Wedding Photography & Video FAQ: Planning the Beginning of Your Wedding Day
Some of the most meaningful wedding photographs can happen before anyone ever walks down the aisle.
The invitations are still sitting on the table. The dress is hanging untouched. Hair and makeup are being finished. Bridesmaids are laughing together. Parents are walking in and out of the room. The
guys may still be relaxing, watching a game or having a drink while they get ready.
These aren't simply the hours before the wedding. They are part of the wedding.
After photographing weddings for many years, we believe the story should begin before the ceremony whenever possible. How early photography and video should begin will depend on the couple, the size of the wedding, the locations, traditions, budget and how much of the day they want documented.
Here are some of the questions worth thinking about while planning the beginning of your wedding day.
WHY SHOULD PHOTOGRAPHY AND VIDEO BEGIN BEFORE THE CEREMONY?
Because the wedding story has already started.
If photography and video don't begin until the ceremony, everything that happened beforehand is simply not part of the professional coverage.
That can mean missing the wedding dress before it is worn, invitations, rings, shoes, bouquet, veil, jewelry, perfume, finishing hair and makeup, bridesmaids getting ready together, the groom with
his friends, parents seeing their son or daughter dressed for the wedding, gifts and letters, and all of the spontaneous moments happening in between.
Some of those moments may not seem important while they're happening. Years later, they may be some of the ones you love most.
We want a wedding gallery or album to feel like a story rather than a collection of unrelated beautiful photographs. When possible, the beginning of that story should show where the day actually began and then naturally take you toward the ceremony.
Even when a couple chooses very limited pre-ceremony coverage, we generally recommend that the photography and video team be at the ceremony location approximately 20 to 30 minutes before the ceremony begins.
That gives us time to prepare equipment, evaluate the lighting and understand the ceremony space before the processional begins.
At a church, synagogue, temple or another religious ceremony location, we may also need to speak with the officiant or whoever is overseeing the ceremony that day.
Photography and video policies can vary from one location to another and may change. Some locations may restrict flash. Others may limit where photographers and videographers can stand or move. There may also be areas around the altar or ceremony space where photography or
video isn't permitted.
We would much rather understand those restrictions before the ceremony begins so we can plan accordingly.
We also need to be in position before the processional starts. Depending on the ceremony and location, that may mean getting into place several minutes beforehand so we're ready to capture the officiant, family, wedding party and everyone walking down the aisle.
HOW MUCH TIME SHOULD WE ALLOW FOR BRIDAL GETTING-READY PHOTOS?
This depends on how much of the beginning of your wedding story you want documented.
Getting-ready photography can be about so much more than taking a few photographs after hair and makeup are finished.
Think about the things surrounding you that morning.
Your invitation and save-the-date. Your engagement ring and wedding bands. The boxes that held them. Your shoes. Your bouquet. Your veil. Your jewelry. The perfume you chose for your wedding day. Your wedding dress hanging before you put it on. A letter, book or gift from your
future spouse, mother, father, grandparents or someone else important to you.
Then there are the people.
Your bridesmaids laughing together in their robes. Everyone piled onto the bed for a photograph. Your final hair and makeup touches. Someone helping you into your dress. Your mother fastening something in the back. A bridesmaid helping with your jewelry. Your veil going on.
These are little pieces of a day that moves incredibly quickly.
Some brides want almost all of this documented. Others may want to concentrate on the details and moments that mean the most to them.
The amount of time should reflect the story you want your photographs and video to tell.
HOW CAN WE MAKE GETTING-READY PHOTOS RUN MORE SMOOTHLY?
One of the easiest things you can do is have a small portion of the room ready for photography.
Bridal suites and hotel rooms can become crowded very quickly with suitcases, makeup, clothing, shoes, food, drinks, garment bags and everyone's personal belongings.
Creating an individual detail setup can sometimes take 15 to 20 minutes depending on what is being photographed and how elaborate the setup is.
Finding the best light, arranging the items, hanging the dress and clearing distracting objects all take time.
If there is already one relatively clean and organized area available, more of the photography time can be spent actually creating photographs instead of moving things around.
You certainly don't need an immaculate hotel room. It's a wedding morning. People are getting ready.
We're simply talking about giving the photographer one usable area to work with.
ARE GROOM GETTING-READY PHOTOS WORTH INCLUDING?
Absolutely, and they often have a completely different personality from the bridal getting-ready photographs.
We've arrived relatively close to ceremony time and found the guys still in towels, watching a game, having a drink and hanging out with their friends, only for everyone to somehow be dressed a few minutes later.
That's part of the fun.
Groom getting-ready photography often doesn't require as much time as bridal getting-ready photography. Depending on what you want documented, approximately 20 to 30 minutes may be enough.
