For most couples, choosing the wedding photographer is one of the first tasks on their wedding planning checklist. Planning your wedding photography timeline well is key to making sure you get all the wedding day photos that you want. The wedding photographer is so important because they (almost) dictate how couples remember their day. Memories fade, but the moments that your wedding photographer captures will last for generations.
As a wedding planner based in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York, I’ve worked closely with many different wedding photographers. It’s important for us to work closely ahead of the wedding in order for the wedding photographer to do their job properly on the day of the wedding. I know some wedding photographers try to help couples with their planning and putting together their timeline. Their intentions are good but every time the photographer puts their camera down to help with a logistical detail or to cue the DJ or band, that’s time away from them capturing the moments you want to remember. You don't want them to miss a single moment because you didn't hire a wedding planner!
Featuring Finger Lakes Photographer: Emi Rose Studio
So in this blog post, I interview one of my favorite Finger Lakes wedding photographers, Emi Rose Nehrt, owner of Emi Rose Studio and a Finger Lakes wedding photographer for many years, how to create a seamless wedding photography timeline. It’s important that couples think through the timeline ahead of the day in order for it to seamlessly unfold as it’s happening. This allows them the opportunity to revel in all the special moments and details that they want the photographer to capture.
How to Create a Seamless Wedding Photography Timeline
It’s important to put together a good wedding photography timeline before you book your wedding photographer in order to avoid costly mistakes down the road and to ensure you book the correct package with your chosen photographer. If you don’t know how much time you’re going to need, it’s hard to say whether that package is right for you.
Getting started with your wedding day timeline can seem like a daunting task, and I know it can be intimidating when vendors start asking for a timeline a year or more before your wedding! Working with an experienced planner is a great way to start putting all of the moving pieces together, but if you’re just starting out, let’s shed a little light on how we – a planner and a photographer – approach the process.
In order to put together a good timeline, below are the parts of the day that you want to consider in your wedding photography timeline.
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Photographing Wedding Day Details (Which Everyone Forgets)
The wedding day details are one aspect of the day that most couples without a wedding planner forget to consider. Unfortunately, those wedding details (like your stationery, heirloom jewelry, your shoes, etc.) don’t jump onto a pretty linen and ask the photographer to shoot them. I wish they did!
It takes time for the photographer to assemble the items, find the proper lighting and background, arrange them appropriately, and shoot them. That being said, it's worth the effort if you prepare ahead of time. You've likely spent a lot of money on the details of your wedding and you will want to remember them. More than that, many of the items may have sentimental value as well.
Emi agrees. According to her, “Wedding details are so unique to each couple. They aren’t just pretty things, but often heirlooms, gifts, and very personal choices that deserve to be highlighted! Whether you’ve spent months choosing the perfect color palette and coordinating shoes, accessories, and florals, or whether you’re tying a locket with your late grandparents’ photos around your bouquet so that they can walk you down the aisle, these details help tell the story of your wedding.”
“I typically recommend couples plan for me to arrive about an hour before you plan to get dressed. The first 20-30 minutes of coverage is usually focused on details! That gives me time to find the perfect place to hang your dress, create beautiful arrangements of your jewelry, heirlooms, and stationery, and capture any other important details before the action really kicks off.”
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Getting Ready Photos
After your wedding details, the photographer will capture everyone getting ready. This is a really fun and special part of the day to capture because everyone’s so excited. The anticipation is almost palpable.
You also want to make sure that you have enough coverage if you and your partner are getting ready in separate locations and you don't have a second photographer. If you’re having hair and makeup done in one place and they’re getting ready somewhere separate, one of you isn’t going to have their photos taken if there’s only one photographer.
According to Emi, “I love the candid moments that happen with your wedding party as you’re all together getting excited for the day. I love the reactions of your wedding party – and especially your parents – when they see you in your wedding best for the first time! These are the real, precious moments that will make you smile for years to come.”
“If you want photos of both you and your soon-to-be spouse getting ready, it’s almost always a good idea to include a second photographer in your photography package. That allows us to make sure that each of you has adequate coverage for all of the special moments, toasts, and laughs that make this part of the day so fun.”
