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i get asked all the time at bridal consultations, “what is the most important thing for a photographer on the wedding day? how can we make the day easier for you to do your job?”. i must say that i get so excited when my future brides ask this! i am able to flip over to the timeline section of my bridal guide and walk through every portion of a typical wedding day with my bride. i can explain the importance of each section and why i need the amount of time that i do. my answer to their question is a well thought out timeline. because my brides are not familiar with planning wedding days, i step in and create a loose timeline for their day. they need to know what to expect. a bride may think it only takes 10 minutes to get zipped or buttoned into her dress. what she isn’t planning on is mom forgetting that she needs to be ready to zip her in because it’s getting photographed. they don’t account for the fact that the custom made dress has 73 tiny buttons over the back and that they’ll have to button each one and make sure they didn’t miss one along the way! my brides don’t know this right off! so we plan for a little extra time throughout the day so they aren’t feeling rushed or like we’re missing something.

so why is it important to have a timeline? couldn’t you just go through the day and roll with the punches? yes. yes you can. many times as a wedding photographer, i’ve had to do that. but i can tell you, when a bride meets with me and her planner and doesn’t take the advice we freely hand her about planning her wedding day timeline…something always gets skipped, overlooked or doesn’t get the attention the day of that it needs. sometimes a crammed timeline means cutting family portraits short before the guests arrive. sometimes it means shortening your details section of the day, so your photographer doesn’t get the chance to get creative. sometimes it means rushing through romantic portraits because the entire day has run behind schedule and the reception is well under way by the time you go for portraits. for this reason alone i urge my brides to pay attention to the time something may take and add 15-20 minutes there. if you have any travel time, you can almost guarantee to double that!

i can count on one hand the times a bride has decided that our timelines leave too much time and that they don’t want anyone being ‘idle’ during those times. every single one of those times, something has been missed, overlooked or shortened. it’s a trade off that many brides are not willing to take and i am thrilled that my brides have trusted me to help guide them through the wedding planning process.

timelines are important…you’re investing in your wedding day. from the beginning of the day with hair and makeup and matching robes to the perfectly timed sparkler exit. every detail of your day is important and i want to make sure to capture it all!

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