Grab a cup of coffee sweet friends and pull up a seat! Today I’m chatting all about Wedding FAQs and answering the most frequently asked questions regarding wedding timelines! Stay tuned because at the end of this blog post, I’m going to share a wedding timeline guide, just for you, packed with 2 different sample timelines for you to refer to! 

Today I’ll be answering these 3 Wedding FAQs:

1. How much time do we need for getting ready photos?
2. Should we do a First Look:
3. Who should be included in family photos?

Let’s get started, shall we? 

How much time do we need for getting ready photos? 

One of the biggest wedding FAQs I receive is about timing for getting ready photos! I typically allot 1-1.5 hours for getting ready photos! By the time I arrive to your getting ready location, I encourage my brides to have all their hair and makeup complete. Honestly, the morning of your wedding day gets so hectic! So if you plan on being done with hair and make up by the time your photographer arrives, you are striking gold and can actually enjoy some sweet moments before having to get ready for your ceremony or photo location!

It is my top priority to make sure you, as the bride and groom, are able to soak in every moment of your day. I never want you to feel rushed and allowing this 1.5 hours of getting ready photos helps me to serve you the best way possible. 

When I arrive, I spend the first 30 minutes photographing details! These details include your wedding dress, your invitation suite, your beautiful rings, your bouquet, etc. I take the time to capture each individual detail you’ve so thoughtfully put together.  From there, I’ll capture any getting ready photos you’ll want with your sweet bridesmaids and I love the fun robe photos that are so in trend right now!

After that, I’ll ask everyone to get ready except for the bride. Once all the bridesmaids and moms are dressed, I’ll ask you who you’d like to help you into your dress. We’ll craft some stunning images of you stepping into your wedding dress, followed by a few bridal portraits. At this time, it’s a great opportunity to have a First Look with your father if that’s something you’re interested in or even capturing a few photos with your bridesmaids all dolled up! And that’s a wrap for getting ready photos! 

Should we have a First Look?

Another common wedding FAQs is about First Looks! Oh friends, my answer for this has been and will always be: trust your gut. Dear friend, this is your wedding day. It’s not mine, or your sister’s, or your friend’s or your caterer’s wedding day. It’s all yours. 

My job is to ensure that your greatest visions for your wedding day are brought to life.

So whether you’ve always imagined walking down the aisle to see your soon-to-be spouse or you want a private moment before the ceremony – I’m your cheerleader! I’ll support you and I’m here to help you weigh the options and curate the timeline that best represents your day. 

The best part about wedding day timelines is that they’re not cookie cutter. Yes, I’ll provide you with samples and options towards the end of this post in my Wedding Day Timeline Guide. But they are fully customizable and I create a new timeline for each wedding couple that I serve. 

However, if you’re here to see what the benefits of a First Look are. I got you, too! To read more about the benefits of a first look, head on over to THIS blog post. 

Who should we include in our family formals? 

You guys know that I’m a very family oriented gal and I’d hate for you to feel that you weren’t able to grab all of the family photos you want!

My rule of thumb for family photos is to keep it to the people closest to you.

Whether that’s immediate family and first cousins – great! Whether that’s just your parents and your grandparents – beautiful! 

For family photos, I typically allot about 30 minutes to grab both sides of the wedding couple’s families. In this part of the day, I make sure to capture photos of your parents, your siblings, your grandparents and both families together! If there’s extra time, I love adding in large family photos so you can get cousins and aunts/uncles involved! I like to be realistic with my timing for family photos on wedding days. These always end up being the ones that aren’t as fun to take but some of the most meaningful after the day is over. I’ll work with you to curate the ideal family list for those 30 minutes or extend the timeline so we can capture more family groupings! 

I also always share with my couples that any photos we don’t capture during that allotted time, we can absolutely capture during the reception! Sometimes it’s even easier to have the DJ or MC call out groupings over the microphone. Then, we can capture them right there on the dance floor! 

Wedding Timeline Guide

Ah, you made it all the way here! Thanks for sticking with me through this blog post and I hope reading through these Wedding FAQs were helpful! If you have any specific questions about your day, I’m only an email away! Be sure to contact me here! 

As promised, I’ve created a FREE wedding timeline guide that you can download! Input your email address and we’ll get it emailed straight to you! 

Happy Planning!