FAQ: HOW MUCH TIME SHOULD I ALLOW FOR MY WEDDING DAY PORTRAITS?
You hear this piece of advice so often that it is basically a cliche at this point: Your wedding day flies by in the blink of an eye. Like most overused phrases, it’s a cliche because this is so very true, my dear brides!
All of the anticipation, the adrenaline, the love, the laughter, the butterflies and the sheer excitement that make-up a wedding day ensure that the whole affair seems to fly by with unprecedented speed.
The other snippet of info past brides like to impart on our not-yet-married pals is that - despite all of your careful planning and preparation - something is absolutely going to go “wrong”. I personally prefer to use the word “unplanned” as I dislike the negative connotations the word “wrong” can conjure (and this day should be all about positivity, baby!).
Take my own wedding, for example: the limo that we had hired to take the girls from where we were getting ready to our ceremony site inexplicably went to the church first . This wouldn’t have been such a big deal if the church wasn’t about a 25 minute ride from where I was anxiously trying not to lose my mind, realizing that at this rate I was going to be a cool 40 minutes late for my own wedding ceremony. As someone who has some real anxiety tied up with the need to be on time to everything, this was a rather horrifying start to the day (plus our kind of terrifying priest gave us an ominous warning the night before at the rehearsal about not being late……or else!).
So while you can most certainly do your personal darndest to ensure a smooth day, things will invariably crop of that you could not have foreseen. Which is okay! That’s life.
And this truth brings me to rule numero uno:
ALLOW FOR MORE TIME THAN YOU THINK YOU WILL NEED.
Had we only allotted for the bare minimum amount of time to do our wedding party and couple portraits, we would have kind of been up that creek without a paddle, wedding photo-wise. Although we were running some 45 minutes behind schedule (it still makes me cringe) we were left with enough time for the essentials:
1. I could attempt to fix my *sad, limp curls and put on a fresh coat of foundation (as I had obviously sweat that off when waiting for the limo).
2. Mark had a minute to breathe,, look at each other and try to let the “Holy cow, we’re married!” feeling settle in and let the joy of the day overtake the stress.
3. Perhaps most importantly, our wonderful photographer had enough time to capture truly great portraits in truly great lighting/settings.
My photographic style is very organic. I try to capture truth in my images over super-duper posed/stilted portraits. If you and your new spouse/bridal party feel rushed and stressed out, it just won’t be as enjoyable an experience for you all. While your wedding photographer is going to do absolutely everything in their power to capture the most amazing images they possibly can in whatever amount of time they have been given, more is always, always better. For you, for your photog and, most importantly, for the variety and quality of the moments captured in your final images.
*For more on the “sad, limp curls” thing and how to avoid the same kind of hair blunder be sure to check out my post on The Do’s and Don’ts of Bridal ‘Do’s.
OKAY, MAURA. BUT HOW MUCH TIME?!
This is never an easy one to pin down, as all weddings, couples and situations are different. My basic, bare bones recommendation is as follows: if time permits, allow for at least 30 minutes of couple-only portraits. It’s often easier if it’s just you two and the photographer (because smooching in front of your big brother and new sister-in-law can feel a teensy bit awkward) and will allow for more genuine, relaxed moments to be captured.
I say at least 30 minutes because this time frame will give you a little time to “warm up for the camera”, if you will. Once you realize the camera’s not so bad after all, you will mentally, emotionally and physically relax, start having some fun and the images will absolutely benefit as a result!
COOL! BUT WE ALSO HAVE A BIG BRIDAL PARTY…
That’s awesome! I love that you have so many important people you want to spend this incredible day with and I guarantee we are going to have a blast.
My rule of thumb is essentially the same as above: leave yourselves at least 30 minutes to take bridal party portraits if at all possible. Chances are the boys have already had a beer or two and are ready to get this party started (heck yes! It’s a wedding!) and while that can make for fun images, it can lead to what I affectionately refer to as “wrangling” or “round-up time”.
“Where’s John?”
“He left his phone in the bus. He’ll be right back.”
“Okay, now where’s Katie?”
“Oh, she ran to the bathroom because John went to the car. She’ll be right back.”
You get the picture. Just allow extra time for people to do people things and you will be A-O-K.
EXTRA TIME GIVES YOU OPTIONS SHOULD THE UNPLANNED OCCUR.
So we have established that you should schedule at least an hour for your wedding photos. But here’s my last big push for that “extra” time:
Sometimes that “unplanned” thing that happens is weather related. That beautiful, summer field full of wild flowers you have been dreaming of as your wedding portrait backdrop has been poured on all morning and it’s just not letting up.
While I toooootally understand how very, very frustrating that type of situation is, it’s okay! You and your wedding photographer have, I’m sure, discussed “Plan B options” should this be the case. Allowing yourselves some extra time can help take pressure off of making those tough calls. If the lighting is poor in the Plan B spot, or it’s crowded/under construction or something else crazy pops up, allowing yourselves extra time means you can bounce back without getting super stressed and still grab amazing images!
DON’T WORRY IF YOU DON’T HAVE THE TIME TO SPARE
I totally get it. While I could happily take portraits for as long as you’ll let me (for the rest of my life, maybe?!), sometimes the time constraints mean you only have a few minutes to grab some wedding portraits with you and your new spouse.
As long as you and your photographer communicate ahead of time and plot out a timeline, a rain Plan B (where applicable), etc. that is perfect. You guys are planning for success and success there shall be!
Now you grab the hand of the one you love, go on out there for as long as you can spare and have an absolute ball! You’re married! Woohoo!
