Wedding Day Guide

In my years as a wedding photographer and videographer, I've realized that much of the success of a wedding day happens due to two things

1) the relationships formed with my couples in the months before the wedding and, as a result

2) open conversations about how you can best equip me as your photographer to achieve magical results so that intentional planning can be done before the wedding day.

I've built this guidebook as a resource for my brides and grooms, but also for maids of honor, mothers, wedding coordinators - anyone involved in this exciting process.

This ensures that you know well in advance exactly what would help make your day the best it can possibly be! So grab a cup of great coffee, a glass of wine, or whatever your thing is...and let's dive in together.

Here are some timeline examples of how the day is played out for us capturing your day.

TRADITIONAL TIMELINE

1:00PM - DETAILS + GETTING READY

2:30PM - GROOM/GROOMSMEN

2:50PM - BRIDE/BRIDESMAIDS

3:15PM - RELAX TIME

4:00PM - CEREMONY

4:45PM - IMMEDIATE FAMILY PHOTOS

5:15PM - FULL WEDDING PARTY

5:30PM- COUPLE PHOTOS / COCKTAIL HOUR

6:00PM - RECEPTION ENTRANCE

9:00PM - DANCING

FIRST LOOK TIMELINE

12:00PM - DETAILS + GETTING READY

1:30PM - FIRST LOOK

2:00PM - WEDDING PARTY PHOTOS

2:45PM - IMMEDIATE FAMILY PHOTOS

3:15PM - RELAX TIME

4:00PM - CEREMONY

5:00PM - COCKTAIL HOURS BEGINS

6:00PM - RECEPTION ENTRANCE

7:00PM - SUNSET PHOTOS

9:00PM - DANCING

GETTING READY

TIME REQUIRED - 90 MINUTES

You've spent months planning for this day. You finished the rehearsal last night, went home to some probably restless sleep, and now here you are - getting ready on the morning of your wedding. Your heart is full of anticipation and, surrounded by the people you care about most, you're preparing to marry the love of your life.

Capturing these sweet moments can be one of the most beautiful parts of your wedding day but the raw emotion and anticipation in these photos can easily become visually distracted by a messy room and terrible lighting. Here are my tips on picking a getting-ready location and how to prep the room so that it looks as beautiful as the excited people getting ready in it.

NATURAL LIGHT

This is the BIG one One of the first things I do when I arrive is turn off all the artificial lights in the getting ready location. The pulsing colors of florescent lights or the over-saturated oranges from tungsten room lights can make your skin look unnatural and overpower the beautiful colors of your flowers and dresses

Choosing a room with great natural light will go a long way in making your getting ready photos look absolutely amazing

ROOM AESTHETIC

Natural light is the most important thing to consider as you're choosing a getting ready space, but thinking about the overall room aesthetic is helpful as well Neutrally-colored walls free from excessive clutter will go a long way towards making your photos the best they can be, but generally speaking any room with amazing natural light will be better than a great space with terrible lighting. If your wedding location doesn't have good getting ready spaces you may want to consider renting out a cute AirBnß, hotel suite, or even doing your final touchups outdoors once you're dressed (as weird as that may seem, the power of natural light can't be

HAIR AND MAKE UP ARTISTS

Even though I'll turn off the artificial lights in your getting-ready space, your hair and makeup artists are going to need light! That means finding a space with lots of natural light and letting your cosmetic team know to set up next to one of the windows. This will ensure that they have plenty of light to work with while also keeping the aesthetic calm and free of external, artificial light. If for some reason the space doesn't have sufficient natural light for them to work with and they have to bring in extra lighting, I'll just ask them to turn it off for a few minutes so I can capture photos in the natural lighting

KEEP IT CLEAN

Even if we have a gorgeous space and perfect lighting, a cluttered background can easily detract from an otherwise beautiful space. Cleaning up extra clothes, shoes, trash, bags, and other clutter will go a long way in making sure every image looks incredible.

DETAILS, DETAILS, DETAILS

I do my best to arrange the timeline so that when I arrive I can immediately photograph the details you've put so much time into preparing and then turn my full attention to documenting the moments you share throughout the day. Having the rings, bouquets, and any loose wedding stationery (invitations/programs/etc) on hand in the bridal suite will allow me to photograph these details alongside all the other getting-ready excitement to more holistically tell your wedding day story.

