I can spend anywhere from 15-30 minutes depending on how many details are available.
Advice - To help me make the best use of time, please have wedding details - wedding dress, shoes, rings, invitation, special jewelry or heirlooms, etc. - set aside and ready before my arrival. It is also helpful to keep the space tidy and uncluttered to avoid spending time moving undesirable background elements.
Getting Ready
Ideal Time Allotment - 1.5 to 2 hours (Groomsmen - 30-45 minutes, Bridesmaids - 1 to 1.5 hours)
Ideal Location - Bridal Suite or Hotel Suite
Notes - Getting ready photos are some of the most important photos in wedding storytelling as they best depict you and your relationship with your friends and family in an intimate, emotional and relaxed environment. During this time I will be getting closeups of makeup and hair being applied as well as candid moments of the bridesmaids and groomsmen having fun and enjoying the moments.
Advice - Hair and makeup professionals often run late as they do their best to make women even more beautiful. I only require such photos of the bride, therefore I generally advise that you get your hair and makeup done last. Until then I will be spending time photographing the groom and his groomsmen getting ready. Therefore by the time I arrive at your location, you will be at least halfway done - i.e. in a state ready for final hair and makeup photos before proceeding to getting dressed and just hanging out together. This way, you and all your bridesmaids are only being photographed with full hair and makeup.
It’s also very helpful if the entire wedding party is getting ready in the same hotel or premises to minimize travel time between locations. Ideally the bridesmaids and groomsmen would be getting ready on separate floors of the same hotel. This offers convenience not only for your wedding vendors, but for the wedding party and family members as it will be easier to communicate and move things around between locations. For example, if the boutonnieres for the groomsmen arrives at the bride’s location with the bouquets, it will be easier to simply take an elevator to bring them to the groomsmen than to drive or wait until a later time to pin them on.
Lastly, neatness helps to ensure not only reduce stress and allow everyone to move around more freely, but it also helps me capture photos with an uncluttered background. Although I will certainly do my best to work efficiently and avoid clutter with my shots, a tidy room helps tremendously in allowing me to shoot from any angle without being too mindful of distracting and undesirable background elements.
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Individual Portraits
Ideal Time Allotment - 15 minutes
Ideal Location - Bridal Suite, Hotel Suite, Venue Lobby or Nearby Outdoor site
Notes - Individual bride and groom (separate) portraits take place immediately after getting fully dressed. You will both be completely fresh and still in a relaxed state as it’s still early in the day before things start to get hectic. These solo portraits are designed to showcase your beauty, so I may incorporate some editorial or vogue elements to the photos. But don’t worry, you do not need any prior modeling experience as I will be guiding you with simple directions every step of the way.
Advice - Window lighting truly shines here (no pun intended) and offers a unique lighting aesthetic that we may not find in any other environment throughout the rest of the day. Therefore I don’t look for the fanciest backgrounds. The hotel room, home, or nearby vicinity in which you are getting ready is more than enough to create beautiful portraits.
I also recommend having each of your parents and siblings in the same location for casual family portraits. Such family portraits are much more intimate and relaxed beyond the basic formal family portraits that occur later after the ceremony.
First Look
Ideal Time Allotment - 5-15 minutes
Ideal Location - Naturally Lit Venue Hallway, or Venue Garden away from crowds
Notes - I am a huge advocate of the First Look. Not only does it ease a hectic wedding schedule, the raw and emotional moments that unfold can truly make for amazing photographs that lend themselves very well to your wedding story. A First Look is about you and your partner, and I will help arrange a set up to ensure the moment is real and memorable.
Advice - The First Look typically occurs on the venue premises once the bride and groom arrive from the hotel or wherever they were getting ready. I highly recommend the first look occurs where no one is around to watch so you can feel more relaxed and be yourselves. My assistant and I will give you simple instructions during set up so you and your partner are properly positioned at the right spots for the best photos.
Couples Session
Ideal Time Allotment - 1 hour
Ideal Location - Outdoors Within Venue Premises, Off-Site Location
Notes - After the first look, we immediately segue into the couples session for the next 45 minutes to an hour. These are portraits that showcase you and your partner freshly dressed with fresh hair and makeup. It also allows you to naturally showcase your relationship to each other by allowing your personalities to shine through. While I will be offering simple guidance and direction, I always prioritize a natural look and expression with these portraits.
Advice - If you do an engagement session with me before your wedding, the couples session will feel very familiar. In fact, you may actually be far more relaxed and prepared for photos given your prior experience in front of my camera from the engagement session. Again I am always looking to capture you in natural, and sometimes even dramatic, moments. I will always offer simple instructions to ensure you’re not overthinking the process while looking your best for the camera.
If you do not do a first look, the couples session will have to be done after the ceremony during cocktail hour (which is after the formal family portraits and wedding party portraits). While this is possible, please understand that the time constraint can limit my ability to deliver a high quantity of creative portraiture. We can always opt for a post-wedding couples session if you want more photos than the time allowed.
