One of the most important parts of a smooth, stress-free wedding day is a well-planned timeline. Here's an approximate guide to help you understand how your photography coverage will flow throughout the day.
WEDDING DAY TIMELINE
About Lynda Berry
Approximate Time Allotment: 90 minutes
One of our favourite parts of the wedding to capture is the getting ready portion. The best time to start preparation coverage is when the bride already has some part of her make-up or hair done. The last 15–20 minutes are the ideal time frame to photograph the make-up artist applying the final touches.
During this part of the day you will also want to have some casual photographs of you with your bridesmaids in custom robes, drinking champagne or just having a good time together. These are usually taken when everyone is ready with make-up and hair complete.
After that, we photograph the bride getting into the dress and her mom, sister or one of the bridesmaids helping her. It is always a good idea to find a nice window or another source of natural light for these photographs and to have all the dressing area clean and uncluttered.
The groomsmen typically get ready within a much shorter period of time than the girls. However, the groom's details like cufflinks, shoes, bow ties, and boutonnieres shouldn't be neglected as they are a part of your story as well. This is also a great time to photograph the relaxed morning atmosphere of wedding day anticipation and some memorable moments between family and friends.
Time Allotment: 20–30 minutes
Bridal details are an essential part of each wedding as you have put so much time, money and effort coordinating them all, pouring your personality into each piece. We want to make sure that those details are documented in the most creative and unique way to highlight all the key features.
Ideally, it is great to have someone in charge of putting all your wedding details and accessories together in one spot before the photographer arrives, so no time is wasted searching.
Time Allotment: 20–30 minutes
One of our favourite moments of getting ready is photographing the bride alone once she is already in her wedding gown and ready to leave for the ceremony or the first look. These close-up photos are intended to highlight the bride's facial features, especially her eyes and lips. This is also a good time to photograph all the small delicate details of the wedding dress and veil. The bridal jewellery and all the accessories also look more meaningful when photographed on the bride.
Time Allotment: Approximately 60 minutes
The time allotted for the First Look is usually 45–60 minutes. Even though the actual first look itself lasts for about 5 minutes, it takes some additional time to coordinate and position the bride and groom correctly. We usually photograph the portraits of the bride and groom together right after the first look as well, which takes the rest of the allotted time.
Time Allotment: 40–60 minutes
The Bridal Party photos usually take 40–60 minutes to document. This timeframe allows us to capture a variety of different group combinations, both classic and more candid. We always make sure to ask you about any specific groupings or photo ideas you would like within your bridal party.
After the entire group photos are done, we move forward with photographing the girls and guys separately. These photos include group photos of the bridesmaids and groomsmen as well as individual portraits of the bride with each bridesmaid and the groom with each groomsman.
Time Allotment: 45–60 minutes
The portraits of the bride and groom together usually take place right after the first look or after the ceremony, and typically last 40 minutes to an hour. This time allotment also depends on how many different locations you would like to go to for your portraits and if there will be any travel involved.
Please note that if you would like some golden hour sunset photographs, the best time for that would be 1–2 hours before sunset.
Time Allotment: 30 minutes
The best time to photograph family formals is right after the ceremony, before people leave for the reception. Your family members are already there so no time is wasted gathering everyone, and it makes for great memories taking those family formals at the place where you officially became Mr. & Mrs.
The family formals usually take 30–40 minutes. Please allow approximately 3–5 minutes for each grouping. It is always a good idea to have someone in charge of coordinating the family formals who is familiar with all the family members and can call out names and organise everyone.
Time Allotment: 15–20 minutes
The photographs of the reception room details and decor are usually taken during the cocktail hour and require 15–20 minutes. This is the only time when we can photograph all the beauty of your reception room before the guests arrive and take their seats.
Time Allotment: 15 minutes
During your reception, it is great to plan 15 minutes to sneak out for some additional night-time photographs of just the two of you together. Your venue might feature some beautiful uplighting outdoors or have breathtaking views of the night city skyline. The ideal time for these photos is after you've had a chance to grab a bite to eat or sometime during the open dance floor.
ophie & Daniel
“Working with Lynda was the best decision we made for our wedding day. She blended into the background so naturally, yet somehow captured every meaningful moment. We cried looking at our gallery — in the best possible way.”
Priya & Marcus
Lynda has a rare gift for making you forget the camera is there. Our photos are breathtaking — exactly the kind of timeless images we had hoped for.
