WEDDING GUIDE

Welcome to my Wedding Guide! This guide breaks down all of the different parts of a wedding day and offers recommendations on how to get the best possible photos from each. Along with suggestions on photography coverage for the different parts of a wedding day, I've also included some sample wedding day timelines. Don't worry, I’ve got you covered!

01

GETTING READY

The time spent getting ready in the morning can make for some memorable moments. The main thing to consider is where you’ll both be getting ready. If you’re going to get ready at a house then make sure you choose a large, clutter-free room that gets lots of natural light. If you’re going to get ready at a hotel, consider booking the Andaz or Le Germain. You could also look into Airbnb as sometimes there'll be some unique options nearby your venue.

I like to arrive early to unpack my equipment and to check out the space. I'll then take 10-20 minutes to capture the small details such as the dress, earrings, shoes, invitations, vows, rings, cufflinks, boutonnieres, etc. These small details can make for some beautiful photos when styled together so it’s best to have all of these items ready to go for when I arrive. Instead of hanging the bride's dress on a plastic hanger, use a white wooden hanger instead. It’s a small purchase but it makes a big difference in photos.

After getting the details I'll get some candids of everyone hanging out, hair/makeup application, etc. Brides, consider taking a few minutes for some solo portraits of you in your robe, we can always get creative with these too (direct flash, drinking champagne, looking in the mirror, etc). Once fully ready, I'll take a few more moments for some individual portraits. Brides, also consider doing a first reveal with your bridesmaids and/or parent(s).

The time it takes to get ready is often underestimated, causing everything else on the timeline to be delayed or rushed. I recommend giving yourself a 15-30 minute buffer and if we're done photos early then there’s nothing wrong with some down time. If you schedule you and your partner’s getting ready photos after one another instead of at the same time, you can avoid having to add on a second photographer. If you’ve already decided to add on a second photographer then I will photograph the bride while my second will cover the groom.

Recommended amount of time for the bride's getting ready photos: 1.5 - 2 hours

Recommended amount of time for the groom's getting ready photos: 1 hour

TL;DR Consider booking a nice hotel/Airbnb for a night or two, and it's better to have too much time when getting ready than not enough.

02

FIRST LOOK

Doing a first look is very common these days. This is simply a scheduled moment where you and your partner see each other for the first time before the ceremony, instead of the traditional first look being down the aisle. I love first looks and will always recommend doing one, not just because it opens up the timeline but also because it can be an intimate moment. Sometimes couples will exchange their vows during this time as well.

If you go ahead with a first look then we can do the wedding party and at least some of the family group portraits before the ceremony as well. This way you’ll be able to enjoy most of cocktail hour since these photos will already be taken care of.

Recommended amount of time for first look photos: 15 - 20 minutes

TL;DR An intimate moment that I strongly recommend!

03

COUPLES PORTRAITS

Immediately after your first look we can do a handful of portraits of you and your partner. If you've never done a photoshoot before or you're just feeling a bit camera shy, don't be worried. I like to keep things as natural as possible without any awkward or stiff posing. Instead of posing I like to provide prompts and give subtle directions while capturing natural moments in between.

I also love to be creative and try out new ideas, so if you have anything you wanted to try or you have some inspiration photos saved please let me know! I love when clients have a vision for their photos that I can bring to life for them. I've created a Pinterest board with different photo ideas so please feel free to check that out to get inspired.

Recommended amount of time for your couples portraits: 30 minutes

TL;DR Immediately after your first look is a good time for some couples portraits.

04

WEDDING PARTY PORTRAITS

We'll kick off the group photos starting with your wedding party. I like to make sure everyone is looking their best before beginning by asking everyone to check for crooked tie clips, messy hair, etc. I’ll also ask everyone to remove their phones and wallets from their pockets.

I'll do a group shot of the groom + groomsmen and then the groom + each groomsmen individually, and then the same with the bride + bridesmaids. We can do a few group shot variations of the entire party to wrap things up. I like to keep these photos pretty straightforward and although I won’t suggest anything “cheesy”, if you have any ideas you want to try please let me know!

Recommended amount of time for wedding party portraits: 30 - 45 minutes

TL;DR I like to keep these photos pretty straightforward, just make sure you don’t have your phone in your front pocket!

05

FORMAL PORTRAITS

Formal portraits are when all of the different family group photos happen. I strongly recommend doing these photos before the ceremony as trying to find and organize family members during cocktail hour can become frustrating not only for you, but for everyone else involved.

I recommend creating a list of the different family group combinations you want photos of before your wedding day, and keeping this list on the shorter side where possible. I’ll ask for this list in advance and I will have it on me for the day of.

I strongly recommend enlisting someone who can help me organize these combinations and keep track of which ones have been done. Most often this is the bride’s maid of honour, but it can also be a bridesmaid, family member, or really anyone with a loud voice who doesn't mind helping. Below is a simple group list example:

Couple + one partner's immediate family, and vice versa

Couple + one partner's parents, and vice versa

Couple + siblings

Couple + grandparents

Couple + friends

Recommended amount of time for formal portraits: 30 - 45 minutes

TL;DR Family group photos is often when things can go off the rails so doing them before your ceremony is the most ideal time. Enlist someone to help me organize the combinations.