FIRST LOOK

TIME REQUIRED - 20 MINUTES

FIRST LOOK MOMENTS ARE HANDS DOWN SOME OF MY FAVORITE MOMENTS OF THE ENTIRE WEDDING DAY

The anticipation of getting ready all morning builds into a palpable tension, broken by pure joy and excitement as you and your love finally get the chance to see each other, verbally communicate the excitement you have going into the ceremony, and simply share some private moments away from the prying eyes and unavoidable involvement of other family members, wedding vendors, or excited guests

Let me be clear here - I'll never try to convince you to have a first look if you're set against it. I want your wedding day to flow as you've always dreamed it and if a First Look would mess that up for you, I won't attempt to convince you otherwise! However, in my experience, First Looks tend to be some of the most emotional, love-filled, and intimate moments of the entire day and I strongly encourage them for a few reasons

it calms nerves...

There's a lot of excitement, anticipation, and even nervousness going into your wedding and sharing a few moments with your fiancé is an amazing way to calm those nerves, take off the pressure a bit, and focus on what you're actually here to do - marry the love of your life!!

it fosters emotion...

While I completely understand the desire to have that "door-opens-and-eyes-meet" moment at the beginning of the ceremony; I've found that often the magic of that moment is overshadowed by the pressure of hundreds of watching eyes and the "expectation" that you maintain your composure in front of everyone. Even if you're the emotional type, you then only have a few precious seconds to take everything in as you walk down the aisle and then you're full-tilt into the ceremony, vows, and the declaration of marriage. With a First Look, there are no expectations and no limit on time - it's all about creating the space for you to fully grasp the coming reality of your marriage and I've found those moments tend to be more authentic and real. Additionally, First Looks are always completely private - no prying eyes allowed other than me and my camera - so you'll truly have space to just enjoy your fiancé and share some quiet moments

timeline freedom...

I'm a firm believer that 'getting everything accomplished" is NOT a good reason to do a First Look, but the reality is that seeing each other before the ceremony does allow massive freedom in the wedding timeline. In fact, when you opt for a First Look, we'll complete all of the formal photos before the ceremony so that as soon as you're pronounced husband and wife we can sneak off for some private, informal photos with you and your new spouse at sunset rather than wading into the complicated chaos that is the family and bridal party photos. This allows you time to take a breath, grasp the magic of the reality that you're now freaking married (!!), and spend a few minutes away from the wedding guests before the reception starts.

BRIDAL PARTY PHOTOS

TIME REQUIRED - 45 MINUTES

While the focus of your wedding day is obviously heavily-weighted towards documenting the unfolding story of you and your fiancé, capturing fun moments with the friends and family you've chosen to stand beside you as you take your vows is also of huge importance to me and I love finding creative ways to capture each wedding party on camera.

CANDID + FORMAL

My photographic style is primarily focused on capturing candid and authentic moments as they unfold throughout the day so the way I approach the Bridal Party images is naturally and intentionally geared towards creating and capturing candid moments among you and your friends.

Typically, I'll set up the entire wedding party for a couple quick full-group shots before breaking out into two smaller groups to capture moments with just the Bride/Bridesmaids and Groom/Groomsmen. These photos will be a mix between formal group shots, individual shots of you + each of your attendants, and candid group shots that happen organically throughout the whole process.

LOCATION IS KEY

Because there are so many people involved in these images, finding an open, simple, clean location with good natural light is hugely important.

If your venue doesn't have good natural light or open space, I'll often recommend carpooling to a nearby park or natural area to ensure that the images we capture don't look too chaotic or complex

Ultimately my goal is to simply capture the personality and individuality of your wedding party so let's have fun with these photos! This is your chance to just hang out, be a bit silly, and really focus on the friends you've asked to stand with you on one of the most special days of you life - it'll be a great

FAMILY PHOTOS

TIME REQUIRED - 30 MINUTES

While I spend the majority of your wedding day capturing love, joy, and emotion as it naturally and candidly unfolds throughout the day, I'm also deeply committed to making sure we capture formals of your family. It's no secret that family photos can be the most chaotic and stressful part of the wedding day so I do everything in my power to ensure that this portion of your day goes by quickly, smoothly, and painlessly. Here's what that looks like.

