I always try to ensure that we are completely done with the couple portraits and the full bridal party shots AT LEAST 30 minutes prior to the ceremony time, for a number of reasons. First (and most important) is to hide the bride away! It is not uncommon for guests to arrive very early to a wedding (especially if they had to travel far), and most of them just can’t help themselves if they see the bride out and about…they want to go say hi and take pictures!
Next up on our Wedding Day Timeline series is the First Look and Bridal Party Portrait time! This is one of my FAVORITE times of day, for obvious reasons. :-) With this part of the wedding day, I will set aside as much time as the bride and groom are willing to give me! I never want to rush through this time, and if there are infinite places around their venue for beautiful photos, I love having the time to just wander around!
This is one of my favorite parts of the wedding day, and the one where everything TRULY starts feeling real for the bride! There is so much anticipation leading up to this part of the wedding day and sometimes this is the part of the day that feels the most time crunch. I used to set aside 15-20 minutes for the getting ready portion of the day, and over the past couple of years (this past year especially) I noticed that was no where NEAR enough time! I have doubled the time to 30 minutes, but even then, if we have extra time to spare later in the timeline, I definitely recommend setting aside even up to 40 or 45 minutes.
Over the past couple of years, I have noticed some areas in my timelines that almost always seem to run slower than anticipated on a wedding day, and have started to adjust my timelines accordingly. Rather than dive into each segment and detail of the wedding day in one post, I thought it would be beneficial to split up the various aspects of the timeline into separate blog posts. That way I can dive into the ins and outs of what exactly that part of the wedding day includes, and why I budget the amount of time that I do!
I am so thrilled that you have found your way here! I’m Karen, a wedding and lifestyle photographer with a passion for ice cream, dogs, and Gilmore Girls. My blog is a place where I can share love stories with you, whether it’s an engagement, a wedding day, or the welcoming of a new baby! It is also a scrapbook of my life and a little glimpse into our home, our love, and our family. I hope you will enjoy following along!