06

CEREMONY

Almost all ceremonies these days are ‘unplugged’ ceremonies, meaning that guests are asked to refrain from using their phones/devices. Your guests really shouldn’t be distracted by their devices anyway and should be fully present for your ceremony. Leave the photos up to the professional (that’s me) and let your officiant know that you’re doing an unplugged ceremony so they can remind guests.

If your ceremony is taking place outdoors, I recommend trying to schedule it for later in the day. The sun will be lower in the sky at that point and the natural light won’t be as harsh. This also completely depends on the time of year and should be adjusted accordingly as a 4:00PM ceremony in mid-October leaves a lot less daylight after than a ceremony in July at the same time. Your wedding venue or planner will most likely have the ceremony site set up and positioned to work best with the sun.

The next few recommendations are for when you and your partner are up at the alter. Try to make sure that you're centered with the alter, take your time when putting on the rings, and it’s a good idea to actually practise your official first kiss beforehand. Hold your kiss for at least a second or two as sometimes the officiant will still be trying to make their way out of the frame. I highly recommend kissing a second time just to ensure that the officiant is completely clear of the background and also so that I can try out a different angle.

The wedding recessional (when you walk down the aisle as a married couple) is an amazing opportunity to capture some great moments. I recommend trying to take it slowly and to make sure you're either looking at the camera, at your guests, or at each other (please just not down at the ground). An amazing photo idea is to pause half way down the aisle for another kiss or even a dip! Asking guests to throw confetti or flower petals is something to consider adding to this exciting moment.

If you have a wedding planner than they will most likely do a ceremony rehearsal with you where they'll go over all of these tips and more.

Average ceremony length: 30 minutes

TL;DR An unplugged ceremony is the way to go.

07

COCKTAIL HOUR

Cocktail hour is the time for you and your partner to finally relax a little, grab a bite, grab a drink, and catch up with guests. If we’ve done all of the wedding party and family photos already then you can fully enjoy cocktail hour. If not, then we’ll have to take time out of cocktail hour to do these photos instead.

Doing the group photos during cocktail hour can unfortunately only leave you with 10-15 minutes to actually enjoy it. This goes back to why I recommend doing a first look so that the majority of photos are already taken care of.

Cocktail hour is when I like to capture lots of candid moments and details. This is also often when I’ll sneak away to capture the reception space before guests enter.

Average cocktail hour length: 1 - 2 hours

TL;DR Doing a first look lets you truly enjoy cocktail hour.

08

RECEPTION

Your reception is when the day will transition from day to night and when I’ll start using either off-camera or on-camera flash to compensate for the lack of natural light. You can add your own additional lighting such as candles and strings lights. You don’t have to go crazy with candles, just concentrate them on the two most photographed locations which will be the head table and the podium (if you’re planning on having any speeches). Make sure the podium is placed in a good spot without any distractions in the background like a garbage can, coat rack, etc.

Sometimes couples will do their first dance immediately after their grand entrance. This is a good idea in case speeches go longer than planned or dinner service is slow as you won’t have to worry about adding on additional coverage to make sure your first dance is covered later on. Another good idea is to tell anyone giving a speech to cap it at 5 minutes as one long speech can delay the rest of the night. If you want to do cake cutting photos then these can be done at any time and don’t really need to be an announced event.

Once dinner service begins I won’t be up shooting quite as much since photos of people eating aren't the most flattering. I’ll still be walking around here and there getting wide shots of the reception space, details of the food and decor, and of course photos of the speeches and candid reactions. I don’t mind being seated at a table with guests but I do prefer to have a spot that’s out of the way where I can leave my equipment.

I really only need to stick around for the first 15-20 minutes of the open dance floor. I'll check in with you to make sure we're all good to go in terms of photography coverage before I pack up and call it a night. If you look like you're having the time of your life dancing it up and coverage has ended, then sometimes I’ll head out without saying goodbye as I don’t want to pull you away from the fun. 

If you’re up for doing some send-off portraits, which I’ll talk about in the next section, then we can jump outside quickly to do those photos before I pack up.

Average reception length: 3 - 4 hours

TL;DR Sit back, relax, and I’ll capture all of the candid moments and details throughout the night.

09

SUNSET & SEND-OFF PORTRAITS

Saving the best for last, I will always recommend you include a time slot for sunset portraits. This usually happens sometime during dinner in-between speeches. I’ll know the exact time the sun will be setting on your wedding day and will give you a heads up for when it’s best to jump outside. We can take anywhere from 10-20 minutes for these photos. Taking sunset portraits is also a lovely opportunity for you and your partner to have an intimate moment alone.

Send-off portraits are some quick, final photos to wrap up your wedding day. Direct flash is my favourite way of capturing these, and hey, this could be a fun opportunity for something like a champagne spray!

Recommended amount of time for SUNSET portraits: 10 - 20 minutes

Recommended amount of time for SEND-OFF portraits: 5 minutes

TL;DR Sunset portraits make for magical photos, send-off portraits make for fun ones.

SAMPLE WEDDING DAY TIMELINES