Wedding day timeline

Before looking for suppliers, I would recommend you to have an idea of the schedule of your wedding day. I know that creating a wedding day timeline can be complicated and one way of creating your schedule is to know when the sun will go down ; you will then know when the light will be the best. If you plan to get a ceremony outside, then the best time would be about 2-3 hours before sunset.

On a typical 10 hour wedding day, I’m usually able to photograph you from getting ready until the party. It’s important to get a loose schedule to give you some time in case something get delayed. It will allow you to enjoy more your wedding day and not to feel stressed by the time.

Example of a 10 hour coverage:
12:30pm Getting Ready, 2:30 First look, 3:30 Ceremony, 4:30 Cocktail, 5:30 Group Photos, 6:30 Dinner, 8:00 Sunset, 8:30 Speeches/Reception, 9:30 First Dance, 10:30pm End Coverage.

What is my approach on a wedding day?

I’m sure you’ve heard a lot of different style names to qualify different wedding photography approaches and I wanted to explain what is my way of photographing this special day. My approach is probably a mix of different styles from storytelling to documentary but most of all, I love photographing people in love and I tend to do it in the most natural way possible to help you remember the way it felt.

A typical wedding day:

It’s really important to understand that I only made this post in order to help you visualise the way I photograph a wedding so please keep in mind that every wedding is unique. I want you to have a wedding that reflects your personalities and your story and I really encourage you to do things differently to make your own wedding a special moment that will mean so much more to you.

This typical wedding day timeline is only here to help you, it doesn’t need that you have to follow it, and if you plan to have a different schedule, I’d love to help you!

Getting Ready

I usually start covering the getting ready about 2 to 3 hours before the ceremony. It gives me enough time to take pictures of the bride, the groom, your closest ones and the environment.

I always photograph the full day from the getting ready until the dancefloor. The getting ready is one of my favourite moment because I can see and capture lots of details from the different relationships you have with your family and your friends. I usually don’t direct you at this moment, apart from telling you where the best light is, as I prefer to photograph things as they naturally happen.

Environment

I feel like it’s also important to capture photos that aren’t the usual wedding photos but which help telling the story and the feelings of the day.

First Look

Before the ceremony, I highly encourage you to do a first look, which takes around 20 minutes, to relax and enjoy this magic moment together.

If you prefer to discover each other during the ceremony, we will then take some time to get some couple portraits right after it. It will give you some time to really admire how stunning each other look and it will allow your guests to get ready to the cocktail.

Personally I prefer when the couple have a first look so they can enjoy a special moment together before the ceremony and release the stress but you can also have a first look with your parents if you really want to discover each other in the aisle.

Ceremony

Civil and bespoke ceremonies are the most emotional ones and are also the one that I love the most to photograph. Like most of the guests, I always cry when I listen to your friends and family talking about why you are so special to them and how much they love you.

Couple Photos

At the end of the cocktail, while your guests are heading to the dinner, or during the dinner (depending on the light) we’re gonna escape again for a few minutes to take some portraits of you two with the beautiful golden hour light.

During your wedding day I spend around twice 20 minutes taking photos of the two of you in a natural way – usually right after the ceremony and during sunset.

It’s a great moment to step back, reflect and share the emotions your are feeling about your wedding day with your partner. I will direct you to help you feel comfortable but I will never make you do things that aren’t you. These photos are essentially taken to create a great moment together and I’m only here to photograph the memory of it and capture the way you love each other.

Groups Photos

Just before or during the cocktail I typically I photograph family and group photos. These photos are traditional but still important for some members of your family even if some couples want to keep it really short we usually shoot around 6-8 groups. I always try to get some formal ones and some other more relaxed.

Cocktail

The cocktail is for you the time to chill and enjoy some drinks with your guests and it’s the perfect moment for me to photograph them laughing and having a great time.

Dinner

In the evening, I photograph the dinner during the speeches but I won’t photograph you eating so I always eat in the same time than you. Sometimes the couple seat me with the guests, which I love cause it allows me to be fully part of the moment with you and sometimes I eat with the other suppliers when they are part of your wedding day.

Party

Last but least, party time! The dancefloor is the best place to get crazy epic party photos and I usually stay 30 minutes after the first dance to get them and do some dance moves with you!

My Style

You probably noticed that I love black and white photos! Although I deliver both colour and black and white – depending on the style of the wedding, usually I deliver about 40% of the wedding photos in black and white. I see if each image is better in colour or b&w and edit it according to which look the strongest, some photos will look better in black and white and others in colours and now I kind of instantly know which one will work best.

I love photographing people and it’s really what I focus on on your wedding day, way more than the details even if I photograph them too. If I hear that something is taking place, I will run to photograph a special moment that won’t happen twice. This is the magic, capturing some of the most important memories of a couple spending a day with the people they love the most so they don’t forget how if felt!

The vibe of the wedding day, the personality of the couple, their story… lead me to process the photos a certain way to represent the feeling of the day as much as I can. It also depends in which country your wedding takes place, the weather, the environment – all of this will influence the way your wedding photos look like and they will definitely be unique.

Who are the couples I photograph?

-Really laid back couple who are truly in love and want to party with the people they love the most and who are part of their story.

-Prioritize moments over details and don’t like posing in a cheesy way.

-Love art and photography. Most of the time the couples who hire me want to have a creative and modern point of view on their wedding day. They know that I’m a 100% into capturing emotions and connections in between people and trust me to photograph their wedding with my own singular vision and experience. I document your wedding day as I would like my own wedding to be photographed and I put all my energy into capturing timeless memories that my couples will cherish forever.

You recognise yourselves in my approach and my style and want me to photograph your wedding?

I hope that this wedding day timeline post will help you to plan your wedding day and if you feel like we would be a perfect match then send me a message through my contact page and let’s talk about your wedding day! I can’t wait hear more about your story and your plans! x