Details can include cufflinks, a watch, shoes, tie or bow tie, jacket, cologne, boutonniere and wedding band.
If cigars or a special bottle are genuinely part of the celebration, those can become part of the story too.
But some of the photographs that matter most may have nothing to do with getting dressed.
It might be the groom laughing with his father, having a drink with his brother, joking with his closest friends or everyone simply being themselves before it's time to leave for the ceremony.
Just like the bridal suite, having one relatively clean area available can make these photographs easier and faster to create.
WHAT IS A FIRST LOOK, AND IS IT RIGHT FOR US?
A first look is when the couple chooses to see one another privately before the ceremony.
Another option is a first touch. The couple can stand on opposite sides of a door, wall or corner and hold hands or talk without actually seeing one another.
A first look isn't something every couple has to do.
Some couples have always imagined seeing each other for the first time while walking down the aisle, and that tradition is extremely important to them.
Other couples love having a first look because it gives them a few private minutes together before the wedding becomes filled with guests, schedules and activity.
There is another major benefit: time.
A simple first look might take approximately 10 to 15 minutes. If you want to add couple portraits, wedding-party photographs or family photographs afterward, you may choose to allow considerably more time.
Getting some of those photographs finished before the ceremony can dramatically reduce the number of photographs that still need to be accomplished during cocktail hour.
That can mean less rushing and potentially more time actually enjoying the cocktail hour you planned with the friends and family who came to celebrate with you.
WILL A FIRST LOOK TAKE AWAY FROM THE EMOTION OF WALKING DOWN THE AISLE?
No one can predict exactly how another person will feel in that moment.
What we can share is what we've seen after years of photographing weddings.
A private first look and seeing your future husband or wife during the ceremony can feel like two completely different experiences.
We've watched couples cry during their first look and become emotional all over again when the ceremony begins.
A quiet moment together before the ceremony isn't the same environment as hearing the music, seeing everyone you love gathered together, watching the processional begin and realizing that you're about to get married.
For some couples, a first look gives them two incredible emotional moments instead of one.
For other couples, waiting until the aisle is exactly what they've always wanted.
Both choices can create beautiful memories.
DOES LOCATION CHANGE HOW WE SHOULD PLAN THE BEGINNING OF THE WEDDING DAY?
It certainly can.
A wedding where everyone gets ready, marries and celebrates at one Fort Lauderdale hotel may have a very different timeline from a Miami wedding where the bride, groom, ceremony and reception are at different locations.
A synagogue wedding in Broward County may have different traditions or photography guidelines from a church ceremony in Coral Gables. A resort wedding in Palm Beach may allow the couple to get ready, have the ceremony and celebrate the reception without ever leaving the property.
Travel time, parking, venue access, ceremony rules and the number of locations can all affect how much time is realistically available for photography and video.
That's why we don't believe every couple should be handed exactly the same wedding-day timeline.
Whether you're getting married in Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Miami, Miami Beach, Coral Gables, Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Palm Beach, West Palm Beach or somewhere else in South Florida, the timeline should ultimately be built around your wedding.
THE BEGINNING OF YOUR WEDDING DESERVES TO BE REMEMBERED TOO
Years from now, you probably won't remember whether getting-ready photography took 30 minutes or an hour.
But you may remember the photograph of your mother fastening your dress. The letter your future spouse gave you. The perfume you wore. Your father's expression when he first saw you. Your friends piled together laughing. The groom having a drink with his closest friends. The dress hanging quietly before anyone put it on. Or the few private minutes the two of you spent together before everyone else became part of the day.
The ceremony is where you may officially become married.
But the story of your wedding day begins long before you walk down the aisle.
FAQ
Q: Why should wedding photography and video begin before the ceremony?
A: Because many meaningful parts of the wedding story happen before the ceremony, including getting ready, wedding details, family interactions and spontaneous moments. Beginning beforehand also allows the professional coverage to tell a more complete story of the day.
Q: How much time should we allow for bridal getting-ready photos?
A: It depends on how many details and moments you want documented. A bride wanting only a few final preparation photographs may need considerably less time than someone who wants invitations, rings, dress, shoes, bouquet, veil, gifts, hair and makeup, bridal-party photographs and family moments documented.
Q: How much time do groom getting-ready photos usually need?
A: Depending on what you want photographed, approximately 20 to 30 minutes may be enough for many weddings. More time may be appropriate if you want additional portraits, activities or family moments documented.
Q: Is a first look necessary?
A: No. It is a personal choice. A first look may create additional portrait time and reduce the number of photographs needed during cocktail hour, while some couples prefer the tradition of seeing each
other for the first time during the ceremony.
Q: Does a first look ruin the aisle moment?
A: No one can predict an individual reaction. In our experience, however, the first look and the ceremony can feel very different, and we have photographed couples who became emotional during both moments.