Wedding planning advice from a Detroit wedding photographer | Wedding day timeline considerations

April 16, 2019

You’re getting married, yay! Here’s some wedding planning advice from a seasoned Detroit wedding photographer. You’ve spent countless hours planning the details big and small. You’ve selected the perfect vendors, the stunning attire, beautiful blooms and gotten the details (big and small) complete. Now it’s time to wrap up timeline.

As a Detroit area wedding photographer, I know wedding day timelines better than most. I do this every weekend from April through Nov, most weekends more than once. I know the ins and outs of what takes place a wedding day and where you’ll need buffer time to ensure your days runs smoothly and stress-free.

My brides always tell me how easy their day was because they didn’t have to stress the small stuff. The reason they don’t have to stress? Because we iron out these details long before the wedding day arrives. If you choose us for your wedding photography needs you’ll get a custom timeline like the one below. Here are a couple of considerations before we get to that point.

1. Ensure your vendors are working together rather against each other.

I know it sounds like I’ve just suggested your wedding could be a war zone. I’m sure you’re picturing your vendors potentially going to battle over who gets you and when. By providing a timeline to your vendors this can easily be avoided. Along with proving each vendor with your completed timeline please reach out to us before scheduling a set time for things pre-ceremony like hair and makeup. Many times we’ll need you and the ladies prepped and ready to go long before the ceremony begins.

2. Think about logistics.

This sounds silly, I mean you’ve spent so much time planning out the little details. I’m sure you already have dreamy locations selected for your portraits but are you considering how much time we’ll need there? What about drive time to and from the location? Typically on a wedding day, you have about 30 min to get bridal party photos and couples photos completed. If you’re planning to head into the city for photos you may want to consider a first look. A first look can provide you the time you need before the ceremony to hit up those fab locations you’ve been eyeing on Pinterest and won’t make your guests wait!

3. Family formals.

I know a wedding day is a special event one where you have all of your loved ones in one place. I completely understand the importance of these images but I also understand the time it takes to get these. When we start your wedding day timeline we’ll chat about which groups of people need to be photographed on your day. We’ll make a list, we’ll check it twice and ensure we have everything. Please be as detailed as possible and if you know mom is wanting super large extended family photos please put those on our list. It’s so helpful to have everything written down so we don’t forget.

4. Light!

I love to offer my couples unique lighting situations on their wedding day. To do this I love grabbing my couple just before the sunsets (usually just after dinner or just after the first couple dances), then again before I leave at the end of the night for some backlit photos. This allows you to get a diverse set of images while not keeping your guests waiting.

5. Have FUN!

Yes, I know planning can get tricky, it can become overwhelming. At the end of the day you’ve planned your perfect wedding and when the day arrives enjoy it!