TIME TO READ: 11 MINUTES

After more than 20 years photographing weddings, I’ve learned that the best photographs rarely come from trying to create more opportunities for photos.

They usually come from giving the day enough space to unfold.

A good timeline, sensible travel between locations and a little thought about light can make an enormous difference. Not because everything needs to be perfect, but because the less rushed you feel, the more present you can actually be.

These are a few things I recommend to couples when we start planning the photography side of their wedding.

Loving a photographer’s work is important, but so is feeling comfortable around them.
Your photographer will be there for some incredibly personal parts of the day, often from the quiet of getting ready through to the chaos of the dance floor.
You should feel like you can trust them, forget about the camera and get on with enjoying yourself.
For the way I photograph weddings, that trust is particularly important. The less conscious you are of being photographed, the more honest the photographs become.
A good timeline should give your wedding some structure without making it feel scheduled to the minute.
I always recommend involving your photographer when putting it together. Small changes can make a surprisingly big difference, particularly when it comes to travel, ceremony times, family photographs and the amount of time available before the reception.
My preference is always to build the photography around the wedding rather than build the wedding around the photography.
You should have time to talk to people, have a drink, eat something and actually experience what you spent so long planning.
A first look can be a great option, but it certainly isn’t something every couple needs to do.
For some weddings it makes perfect sense. You get a quiet moment together before the ceremony, we can take a few portraits or bridal party photographs beforehand, and you may be able to spend more of cocktail hour with your guests.
For other couples, seeing each other for the first time at the ceremony is important.
Neither is better.
It really comes down to how you want the day to feel and what works best with your timeline.
KEEP LOCATIONS CLOSE IF YOU CAN
If you’re both getting ready in different locations, have a look at the travel time between them.
Twenty or thirty minutes in the car might not sound like much when you’re planning months beforehand, but on the wedding day it can take a decent chunk out of your photography coverage.
If both preparation locations are reasonably close to each other and the ceremony, everything becomes easier.
GIVE THE ROOM A QUICK TIDY
You don’t need a perfectly styled preparation room.
People are getting ready. There will be bags, shoes, champagne glasses and clothes everywhere. That is completely normal.
It is worth clearing obvious clutter from the main area near the windows though. Things like plastic bags, suitcases and water bottles can become distracting in photographs.
Beyond that, don’t worry about making the room look like a magazine shoot.
THINK ABOUT LIGHT
Natural window light is generally much more flattering than overhead downlights.
If the room has good windows, I’ll often turn the artificial lights off when we’re photographing near them.
You don’t need to choose your accommodation entirely around photography, but a room with decent natural light and enough space for everyone to move around certainly helps.
CONSIDER AN UNPLUGGED CEREMONY
An unplugged ceremony simply means asking guests to put their phones and cameras away for the ceremony.
It isn’t essential, but I think it is worth considering.
You get to look out and see the faces of the people you invited rather than a row of phones. Your guests tend to become more involved in what is happening too.
Most celebrants are very comfortable making a quick announcement before the ceremony begins.
CEREMONY START TIME
If you have some flexibility, particularly during summer, I generally recommend avoiding the middle of the day.
Later afternoon light is softer, the temperature is usually more comfortable and you have a much nicer transition into cocktail hour and the reception.
There are plenty of other things that determine ceremony time though, so photography should never be the only consideration.
Once I know the venue, time of year and sunset time, I can help work out what makes sense.

FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHS
I normally photograph family groups immediately after the ceremony.
Around 10 to 15 minutes is generally enough if we keep the list sensible.
I recommend writing down the important combinations beforehand rather than trying to remember them on the day.
After those are finished, everyone can get back to cocktail hour.
This is probably the part couples worry about most, particularly if they don’t love having their photograph taken.
You do not need to disappear for an hour.
For most weddings, around 15 to 20 minutes is plenty.
I’ll give you a little direction when it helps, but I’m not interested in spending your wedding manufacturing dozens of versions of the same portrait.
We’ll go for a walk, find some good light, make a handful of photographs and get you back to your guests.
The goal is to photograph the two of you as yourselves rather than turn your wedding into a photo shoot.

SUNSET
If the timing works, I sometimes take couples outside again for five or ten minutes around sunset or dusk.
The light can be beautiful, but I also like this part of the day because it gives you a brief moment away from the reception.
By then everything has happened quickly. You’re married, dinner is underway and suddenly there is a chance to stand together and take it all in.
If the light is great, we’ll use it.
If something important is happening inside, we won’t.
IF IT RAINS
You can plan almost everything about a wedding except the weather.
If it rains, we work with it.
Some of my favourite photographs have been made on wet wedding days because people stop worrying about what was supposed to happen and simply get on with enjoying themselves.
There is usually a break somewhere, and if there isn’t, we find another way.
Rain changes the day. It doesn’t ruin it.
This is probably the simplest advice I can give you.
Don’t spend the day wondering whether I’m getting enough photographs.
Don’t worry about where I am.
Don’t feel like you need to perform for the camera.
Talk to your friends. Hug your parents. Have another drink. Laugh loudly. Cry if you feel like crying.
The more you actually live the day, the more there is for me to photograph.

Wedding Timeline

A good wedding timeline isn’t about controlling every minute of the day.

It is about creating enough breathing room that you don’t spend your wedding looking at the clock.

For most weddings I’ll help work backwards from the ceremony and reception times, allowing enough time for preparations, travel, family photographs, cocktail hour and a short portrait session.

I generally like to arrive around 20 minutes before the ceremony so I can photograph the venue, details and guests arriving before everything begins.

After the ceremony we’ll usually spend around 10 to 15 minutes on family photographs and around 15 to 20 minutes together for portraits. The rest of cocktail hour belongs to you.

If the light is particularly beautiful later in the evening, we might duck outside again for another five or ten minutes.

Every wedding is different, so there isn’t one perfect timeline. The aim is simply to give everything enough space without allowing photography to take over the day.

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Wedding Planning Tips

Wedding Timeline

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Wedding Planners & Stylists

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Content Creators

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Makeup

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Souther Highlands Getting Ready Locations

DJ’s

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WITH ME

Wedding Planning Tips

Wedding Timeline

Suppliers List

Celebrants

Wedding Planners & Stylists

Video

Content Creators

Florists

Makeup

Dress Designers

Hair

Bands

Souther Highlands Getting Ready Locations

DJ’s

Brig & Jack’s Merribee House Wedding

Carlie & Matt’s Melross Wedding

find your way

AROUND

get in touch

WITH ME