When your wedding day is coming up quick, it’s best to be prepared. We like to have a timeline call with our brides 1-2 weeks out from their wedding day. In this timeline call, we nail down those final details for the day so that the wedding day can be a breeze! Each wedding timeline is uniquely planned for each bride depending on location, the day’s activities and time of ceremony. Here are just a few easy tips to ensure that you have the best photos from your wedding day for any bride!

Prep all of your details before your wedding day!
When we first arrive to your wedding day we are on a mission to photograph all of your special details because once the wedding day timeline gets going, it’s difficult to go back! We recommend having a bag or box full of the items so we can collect them upon arrival. This includes your engagement rings and both wedding bands, any additional jewelry, flowers, shoes, veil, perfume, invitation suite, etc.! We will take your dress and photograph that during this time also. You can customize your flat lay and detail shots however you’d like by the items you choose to provide. We provide ribbons, ring boxes and beautiful mats to display them on!

2. have a detailed timeline

If you have a wedding planner, they will be taking care of this for you and we will give our input where needed. If not, we will help you plan a detailed timeline - because it’s one of those things you can’t do without! Having a detailed timeline for the wedding day will allow enough time in each location for detail pictures, first looks, giving of gifts, bridal party and family pictures while also allowing you to enjoy your new spouse and guests!

3. Don’t sweat the small stuff.

This is your day! Relax and enjoy time with your family, friends, and your new husband/wife. You are spending so much time, energy, and money to plan this day, so don’t sweat the small stuff. Something always happens- someone is running late, a candle won’t light, the wind is blowing too hard. But at the end of the day those things don’t matter. How do you want to look back on your day for years to come? You’ll think about your friends and how they had such a great time, your grandparents and how they loved being a part, the excitement and anxiousness you felt before your first look, some may even remember how good their cake was (guilty). Enjoy yourself. Everything is going to be perfect - and when it’s not, that’s okay too!

4. Plan a detailed family photo list

Yes, t’s so important that it’s got it’s own special place on the blog! The last thing we want is to have to run up to your over and over on your wedding day asking about who you need to take pictures with. Remember - we don’t know your family so if your mom tells us to make sure you get a picture with your cousins and your great aunt, we don’t know their names or their faces in the sea of people at your wedding. You know that time directly after your ceremony when all of the family is looking around and waiting for direction? That’s where the list comes in! We always have a printed list and a member of our team will call out names and mark them off as we go so no one gets left out.

A detailed family photo list looks something like this:

Bride and Groom with cousins Eric, Lindsay, Brittani, Steven and Kami

Bride with great aunt Sally

I know it feels like overkill for you to make this list but it makes our day (and yours) so much easier and the family photos will be efficient without leaving anyone out and hurting feelings. We get compliments from family members all the time about how we handle these situations. Family photos do not have to be a pain. Let’s get you to that reception so you can have fun and enjoy your guests for the rest of the evening!