Planning a wedding timeline can be stressful because there are so many things to include in one day, and a photo session might take a lot of time to complete. To get the most out of it, you need to plan a specific timeline and stick to it. Some people avoid traditional wedding scenarios and reorder the events on the day to make sure everyone has a good time.
Let’s see how you can organise your wedding to make sure that every protocol is followed and that you still have time to take beautiful pictures.
#1 Early Photo Session
The early photo session will help you to look the best at the pictures, with your hair and makeup still looking fresh and intact. It is also one of the best ways to get over the most time-consuming activity on your wedding day – the photo session.
Early photo sessions include “the first look” pictures, as well as preparation pictures. It makes sure that all has its natural flow – the bride and groom get ready for the wedding, they see each other in their wedding outfits for the first time, and proceed to the shooting.
After the photo session is complete, you can continue with other activities, such as the wedding ceremony, cake and party.
A photo session before the wedding ceremony and before the guests’ arrival makes sense only if other activities start in the afternoon, and you have a free morning. Still, you will have to get up early, and by the time you get to the vendor for dinner, you might feel exhausted.
#2 Cocktail Hour Photosession
Some couples focus on throwing the iconic party at their wedding. Since the bride and groom are the start of the day, it is hard to imagine a good party without them, so it might be challenging to disappear in the middle of the wedding for a photo session.
However, if you decide to throw a cocktail hour, your guests will be entertained with the dynamic switch of events and might not even notice that two of you have left for the photo session.
It means that you will start with the standard wedding activities, such as guests greetings, wedding ceremony, first dance, toast, and party. In the middle of the party and before the cake, you have one hour to complete the shooting.
A skilled photographer will know how to catch the excitement and happiness in your first several hours of marriage, the thrill caused by the party and will get you back on time for the cake.
However, this timeline has one flow – you need to plan the session to the smallest details to prevent losing time. Also, there is no time to fix things if anything goes wrong.
#3 Alternate Breakfast/Brunch Wedding Timeline
If you are ready to skip the conventional wedding timelines, you can arrange a breakfast wedding buffet. It is much more original and authentic than having an all-day wedding, and easier to plan. Also, it ensures that you and your groom will have enough time of the day to enjoy yourself as a married couple.
A brunch or breakfast wedding is much cheaper to organise as well, and you have a higher chance that all the venues will be available in the morning.
You can get up at 7 a.m, plan enough time for getting ready and have the wedding ceremony at 10 a.m. After the ceremony is complete, you and your guests can enjoy a healthy breakfast with the toast, spend time together until 1 or 2 p.m.
After the wedding is done, you and your fresh husband can have a photo session without time restrictions and stress.
#4 Two Photographers for the Efficient Timeline
If you want to include family portraits and preparation pictures, for an efficient timeline, it is best to hire a team of photographers. That way, they can make those images at the same time, in your apartment and the groom’s suite.
An organisation like this makes sense if you are having a ceremony in some open and beautiful location because you can arrange a meeting point and complete the session before and after the wedding ceremony.
Once the ceremony is over, you and the guests will go together to the vendor for the first dance, toast, and dinner. This kind of timeline is easy to plan and a time-saving option. However, it may be costly because you will have to hire more photographers and arrange transport for guests.
#5 The Pandemic Wedding Timeline
If you don’t want to wait for things to get normal with the coronavirus pandemic to get married, there are still ways to have a semi-traditional wedding.
Organising a micro-wedding with the best man and maid of honor is simple, but there are still ways to include your friends and family. Luckily, technology allows you to do so.
The start is similar to the conventional wedding. You will get up early in the morning, get dressed and have your bridal pictures taken. Then, you will go to the marriage officiant’s office where you will meet with the groom and his best man. You can ask someone to accompany you and have the live-streaming of your wedding ceremony on your Instagram account. However, before the wedding you need to inform all your friends about the time of the ceremony, so they can be free to watch it.
Once the ceremony is done, you can get back home and have lunch, while having a group call on Zoom. That way, you can have a toast and share your precious moments as a married couple with your friends. However, don’t forget to have a test-call the day before the wedding, to make sure everyone can attend your wedding remotely.
After the lunch and the toast, you can have your photo-shooting in the open space, following all anti-epidemic measures.
There you have it – several ideas for your wedding day timeline with a photo shooting. Remember to create the wedding timeline several months before the wedding date, and to confirm it at least one week before the date.
