Here’s a question I get asked all the time by all our couples.

Q: How much time do I need to set aside for photography?

A: As much time as possible. We recommend at least 2 hours to cover family, bridal party and bridal portraits. We cannot stress enough, the need for time to do these photos. Bridal party and family shots can easily eat up an hour, especially if the photos are being taken during cocktail hour. Have you ever tried chasing down a hungry mob and pull them away from their crab cakes and booze? Good luck with that. =)

We try to knock out family photos as soon as possible so we can release them back into the wild and give our bride and groom the maximum amount of time to do their photos. We like to take our time with our couples during their bridal portrait session as it takes time to relax and get the real emotion out of them. That is when the magic happens. When a you no longer care or even notice the camera, we can capture images that will absolutely amaze you. You look your best when you least know it and that’s what we try to capture.

Here are some sample timelines to get that 2 hours of time to do your photos. Even with 6 hours of coverage.

This timeline is for a wedding that has the ceremony and reception in the same location.

12pm Bridal prep, hair/makeup
12:30 Photographers arrive
1pm First look with bride and groom
1:30-2:00 Family/bridal party photos
2:00-3:45 Bridal portrait session
4:00-4:30 Ceremony
4:40-5:30 Cocktails
5:30 Introductions/Beginning of ceremony
5:30-6:00 First dance, parent dances
6:00-6:30 Toasts
6:30 Photographers depart.

In this timeline we have enough time to catch the tail end of bridal prep. We have just over two hours of photos before the ceremony and still have enough time to catch most of the formal events of the evening.

Here’s a sample timeline of a 10 hour day. Which is our typical coverage

12pm Bridal prep, hair/makeup
12:30 Photographers arrive
12:45 Bride puts on dress
1:00-1:30 Bride/Groom photos with respective families at respective prep locations
1:30-1:45 Transit to ceremony site
2:00-3:00 Ceremony
3:00-3:45 Receiving line
3:45-7:00 Photos, photos, and more photos (includes transit time to various locations)
6:30-7:30 Cocktail hour
7:30-7:45 Introductions first dance
8:00 First course
8:20 Toasts
8:30 Second course
8:45 Parent dances
9:00 Main Course
9:00-10:00 Dancing
10:00 Cake cutting
10:30 Photographers depart.

This is a perfect day. Enough time for bridal prep, photos, and even enough time to cover the important parts of the reception. Keep in mind that the 10 hour time line can be tweaked down to 8 or 9 hours of coverage but the ideal is 10. That is definitely the magic number.

Here’s the bottom line, You spend tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars on your wedding day, give us the time to capture all the beauty of it. Because the next day, and the rest of your life, all you’ll have are your wedding photos.

Happy friday everyone!

-J