Plan your wedding photography timeline with expert tips on group photos, couple portraits, golden hour and timings to help your day run smoothly.
I always set 1hr for photos straight after the ceremony. This hour is usually 30 mins for your family/bridal party photos and 30 mins for couple photos. I encourage my couples to do these photos straight after the ceremony whilst we have all the family members undivided attention and everyone looks their best. As the day wears on - hats and shoes are removed and drinks are spilled!
I find that couples always forget to allocate time for the logistical side of the wedding. For example moving 100 guests from the ceremony room and out into the garden for photos usually takes about 15 minutes. Same if we are in a church and we need to move everyone out and travel to the venue, time needs to be given as everyone loves to stop and chat.
In an ideal world, I'd always choose golden hour, just before sunset. The light is softer and there's something really lovely about that time of day. But I genuinely believe beautiful photographs can be taken at any time. It's more about understanding the light and making the most of the location. I always try to work around the natural flow of the day, rather than asking couples to miss something important just for the perfect light.
Weddings don't always go exactly to plan, and that's absolutely fine. I think it's important to remember that the day is about the couple, not just about getting perfect photographs. I always want my couples to feel comfortable and enjoy themselves rather than worrying about posing or how they look in every picture. Some of my favourite photographs happen when people forget about the camera completely.
.webp?fit=1)