First Look Versus a Traditional Aisle Reveal
After getting ready, you should next think about when are you and your partner are first going to see each other. Are you seeing each other at the top of the aisle (called an “aisle reveal”) or are you going to have a first look privately with only the two of you?
Some couples opt not to have a first look, but one or both of them may choose to have a first look with a parent, which is also really sweet and emotional and an ideal time to have photos.
According to Emi, whether or not to have a first look is a very personal choice. Below are a few questions she asks all of her couples to consider when making this decision:
- How traditionally-minded are you and your families? An aisle reveal is certainly the more traditional choice and something you can share with your family and friends. However, would you rather enjoy that emotional moment privately? If you’re on the introverted side, a first look often allows you to fully appreciate the moment and express yourself!
- Also, are you hoping to attend your cocktail hour? If so, a first look is a good idea because it allows us, the photographers, to get the bulk of your portrait photos done beforehand, so that once cocktail hour begins, it’s party time!
- For a First Look, plan for about 1-1.5 hours of photography time before your ceremony for that special moment, followed by couples portraits of the two of you, then photos with your wedding party.
- If you choose not to do First Look, we’ll want to build that photography time in after your ceremony. Consider whether this should be during cocktail hour, or at another part in the day. However, it’s important to think how fresh your hair and makeup will look if you choose to do it later.
- Finally, how much time do you want to have at cocktail hour? For some couples, it’s incredibly important that they attend cocktail hour to visit with their guests and family. They want to be able to nibble on the hors d’ouevres that they’ve picked out, enjoy the signature cocktails they’ve been dreaming about, and relax now that the ceremony is over. If this is a priority for you, you’ll need to schedule time for wedding party, family, and couple’s portraits.
Family Portraits on Your Wedding Day
Depending on the flow of your day, family portraits can either happen before the ceremony (if you’ve done a first look), or immediately after the ceremony. In either case, I recommend building about 30 minutes into your timeline for these shots!
At Emi Rose Studio, if couples don’t have a wedding planner, part of their final planning process before the wedding is finalizing all the details for the family photos. We list specific family groupings (with names) so that we make sure you have all of the portraits you want and keep things moving so that everyone can get on to the celebration.
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Sunset Wedding Portraits with the Newlyweds
Another part of the day many couples forget about are sunset or “golden hour” portraits.
Emi loves them, too! “Golden hour portraits are absolutely magical. There is nothing like that soft, glowing light! I also love that stepping away for a few photos at sunset allows you to take a moment away from the bustle of the wedding day and to reconnect. This doesn’t have to be another full portrait session – even 20 minutes to walk around your venue and enjoy the sunset together is lovely!
Dance Floor Coverage
Almost everyone looks forward to the dance party at the wedding. But it’s important to build in time for the other mini-events at your wedding too, such as your first dance, parents’ dances, and cake cutting.
You’ll want these micro-events to happen before the main dancing starts so your hair and makeup are still relatively fresh. Before everyone starts to let their hair down.
Emi also agrees, saying “Some of my favorite photos from my own wedding are those that captured our friends and family just letting loose and having fun on the dance floor!”
Late Night, Couple’s Send0ff, and After Party
Finally, are you doing a big late-night sparkler send-off? Will you be changing into a daring “second look” for the dance floor or your after-party?
The end of the night is often so fun and a bit more relaxed. It’s nice to have a contrast between these photos and those earlier in the day. Plus, they really help tell the whole story of your wedding. So it’s important to consider how much coverage you want and if you’re okay that the photographer may miss this part if they leave after dancing is underway.
When I asked Emi about this, she said, “To decide the end of your photography coverage time, think about the last events that you’ll want photographed! If any of those late-night events are going to be important memories for you, we want to make sure they are captured just as beautifully as the rest of your day.”
Conclusion: How to Plan a Wedding Day Timeline
As you start to plan your wedding photography timeline, I hope you are considering bringing a wedding planner on your team! There are so many moving parts on your wedding day and the sooner you involve a wedding planner the better. If you are looking for a wedding planner in the Finger Lakes area (or beyond), make sure to get in touch here. And of course, if you've fallen in love with Emi Rose Studio as much as I have, you can contact her here to inquire about her wedding photography packages and availability. Now that you have an idea of how many hours of coverage you might need, you are off to a great start.
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