Timing is everything on your wedding day, and it's often not what you expect it to be... and that's okay! As long as we can plan for the unexpected, we'll be good. All of what you're about to read should go under the major heading of "you can never have too much time to make sure you get the photographs you want."

First off, there are two main ways to schedule your day: First Look and Golden Hour.

First Look

What exactly is a first look?

Simply put - it's when you and your soon-to-be spouse get a special quiet moment with just the two of you to see each other before the ceremony. It's a private moment where I get to capture the intimacy of your reactions without two hundred eyes on you.

Typically, I'll scout out a spot that's remote, romantic, and away from anybody else. Not only does this make for some amazing memories and photographs, but you get to take a breather away from all the other goings-on and be with each other!

Pros:

1. You get to spend a lot more time together.  Many couples have mentioned that seeing each other prior to the ceremony also helped calm their nerves!

2. From the photography side of things, you'll have much more time for everything. Since you'll be seeing each other before the ceremony, we'll be able to also knock out portraits of the two of you, wedding party photos, and likely all family groupings.

3. The time between the ceremony and reception does not need to drag out or be rushed. Because most of the photos are done before the ceremony, you can relax and enjoy the cocktail hour refreshments and munchies you paid for!

4. Winter weddings - because it gets dark out much earlier, doing a first look will usually allow you to get some photos outside in the daylight.

Here’s an example of a wedding timeline with a first look:

1:00am Photographer(s) arrival at prep

3:00pm First look + portraits of the couple

4:00pm Wedding party photos

4:30pm Family photos

5:30pm Ceremony begins

6:00pm Cocktail hour begins

7:00pm Reception begins

11:00pm Reception ends

Cons:

1. Days typically start earlier. Due to most of the photos happening before the ceremony, everyone will likely need to get ready a bit earlier, too.

2. Tradition. Many couples wish to follow standard wedding traditions, and that's absolutely okay! If a first look is what you dreamed of, then do it! If you would rather see each other for the first time as you're coming down the aisle, then do it! It's your wedding day.

Golden Hour

For a Golden Hour schedule, the couple does not see each other before the ceremony. The first time you see one another will be at the ceremony before you join together as one. All of your loved ones will be there to witness this truly emotional and magic moment.

The reason I call it the Golden Hour schedule is because the majority of your portraits will take place later in the day when the sun is lower providing a beautiful golden light for your photographs.

The Golden Hour schedule is pretty common, but it has some issues to consider. Prior to the ceremony, only photos of each separate side of the wedding party will be taken.

After the ceremony, the first thing we'll do is family formals. Then we'll gather the entire wedding party to take a few full group shots. After that, we'll break off for portraits of just the two of you. In most situations, this is happening during cocktail hour, so once we're done, you'll go directly to the reception. Here are some more pros and cons:

Pros:

1. It's the classic route! You might be that person who always envisioned coming down the aisle to your fiancé seeing you for the first time.

2. The light! The ideal time for outdoor photos is 1-2 hours before sunset. The sun is lower and its light is softer. Going the Golden Hour route allows for shooting during this time in most situations. Winter weddings, be aware that the timeline may need to be adjusted due to the sun setting much earlier this time of year.

3. No more stress! The wedding is over and the hard parts are finished. Let's go enjoy our time together and take some portraits. Some couples love the idea of the "anticipation" being over and are able to fully be themselves!

Cons:

1. The biggest con has to do with scheduling. Some weddings only allow for an hour between the ceremony and reception. This means that dozens of groups need to be coordinated and hundreds of photos need to be taken in a short window of time. This is very doable as long as you are okay with staying in one or two locations and understand that you won't have tons of portraits of just the two of you.

2. If cocktail hour is something you value, chances are you won't be able to enjoy it with the Golden Hour schedule. However, if you have an extended cocktail hour, there may be a few minutes for you to sneak back in and join in!

3. I suggest not doing a receiving line with the Golden Hour timeline. Receiving lines can take up a full hour sometimes. Again, you're going to need as much time as possible after the ceremony to make sure we get all the photos we need!

Here’s an example of a Golden Hour timeline:

2:00pm Photographer(s) arrival at prep

4:00pm Ceremony

5:15pm Portraits of the couple

6:00pm Wedding party photos

6:30pm Family photos

7:00pm Cocktail hour begins

8:00pm Reception begins

12:00am Reception ends

Obviously, these aren’t the only ways to schedule your day. The possibilities are truly endless. If you’re straying from these two methods, this next section highlights some things you should consider:

1. Getting ready close to each other

I highly recommend for my couples to get ready as close as possible to each other and to wherever we're going next. I've had it happen in the past where the couple were getting ready an hour away from where we needed to be next, and that's one less hour of capturing amazing moments!

2. Receiving lines

What starts out as a nice cushion of time for photographs is suddenly whittled down to 15 minutes because no one realizes how long a receiving line takes until they're actually in one. As a rule of thumb, you'll need to allow at least 15 seconds for each guest. If you have 150 guests, that's 37 minutes of just standing and greeting guests as they pass by. I'm not saying you shouldn't do a receiving line, but you should definitely allow time for it if you want one.

3. Letters and gifts

Handwritten letters will never go out of style, but they're few and far between in this day of social media, text messages, and emails. So what better occasion than on your wedding day to spend a bit of time expressing why you love your partner? This is by no means required or expected, but it's always a really great opportunity for some emotional photographs of someone reading your words!

4. Be you!

When I give you your wedding album, I want you to say "WOW!" Not because these photos are gorgeous (although they will be!) but because of the story it tells. If you want to get ready at home because that's sentimental to you, do it! If you decide not to do couples portraits and instead visit Grandma at a nursing home, do it! If you had your first date at an ice cream shop and want to take photos there because they would mean something to you, do it! Many people worry about where they want to take photographs because of how it looks and not because of what it means to them. I challenge you to dig deep together. Let's come up with a location that will tell your story perfectly!

5. Don't sweat it

Murphy's law says that anything that can go wrong will go wrong. While we refuse to live our entire lives awaiting the pending bad luck heading our way, it's a good reminder that sometimes we just have to let go. On your wedding day, this is even more important! What time the cake arrives, your uncle who is running late, that stupid button that broke on your dress... all of these things will seem so important at the time, but they're really very miniscule. And guess what? You're getting married! Today is finally that day, and it's all about you. Nothing is going to happen without you!

Not everything will go as planned, and I promise that it won't matter to you later. So remember, no matter what it is, just say this:
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"It's just a _____. It's not going to ruin my day!"