Make a Photography Plan

Every bride wants amazing, breathtaking images of their wedding day. But it’s important to remember that you have invited your guests to share the evening celebrating your wedding with your family and friends. A photography plan can prevent you from spending too much time on photography – a mistake brides often make. (Want to know the others? Click here.) A photographer will likely have suggestions their experience tells them works well, but can only understand your unique wishes by developing a plan with you. Here’s are some tips and a general timeline for wedding photography:

Pre-ceremony photos with the bride = 1 hour

Hair and make up is completed or near completed when coverage begins. The photographer will typically spend 1/2 hour photographing details and candids. The remaining 1/2 hours is spent capturing attendants, family and planned images of the bride. Be sure to convey your comfort level with having someone in the room as you get ready to your wedding photographer. Together, you and the photographer should develop a list of images and special items you would like the photographer to capture during this time.

Pre-ceremony photos with the groom = 1/2 hour

The pre-ceremony images of the groom are often captured at the church, but any location of your choice can be used. The photographer will typically photograph the groom’s attire, images with groomsmen and family, pinning of boutonnieres, and other detail shots. If you have specific requests for the groom’s images, be sure to share them with your photographer.

Ceremony

Many churches will have restrictions on wedding photography. If your church does, share that information as early as possible when you are developing the wedding photography plan as it may impact the type of images that can be captured. As you develop the photography plan, it is a good idea to discuss what you would like the photographer to capture – your last moments with your father before the ceremony or guests being seated. Let your photographer know if there are honored guests, candle lightings, or other items to make special note of.

Post ceremony = 30 minutes

Following the ceremony, many couples like to have a balloon release or bubble exit. This is typically done immediately after the ceremony so that guests that are not a part of formal altar images can be released. You will likely sign your marriage license before beginning your family images as well.

Altar images = 30 minutes

Again, many churches limit the amount of time you have to capture formal altar images. Because time must be used effectively, assigning a friend to help gather groupings is most helpful. Work with your photographer to develop a list of images that should be captured at the ceremony location and those that can be done at the wedding reception.

Romantics = 1 hour

This is the time that your wedding photographers artistic abilities can really shine. Whether you are interested in traditional, photojournalistic or artistic images, develop a plan for what images you would like to capture of you as a couple, with and without the bridal party. If you like images with an urban or natural background, you and your wedding photographer can discuss locations that match your creative vision. You should also discuss poses that you’ve seen in the past that appeal to you – and those that don’t too.

Reception

You family and friends will be gathered to share a meal with you and your new spouse, visit and dance. When planning the photography for your wedding reception, remember to take your guests in account. Share the timeline that you have developed with your wedding DJ with the photographer for the grand entrance, cake cutting. toasts and special dances. Most couples focus the wedding reception photography on those key moments and take a more candid approach to the remainder of the evening. This allows them to converse with their guests and have a great time dancing, while the photographer captures those candid moments.

By forming a photography plan with your wedding photographer, you can preserve the memories of your wedding day without letting the wedding photography take over.

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Communicating With Your Wedding Vendors

On your wedding day, you will trust your vendors to execute your dream wedding plans. One of the biggest mistakes brides make on their wedding day is not communicating well with their vendors. (Want to know the others? Click here.) To avoid this mistake, try some of the following strategies.

Form a Photography and Videography Plan

After the wedding day, you will have very few tangible memories more precious than your wedding photographs and video. When working with a professional photographer and videographer, it is important that you convey your vision to them so they can create the wedding keepsake you desire. Form a photography and videography plan that is built upon your unique wishes by letting them know if you prefer photojournalistic, candid or cinematic images – or a mixture of each. The more specific you are about the type of images that appeal to you, the better your photographer and videographer can capture those images. Discuss images you would like to capture through the day; poses you love and the ones you hate, but don’t create too large of a “shot list”. You want your wedding photographer and videographer to have some artistic license. That’s how he or she captured the images that made you want to hire them.

Discuss Your Musical Tastes

It’s your wedding reception and you should have a say in the soundtrack. Work with your wedding DJ to identify songs that he must play, should try to play, and should absolutely not play. While you should have input in the music played at your wedding reception, it’s not a good idea to create a playlist for the entire evening. A professional DJ knows how to read a crowd and can identify the best song to play next to keep your wedding reception rocking.

Create a “Loose” Timeline

It’s important that you create a timeline for how you would like your wedding day to flow. It’s just as important to realize in advance, that you will need flexibility in your schedule. If the timeline is so tight that a red light on the way to the wedding reception knocks the whole thing off track, you’ll spend the rest of the day chasing time. Work with your vendors to identify when you would like important events to take place, such as the grand entrance or cake cutting, but allow some flexibility. You wouldn’t want to miss pictures against a beautiful sunset because the timeline says you should be visiting table 27 at that exact minute! Click here for the timeline of a typical wedding reception.

Appoint a Helper

It’s your wedding day and you should enjoy it. There will be moments throughout the day that your wedding vendors will need to verify or clarify information from your plan. Consider appointing a close friend, that isn’t a member of the bridal party, to assist your vendors. They can help identify people for family formals, move items between venues, check the setup of the wedding reception decorations, and locate people for your grand introduction. They can also be the point of contact for florists, caterers and other vendors on the day of the wedding. If you decide to appoint a bridal helper, be sure to share her contact information with your wedding vendors too.

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