Timing Your Wedding Photographs

By: Mike Guilbault, LPPO PHOTOGENICS, The Art of Photography

Do you know how much time should be set-aside for your wedding portraits? For your photographer to do a proper job, it may be more than you realize.

Typically, the photographs will start at the Bride’s home before the ceremony. Here the photographer will take portraits of the Bride, her family and the bridal party. It is imperative that your hair and make-up appointment is scheduled early enough so that you start your photographs on time. Hair and makeup should be finished a minimum of one hour before you are scheduled to start photographs. Allow time for travel, dressing and finding that lost pair of earrings.

Most professional photographers will want two to three hours of shooting time before the ceremony. Make sure your flowers are ready and everyone is dressed. This gives you time to enjoy the photographic session, have a couple of breaks and get to the church on time.

It doesn’t seem to matter how long your ceremony is scheduled for - you will be at the church for about an hour. Longer if you’re having a receiving line after the ceremony. If the ceremony is scheduled to end at 2:30pm, do not schedule your photographs at 2:35pm. Take into account the travel time from the church to your location. Your participants will not arrive all at once either. You may want to assign a brother, sister or wedding party member to organize your families and get them to the photo location on time and all together.

The family groups are usually photographed after the ceremony. This includes the families of both the Bride and Groom, the entire wedding party and, of course, the Bride and Groom alone. If your family groups are being photographed indoors but not in a studio, you may need to allow the photographer time to set up lighting equipment and arrange props. Outdoors settings are usually no problem and the photo session can start right away. These portraits usually go quickly (unless a family member is missing). The one to two hours for your family groups will fly by and will depend on the size of your families, whether there are children involved, and the size of your wedding party. This does not include travel time to the location or travel to the reception afterwards.

You may save money by having your photographer photograph your cake cutting, first dance, toasting portrait and other reception-type photographs before the reception, rather than when these events actually occur. By this time you will be tired of photographs and will want to enjoy your evening and be with your guests. The typical reception photographs will take approximately one-half hour if done this way.

Remember that if you have any special requests, such as an extra location for some portraits of the Bride and Groom, to allow extra time for travel, set up and shooting. If you allow your photographer the time to do their job, you will have an enjoyable experience and photographs to last a lifetime.

Mike Guilbault, CPA Craftsman of Photographic Arts
PHOTOGENICS, The Art of Photography
http://www.mgphotography.com