BEFORE THE CEREMONY

If you choose to do a First Look, we'll be able to knock out the entire family formal portion of your day before the ceremony so that you can focus on getting married and the excitement that comes with that!

I usually recommend doing family photos an hour and a half before the ceremony so that you have about an hour after we finish to get a drink, use the restroom, and touch up hair/makeup before guests arrive.

Parents Wedding Photo List

Couple + Partner One's Parents
Partner One + Partner One's Parents
Partner One + Each Parent Separately
Partner One + Parent + Stepparent, if applicable
Couple + Partner Two's Parents
Partner Two + Partner Two's Parents
Partner Two + Each Parent Separately
Partner Two + Parent + Stepparent, if applicable
Couple + Both Sets of Parents
Couple + Both Sets of Parents + Stepparent

CLEAN BACKGROUND

When choosing a location for family photos, finding a simple, clean background with soft light is the first priority. Even if you have a stunning ceremony backdrop, we may end up taking the family formals up against some trees or an otherwise simple/clean background to ensure that these images look the best they possibly.

GET PEOPLE TOGETHER

To make sure that we can fly through these photos as quickly as possible, | usually ask the Master & Mistress of Ceremony to corral all the family in one place so I can explain the process to everyone. I'll then get you and your fiancé in place...and the marathon begins!

During Reception Photo List

Family friends
High school friends
College friends
Work friends
Generation photos

GROUPINGS

I work with my couples ahead of time to create a list of the groupings we'll capture on the wedding day. This allows me to streamline the process on the wedding day and alleviates the added stress of having other family members adding new groupings on the fly. The foundational list I pull from is shown

Please note - I default to the preference of the Bride & Groom on the wedding day. Once we've finished the list of groupings I have, I'm more than willing to take requests as long as the Bride & Groom are on board. if, however, at any point the Bride & Groom wish to terminate the requests and take a break, I'll wrap things up and deny any further requests.

FAMILY SHOT LIST

Siblings Wedding Photo List

Couple + Partner One's Siblings
Partner One + Partner One's Sisters)
Partner One's + Partner One's Brothers)
Couple + Partner One's Parents + Partner One's Siblings
Couple + Partner Two's Siblings
Partner Two +Partner Two's Sisters)
Partner Two + Partner Two's Brothers)
Couple + Partner Two's Parents + Partner Two's Siblings
Couple + All Parents + Siblings

Grandparents Photo List

Couple + Partner One's Grandparents
Partner One + Partner One's Grandma(s)
Partner One + Partner One's Grandpa(s)
Couple + Partner Two's Grandparents
Partner Two + Partner Two's Grandma(s)
Partner Two + Partner Two's Grandpa(s)
Couple + All Grandparents
Couple + Partner One's Parents + Partner One's Siblings + Partner One's Grandparents
Couple + Partner Two's Parents + Partner Two's Siblings + Partner Two's Grandparents
Couple + All Parents, Siblings, and Grandparents

Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins Wedding Photo List

Couple + Partner One's Parents + Partner One's Siblings + Partner One's Grandparents + Partner
One's Aunts) + Partner One's Uncles) + Partner One's Cousins
Couple + Partner Two's Parents + Partner Two's Siblings + Partner Two's Grandparents + Partner
Two's Aunts) + Partner Two's Uncles) + Partner Two's

CEREMONY

TIME REQUIRED - 30+ MINUTES

Ceremony Details

Following your first look and bridal party photos we want you to have some time to relax before one of the biggest parts of your day. This is a perfect chance for us to capture the details of all your hard work and planning for your ceremony. Things like:

Wide shots of the ceremony space
Signage, decor and details
Florals, candles, arches
Guest arrival and their reactions

The ceremony shots are to document the special moments of walking down the asile, candid reactions of yourselves and your guests. Some of shots will include:

Bridal Party Entrances
Family Entrances
Bride and Groom Reactions
Ring Exchanges
Signing Papers
First Kiss
Exit

RECEPTION