One of the BEST ways to have a stress-free wedding and to truly enjoy the entire day is to have a wedding photography timeline!
And even if you have a planner who creates a timeline for the whole wedding, a specific photography timeline is extremely important. So important that Matlock and I actually create a complimentary timeline for all of our couples.
I’ll be honest, the very first wedding we photographed didn’t have a well-structured photography timeline… and it showed.
Hair and makeup started late, which then made getting ready run long, which made the ceremony start 30 minutes later, which meant guests weren’t too happy. Not to mention the sun was setting FAST and we still needed to do husband and wife portraits and family formals! 🙈
It was stressful. But, the good news is we were able to work fast enough to get every picture we needed before the sun went down. But, a wedding day doesn’t have to be like that. It can run smoothly and be low stress so you can enjoy every moment! Ever since then, we knew we had to do our part to help create a photography timeline for our couples.
So, with all of that said, here are even more reasons why you need a wedding photography timeline.
You’ll get more pictures!
When the timeline is followed, we will have ample time to get all of the classic shots you want and all of the dreamy portraits you desire with your new hubby! When you don’t have a photography timeline, you may need to sacrifice certain shots or parts of the day all together in order to make sure the important parts of the day happen… like being at your ceremony on time or making sure your guests don’t wait too long for your entrance at the reception.
Bridal party and family members are informed
A really great benefit to having a photography timeline is that you can share the timeline with your bridal party, immediate family members and vendors so everyone knows where to be and when. This is a total life saver because you won’t have to try and rangle family members together or get a call from the DJ asking when the ceremony begins (and yes, that has actually happened to one of our brides! Talk about feeling stressed!)
You’ll have peace of mind
Nothing is worse than feeling totally stressed out the day of your wedding. Getting ready with your best friends should be FUN! You shouldn’t have to worry about the time or how long it’s taking to get hair and makeup done. The photography timeline will give you peace of mind that things will run on time.
And this is a great example of giving your vendors a copy of your timeline! You can give a copy of your timeline to your hair and makeup artist and they’ll be able to tell you when they need to begin so the rest of your day can run smoothly. This is SO important because if hair and makeup runs long, the entire timeline gets pushed back as well.
You’ll get more out of your photography
I think one of the best benefits of having a photography timeline is that you’ll get the most out of your wedding photography. And with wedding photography being such an important investment, this reason alone is enough to have a timeline specific to photography. When you have a timeline and follow it, your photographer won’t have to wait and can continue documenting your amazing day!
I hope this is useful information – I promise, having a photography timeline will be one of the best things you do for your wedding day!
xoxo,
Matlock and Kelly
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