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Simply Sweet Forever After - Endless Love Story
Pre Wedding Preparations
When building your wedding day timeline, it’s important to allow enough time for each photography and videography portion of the day. The timeframes below are general recommendations designed to keep the day relaxed while allowing your photo and video team to capture the moments that matter most.
Little Details
One of the best ways to help your wedding morning run smoothly is to have a “little details” box set aside and ready for your photographer when they arrive.
These details are some of the first things your photographer will photograph and help tell the story of your wedding day. Jewelry and other items that will be worn should remain in the box until after the little details have been photographed.
Let your photographer know your wedding color palette or overall design theme ahead of time. This allows me to bring extra styling pieces, such as ribbon, ring dishes, or other small details that may complement your wedding colors and elevate your detail photographs.
Having these items prepared in advance allows your photographer to begin photographing your details right away without needing to search for them throughout the getting-ready space.
Time Required
- Little Details - 20 min
- Getting Ready - 20 min
- First Look + Setup - 30 min
- Couples Portraits - 20 min
- Wedding Party Portraits - 20 min
- Family Portraits - 20 min
- Pre-Ceremony Details & Equipment Prep - 20 min
- Private Pre-Ceremony Moments - 20 min
- Main Shooter Reception/Introductions Equipment Prep - 15 min
- Golden Hour Couple Portraits - 20 min
- Additional Pre-Ceremony Buffer with Videography+30 min
Little Details
Bridal Suite Photography Detail Box
Rings & Jewelry
Bride’s engagement ring, bride’s wedding band, groom’s wedding band, both ring boxes, earrings, necklace, bracelet, hairpiece, cuff links, watch, heirloom or special jewelry
Invitations & Stationery
Wedding invitation suite, RSVP card, details card, envelope, envelope liner, programs, place cards, menu cards, vow books, save-the-date, stamps, wax seals, ribbon, other personalized stationery
Florals
Bride’s bouquet, groom’s boutonnière, bridesmaids’ bouquets, extra floral clippings from florist, loose greenery, loose petals, individual flowers, special or heirloom floral pieces
Bridal Details
Wedding dress, veil, shoes, bridal robe/getting-ready outfit, perfume, garter, something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, sentimental items
Groom’s Details
Suit/tuxedo, tie or bow tie, pocket square, dress shoes, belt, tie clip/bar, socks, cologne, sentimental or personal accessories
Styling Extras
Wedding-color ribbon, silk ribbon, extra invitation envelopes, ring dish, decorative tray, family heirloom, personalized items, wedding-date details, other small decorative pieces
Helpful Extras
Pretty hanger for dress, floral snips, scissors, double-sided tape, extra ribbon, small trays or dishes for styling
First Look
First Look: Is It Right for You?
A first look is completely optional and ultimately comes down to what feels most important to you on your wedding day. There’s no right or wrong choice — it’s about creating a timeline and experience that reflects what you value most.
The Pros of a First Look
More time to enjoy your wedding day: Having a first look allows us to complete most, or sometimes all, of your portraits before the ceremony. After the ceremony, you can head straight into cocktail hour and enjoy more of the celebration with your guests.
A more relaxed timeline: We can take care of your couple’s portraits, wedding party portraits, and potentially family portraits before the ceremony, giving you more breathing room throughout the rest of the day.
Fresh hair and makeup: You’ll be freshly dressed, your hair and makeup will be untouched, and you’ll have plenty of time to capture those beautiful getting-ready-to-ceremony portraits.
More flexibility for reception outfit changes: If you’re planning a second look for your reception, a first look can give us more flexibility to capture portraits in both outfits without feeling rushed.
A private moment together: A first look gives you and your partner an intimate moment to see each other, take a breath, and soak in the significance of the day before the festivities begin.
The Cons of a First Look
You won’t experience the traditional aisle reveal: For couples who have dreamed their whole lives about seeing each other for the first time as one partner walks down the aisle, a first look means that moment happens earlier in the day.
The ceremony reveal can feel different: While the first look can be incredibly emotional and intimate, some couples want to experience that raw, emotional reaction in front of their closest friends and family.
You’ll need to get ready a little earlier: A first look typically means having hair, makeup, and getting dressed completed earlier so there’s enough time for portraits before the ceremony.
What If You Don’t Want a First Look?
If the traditional aisle reveal is one of the moments you’ve been looking forward to most, you absolutely can skip the first look. If you have a shorter portrait list, a smaller wedding party, and a manageable family photo list, we can often complete all of your portraits after the ceremony in about an hour, including your couple’s portraits.
The biggest consideration is that you will likely miss most or all of cocktail hour while we take care of portraits.
At the End of the Day
Think about what matters most to you: Would you rather spend more of your cocktail hour celebrating with your guests, or preserve the anticipation and emotion of seeing each other for the first time walking down the aisle?
Either choice can create beautiful, emotional photographs. Your wedding day should be built around the experience you want to have — and we’ll help create a timeline that supports it.
Shot List: Due 2 weeks before Wedding Date
Wedding Day Shot List & Vision Board
About 2 weeks before your wedding date, it’s helpful to provide your photography team with a vision board and shot list. This gives us a better understanding of what matters most to you and helps us plan your timeline efficiently while making sure we don’t miss the little things that are important to you.
What to Include
Wedding Party Details
- How many people are in your wedding party?
- Will you have flower girls, ring bearers, or other members of the wedding party?
- Are there any special roles or people you would like us to be aware of?
Posing & Inspiration
- Feel free to send examples of photos you’ve seen and loved, especially when it comes to posing, composition, or overall style.
- A few examples are helpful in giving us a sense of what you like. We’ll use these as inspiration while still creating photos that feel natural and authentic to you.
Details & Accessories
Let us know what little details you plan to include in your details box, such as:
It’s also helpful to know your dress and veil style, especially if there are specific details you want highlighted.
Family Dynamics
Please let us know about any family dynamics or special circumstances we should be aware of ahead of time. This information is completely confidential and simply helps us navigate family portraits respectfully and efficiently.
For example:
- Divorced or separated parents
- Family members who should not be photographed together
- Blended families
- Special relationships or groupings that are important to you
- Any other dynamics that may affect family portraits
Consider Accessibility & Comfort
If you have elderly family members or guests who may have difficulty standing for long periods or being in the heat or cold, please let us know ahead of time.
This can help us arrange the portrait portion of the day so that everyone is comfortable. Whenever possible, we can prioritize those who need to be seated or out of the heat and keep family portraits moving efficiently.
Extended Family & Immediate Family Portraits
For larger extended-family groupings, it can sometimes work well to take these photographs during the reception, particularly if you have a large number of combinations.
Our priority is making sure your immediate family portraits are captured during the designated family portrait portion of the timeline. Extended-family portraits can then be photographed later if that works best for your schedule and the flow of the day.
Large Group Photos
If you would like a large group photo with everyone at the wedding, please let us know what group you have in mind and when you would like it taken.
Large group photos can take a little coordination, so knowing this ahead of time allows us to build it into your timeline rather than trying to gather everyone unexpectedly.
Siblings & Significant Others
Please let us know:
- How many siblings you have
- Whether siblings' significant others should be included
- Any other family combinations that are especially important to you
The more we know ahead of time, the smoother and more relaxed your wedding day portraits can be. You don’t need to create an overwhelming list of every possible combination. Just let us know the people, relationships, and moments that are most important to you, and we’ll help organize the rest.