Wedding Party Photos
Ideal Time Allotment - 30-45 minutes
Ideal Location - Outdoors Within Venue Premises, Off-Site Location
Notes - Wedding Party photos are a fun session that typically occurs immediately after the couples session. During this time, we will get a variety of shots in a variety of poses and creative setups, starting with classic line ups to more casual and relaxed walking shots. I will also do individual shots (bride/groom with each bridesmaid/groomsman individually). The energy from the many different personalities can certainly make for some very fun moments with great expressions to showcase your relationships. While I welcome and photograph posing suggestions, I typically don’t offer cheesy shots (i.e. bridesmaid vs. groomsmen “tug of war” shot) unless specifically requested.
Advice - Time permitting, we can all travel to nearby locations away from the venue for the wedding party portraits. I recommend no more than one location as travel time can really eat into our allotted time block, thereby limiting the number of shots I can deliver. It’s not particularly important to find the perfect location as the most important aspect of the wedding party photos is capturing great expressions in great lighting.
Ceremony Detail and Guest Arrivals
Ideal Time Allotment - 15-30 minutes
Notes - At the conclusion of the couples session and wedding party portraits, there will be some down time for the you and the wedding party as you refresh for the ceremony. During this time, I will start photographing the ceremony site completely set up. The photos will include multiple wide shots of the entire site, as well as close ups of any important details and decor such as programs and live musicians. As guests arrive, I will take candid photos of them (with an emphasis on your immediate family and friends) casually mingling and greeting each other before they take their seats for the ceremony.
Advice - It’s important that any portrait sessions we do before the ceremony concludes at least 30 minutes before the start of the ceremony. This will give you and the entire wedding party time to rest and freshen up before lining up for the processional. Guests will start arriving but will typically not see you until the ceremony, so make the most of this break time as it may very well be the last time you’ll be seated for a long time!
Formal Family Portraits
Ideal Time Allotment - 30 minutes
Ideal Location - Ceremony Site
Notes - The formal family portraits occur immediately after the ceremony. This way we can guarantee that all family members needed for pictures are present. The portraits typically take place either at the altar, or at a nearby shaded and well lit area. Otherwise a dark interior location will require me to spend a few minutes setting up external lighting equipment.
Advice - I highly, highly recommend putting together a shot list of each grouping that you wish to photograph. Additionally, keep in mind that the longer the list, the more time it will take (budget around 3 minutes per group on average and no more than 15 groups). So if we did not do a wedding party or couples session before the ceremony, a lengthy formal family portraits session will reduce the amount of time we have for those sessions.
Cocktail Hour
Ideal Time Allotment - 15 minutes
Notes - Time permitting, we may be able to catch a few minutes of the cocktail hour if we complete all portrait sessions (wedding party, couples session, and formal family portraits). For the most part, the photos will be candid, but I will refrain from photographing guests while they’re eating. Cocktail hour photos tend to quickly become repetitive so I will only capture a handful of shots before setting up at the reception.
Advice - Cocktail hour is not absolutely necessary unless it includes important decorative details, or if you and your partner are in it. Otherwise guest mingling and interactions are better reserved for the reception. This time is generally spent more on setting up my lighting at the reception site as well as capturing reception details.
Reception Detail and Venue
Ideal Time Allotment - 15-30 minutes
Notes - As you and your guests are enjoying the cocktail hour, I will be setting up and capturing the beauty and grandeur of the reception hall completely set up with no guests or vendors in the area. Shots include multiple wide photos that showcase the entire room, as well as close up shots of the intricate details such as table centerpieces, floral decor, and the wedding cake (if it’s on display).
Advice - Some couples opt to do a “Reception First Look” in which the completed reception space is revealed to them for the first time before guests come in. It can make for a genuine reaction while also giving you time for a few portraits in the middle of the dance floor or sitting at an empty table.
Reception
Notes - During the reception, the schedule is back to being more relaxed and flexible now that the ceremony formalities are over. Throughout the evening, I will primarily shoot photojournalistic, focusing on guests mingling and enjoying themselves as well as the handful of reception formalities such as the toasts and cake cutting before the dance floor opens. I also refrain from photographing people during dinner service. Therefore, dinner service is the best time for me as well as your other wedding vendors to have our dinners as well before proceeding to the next formality.
Advice - Towards the end of dinner service, you and your partner may want to do table pictures, in which you go around the reception room greeting your guests at every table. I will focus purely on photojournalism, capturing smiles and hugs as you mingle about, and end each table session with a quick group portrait. Table pictures can certainly take quite a bit of time at about 3-5 minutes per table. So be mindful of the number of tables there are, and decide when to best begin table pictures so you don’t keep your guests waiting too long after dinner. Remember that table pictures are optional. If you find that table pictures are ultimately not a good use of your available reception time, consider alternatives such as greeting your guests as they enter the reception hall, or greeting them during open dancing.
Unless you’re doing a grand exit, I don’t necessarily need 2 hours worth of repetitive open dance photos. By scheduling all the reception formalities - first dances, toasts, cake cutting, bouquet & garter toss - to occur consecutively after dinner service, I can capture everything I need from the reception plus some open dancing before concluding my photography coverage for the day.
I always recommend allocating more photography coverage before the ceremony rather than during the reception as there are simply more interesting moments that are worth photographing when everyone is still relaxed and getting ready for the wedding.
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Tips and guides to help you plan your Denver wedding while maximizing your wedding photography investment.
