How to craft a wedding day timeline for those in-the-moment photos
The editorial style of wedding photography has become far more popular over the past few years for many reasons most often because people are looking for those candid images that remind you of what your celebration really looked and felt like. Not a posed awkward photo that looks nothing like you or the people you love. But creating a day that looks and feels like magic depends car more than you know on your beautifully crafted timeline. An amazing planning team will be a world of help in this area but here are a few key pointers to get you started.
1. Don’t miss the moment, enjoy the people you love.
Want to look like you’re in the moment? Be in the moment. This is what I would encourage you to do on your wedding day. While that may seem obvious, what may not be obvious to you (probably because you’re not a wedding planner) is that this doesn’t come naturally on a wedding day. I would go so far as to say that if you’re not intentional about planning for a wedding day that includes moments to… savor, take it all in, enjoy every moment, and celebrate with the people you love…
You won’t.
I was told recently by a dear friend and bride that I shouldn’t be afraid to scare you (the context is that I said I didn’t want to scare couples) so I’m going to do just that. I hope this scares you just a little bit… Not because I want you approaching your wedding day with fear but because I’ve seen it go wrong far too many times and I’d love to chat with you on the other side. Just a few small changes can make all the difference in the world. Especially when you’re hoping to capture a more candid editorial day from the photography perspective.
2. What NOT to do
Here’s my dire warning, you matter. When you’re planning your wedding, you have a lot more to do than you realize. You’re working on the small and big details for months and even years and whether you think it will or not it takes a really hard time to turn that off. You’ve been working on this nonstop but you’re killing it and you’re going to get it all done. It’s going to be amazing!
You end up having to get a few things done after the rehearsal the night before and you’re only a little irritated that your fiancé just seems to be enjoying life and not working nearly as hard as you are… must be nice you think as the group text lights up with yet another question about where someone is supposed to be that you need to answer.
The next morning you’re pretty much done! You’re racing through your to-do lists in your mind and asking the planner if they know if the centerpieces are getting delivered or if they’ve arrived where they’re supposed to be yet. You’re double-checking vendors, checking up on making sure everything is looking great, you’re worried that all the details are going to be what they need to be, and that everyone is doing their job… checking your watch constantly. Your wedding professionals are telling you everything is under control but you’re still a little worried. You check your watch again and you’re trying to remember if you forgot something…? Your mind is racing so much is going on… and before you know it you’re married.
Wait, how did that happen?
3. How to plan the perfect day and get the most stunning candid wedding photos
Picture this instead. You decided that you will work hard up until two weeks before your wedding day but at that point, you’re going to be completely done come what may. Why? Because believe it or not you actually need time to let your mind (and adrenaline) rest from all those details. You cannot physically work until midnight the night before your wedding day and then be in savor mode the next day, it’s just not happening, even on a physiological level.
You need those two weeks to rest, to enjoy your friends and family, to get excited. To do honestly anything but plan your wedding.
4. Who will be there?
Your wedding morning can be anything you want it to be. So you create a morning filled with just the right amount of people. Your favorite music, and of course amazing food. You chose to have your wedding day that is filled with quiet moments, huge laughs, important people, and things that matter to you. Do you love breakfast? Plan to have a great one brought so you and your friends can enjoy it. Do you love golf? Plan to get up early and hit the course before your day gets going. Does yoga make you feel alive and rested? Plan for an early morning session and a shower first thing in the morning.
5. Timing
Everything on your wedding day will take more time than you think. You do not need to worry about being late or looking at your watch. Give yourself enough time from one moment to the next the absolute best tip I can give you for your wedding day timeline is this: add buffer time to everything you do in your day. Getting into a dress sounds simple enough but it’s more complicated, did you get your undergarments ready, one last big snack, did anyone bring the crochet hook? Oh, and when you actually get the dress on – that might be a moment. You need time to be able to enjoy the feeling (and emotions) of what is happening not have someone look at their watch and usher you to the next thing. Buffer.
6. No Gatekeeping Here
Here is the pro tip for the best-kept secret on getting candid editorial photos on your wedding day. Fill your day with everything you want to celebrate. Quiet moments just the two of you (or you’ll never see each other), time with your friends, time to dance. Give yourself extra time doing everything… Plan it that way. When heavily involved in creating timelines for our couples we add everything, down to “snacks for the couple” because we know that if it’s not on that paper – it’s not happening. Figure out what you want to do, and plan it that way. It’s your day, it can be anything you want.
7. Seasonal Notes
As a general logistic note, keep in mind that your overall timing will vary radically depending on the season that you choose to plan your wedding in. A summer wedding might have a start time of 6 pm whereas a winter wedding might start at 2 pm depending on the venue and what’s planned for the day. This is one of the many reasons that we collaborate with our couple’s planners to create a custom timeline with our couples. Your wedding day is unique. We need to plan accordingly.
8. The Second Most Important Thing – Professionals
Choosing a team of wedding professionals who have the talent and skill to bring your wedding vision to life is going to be really important. I’m passionate about helping couples know how to choose the right team around them and if you need more information on that please do reach out, I’ve seen one too many brides devastated because they weren’t working with the right people. Certain professionals rank in importance simply because of timing or proximity during your celebration.
I think that your early morning team is pretty high on the choose-the-right-professionals-so-your-day-is-perfect list. Your hair and makeup artists will set the tone for a lot of your day, both in their demeanor and professionalism, but also (and perhaps most importantly) their timing.
- Let me explain, on your wedding morning you’re probably going to be nervous! Having a team of people around you that day that are true professionals, who know how to be a calming presence, and help keep things running beautifully can do wonders for your overall start to the day. I’ve unfortunately seen things like a bride and her mother having a super sweet emotional moment (tears flowing) when the makeup artist jumps in and stops them from talking because she wants to get a “quick selfie” with the bride. Yikes. You want someone who knows he or she is there to serve your moment and help guide you through the process.
- Secondly, your hair and makeup will be your look, all day long. You need professionals who can do an incredible job creating a look that can hold up through hours of crying, hugging, and sweating on the dance floor! I interviewed a makeup expert on this here, if you’d like to read more.
- Lastly, you need professionals who understand punctuality. When we have a makeup artist that says she’ll need an hour, but actually takes closer to two hours it’s now 10 am and our entire day is a full hour behind schedule. This sets a frantic pace that is so frustrating to catch up on and puts the whole day at risk. With the right team, I can assure you it’s possible (although not easy) and we have recovered these days without the bride ever even knowing how far behind we were… Great wedding vendors that work early in the day understand how much depends on them and take it very seriously. They’re amazing to work with!
The Point of it All
If you spend more than two seconds with me you’ll hear me talking about savoring and being present. I think we all know that it’s easy to be in a room and yet somewhere else in our mind, it can happen easily when we’re stressed or distracted. It’s beyond important not to let that happen on your wedding day, especially if you want those beautifully candid photographs to look back on. You’ll be spending your wedding day with the people that matter the most in the world to you, you want to be present with them. It’s not about portraits in pretty clothes it’s about capturing a moment in time with the people you love the most in the world all in one place.
You really have no idea how you’re going to feel the day of, if you have an unexpected teary moment with Dad or a hysterically laughing moment with a maid of honor, you don’t want your planner to have to tap you on the shoulder because you’re running behind. Those are the moments that your day is all about, make sure you leave room for them.
