Wedding Timing Tips Part II
Happy May, friends! Last month I shared some of my favorite pre-ceremony wedding timing tips with you. Missed the post? Click HERE.
Today I am sharing several of my favorite post-ceremony wedding timing tips. If you remember from my first blog, I like to use your ceremony time as a benchmark for planning the rest of your day. This blog will focus on timing considerations after your ceremony is complete!
Plan formal family portraits to take place immediately following your ceremony.
This tip is one of my favorites because it is a HUGE timesaver for couples and their guests! Planning formal family portraits for immediately following your ceremony is a great choice for a few reasons. First, everyone is already gathered together in one place from your ceremony. This cuts down on the time needed to chase down rouge uncles and aunts that already made their way to cocktail hour. Additionally, with the promise of apps and drinks on the horizon, family members are more apt to cooperate quickly for portraits so they can move on to the party portion of your night. Finally, if you have any elderly guests attending your wedding, planning formal portraits immediately following your ceremony and nearby to where the ceremony takes place allows for ease of movement for your older guests.
Consider the predicted sunset time when planning your ceremony time.
Many couples enjoy having their portraits taken just before sunset. The warm glow of the sun setting in the background creates an exceptionally romantic vibe in photos. The sun will set at different times depending on the time of year you choose to hold your wedding. If sunset photos are a must have for you, plan for your ceremony to wrap up about an hour before the sun is scheduled to set. This will give us time to get formal family photos as well as those sought after golden hour shots of you and your partner.
End photography after cake cutting unless a sparkler exit is planned.
Almost all of my couples ask when the best time of night is to end photography. I certainly understand you don’t want to miss a single moment of your big day! Typically I suggest ending photography after you cut your cake unless you have something special like a sparkler exit planned (Side note: always tell your photographer if you’re planning a sparkler exit. This requires special planning and considerations both from a photo and safety perspective.) Most of the evening’s photos after cake cutting are of you and your guests cutting a rug on the dance floor. While these photos are fun and show off everyone’s personalities, especially after a few cocktails, they often look similar as the night goes on. Usually I have already taken plenty of dancing photos from before cake cutting; continuing photography afterward isn’t necessary. If you’re looking to save a little of your budget, ending photography after cake cutting can help you do just that!
Like my pre-ceremony wedding timing tips, I hope you found this list of ideas helpful as you plan your wedding day. Interested in knowing more about my approach to wedding photography and why you might want to consider me as your wedding photographer? Click HERE to read about my approach to wedding photography and HERE to schedule a time for us to chat about your wedding day!
