Everything takes longer than you might expect, and this holds true for wedding days. That’s why careful planning with an experienced professional photographer is essential. The following is a guideline to help get you started.
• Hair and makeup is the number one cause of wedding day delays. Our suggestion: tell your hair and makeup artists you want to be done 30-45 minutes before you really HAVE to be. This takes the stress off you and makes for a more enjoyable wedding day!
• We suggest having your photographer arrive five or ten minutes before the hair and makeup is done. We have a list of “must have” shots that we never fail to take, and we’ll share that with you at our Wedding Consultation. Allow AT LEAST one hour for the getting ready shots. These are among the prettiest of the day and are very popular!
• We do similar work with the guys. But guys are guys, right? We generally can finish with the men in 30-40 minutes.
• Hotels are great for the getting ready photos. Home is fine too, if you have enough room. If it’s tight, go for the hotel!
• Compute the drive time from the hotel to the church. If it’s 15 minutes, allow 25 for traffic or anything else unexpected.
• If you’re travelling as a group, we suggest a party bus rather than a limousine. Limos are classy, but they’re difficult to move around in and good photos are almost impossible.
• Once at the church, allow some time to relax before the ceremony. We suggest 30-45 minutes. Let your photographer know how long the ceremony runs. After the ceremony, family pictures take about 30 minutes if you’re using a real pro. If you have a very large family, maybe 40 minutes. Make sure your photographer has an umbrella or softbox lighting for this. If they don’t, they’re not really pros.
• Next, figure drive time to a park or any location where you would enjoy being photographed. Again, pad the time a bit so you’re not in a hurry. You can figure on about 20 minutes for each location.
• Okay, reception time! Allow an hour for dinner. Fifteen minutes for toasts and grace. Figure 60 to 90 minutes after dinner to catch all the reception events like formal dances etc. You can have your photographer stay later if you have something special going on.
• I haven’t spilled everything I know! You’ll get lots more great tips and insights from my years of experience if you visit Northstar Photography & Design for a wedding consultation.