Tips for Building Your Photography Timeline
Planning your wedding is one of the most fun and exciting times of your relationship. You're working on creating a magical day that you'll be able to look at forever! As you book vendors and get inspiration for your day, it's important to keep in mind the timeline of your day. While you want to do and have everything on the day of your wedding, you also only have the time in one day to capture every moment you dreamt of.
Your best resource for your timeline? Your photographer. They have the most experience working with different personalities, navigating venue and weather complications, and most of all, knowing when and where to get the photos you want. As you get closer to your wedding, they'll go over your timeline with you to decide what's best for your day, but below is a jump start to you can get a general idea of the amount of hours you'll need to book your photographer and venue:
GETTING READY: 30 - 45 Minutes
You'll want some gorgeous detail shots of your accessories and beautiful bridal portraits before you start the day.
FIRST LOOK: 10 Minutes
Some couples choose to have a sentimental moment before the ceremony to see each other. This allows any nerves, or tears, to come out before walking down the aisle!
WEDDING COUPLE: 45 Minutes
Give yourself time to get to a location and pose for a few romantic, silly, and happy photos of just the two of you to look back on the day.
WEDDING PARTY: 45 Minutes
The people standing next to you at your wedding are some of the most important people in your lives, so having photos with them on your special day is important.
FAMILY PORTRAITS
2-8 People: 1.5 Minutes per Group
8+ People: 5 Minutes per Group
Family photos can be the quickest, or longest part of your photo timeline. It really all just depends on how many family members are involved.
Other key moments to include when creating your timeline:
- Ceremony
- Cocktail/Social hour
- Travel time between locations
- Grand March entrance
- Dinner
- Cutting your cake
- First dances
- Grand exit (confetti, sparklers, etc.!)
Help! I don't think I'll have enough time in the day! Don't worry, we're here to help! Bellagala offers flexible packages that allow you to add on at any time during your wedding planning process. Additional Hours allow you to increase the time your photographer is onsite, varying between 5-10 hours of coverage total. And a Second Photographer will be a great addition and cut time nearly in half as they capture angles and groupings that couldn't be achieved by just one person.
