One of the most common things I hear while the bride is getting ready is : “it’s not going to start until you get there”. This both makes me “cringe” and giggle a little at the same time.
First, this is absolutely true, it won’t start without the bride (or groom), however I feel like most people say this phrase to try to calm the bride down. Almost every time I hear this at a wedding, the bride tells me later that made their nerves a little worse since it was a realization that they were running behind (the giggle factor).
Second, however true it may be, it will drastically cut into the bride and groom’s timeline more than even I can foresee at times. My timelines are pretty strategic in how I schedule them. Yes, there is buffer, but a lot of times the buffer is RARELY there for the bride & groom intimate portraits. Ultimately, it’s the bride and groom’s decision on what means more to them to have photographed, but I personally like to believe the images they print for their walls are the ones I take of just them (the cringe factor).
So, how do you avoid this? The obvious thing would be to hire a day of coordinator that is use to keeping things on task. Someone with experience with multiple weddings so they have a grasp on how they are suppose to be planning based on the vendors’ needs. Another option would be to ask your vendors up front on how much time they need certain items to happen so you can gauge just how strapped for time you really are. If pictures are important to you, I would ALWAYS schedule your arrival to the reception location based on: 30 minutes of formals, 30 minutes of bridal party, 60 minutes of bride & groom & drive time (this is rarely taken into consideration-mostly because I photograph a lot of campus ceremony/reception). If you have a drive time from ceremony to portrait location to reception location of 30 total minutes, then you should be scheduling your entrance 2.5-3 hours after your ceremony ends (see sample timeline below).
SAMPLE TIMELINE FOR OPTIMAL BRIDE & GROOM PORTRAITS
(if you are afraid of running to far behind)
3:00pm Ceremony
4:00pm Family Formals
4:30pm Drive to On-Location Portraits
4:45pm Bridal Party Portraits
5:15pm Bride & Groom Intimate Portraits
6:15pm Drive to Reception
6:30pm Bridal Party Announced
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