Advice to a Bride

I was recently asked by a friend what would be great advice she could give her favorite niece regarding preparation for her wedding day photographs. I laughed and exclaimed how I always wanted to write a book of wedding horror stories that perhaps engaged couples would be able to chuckle at as they learned of others misfortunate experiences. I then offered my advice, exclaiming time management and how critical it is to select vendors who understand the domino effect of their actions and how they can end up affecting the entire flow of a wedding day.

I've learned more about photographing weddings by experiencing them rather than anything I ever learned in a seminar! So I would have to declare the most important thing for a successful wedding is time management! Timing a day so everything runs smoothly is imperative. As a photographer, I have taken the brunt of the blame for why a bride was running late for her ceremony, when in fact it was an emotional morning, stuck in traffic, a hair stylist and/or make-up artist who was late or simply just took too much time! Fact is, there are many variables to consider besides a vendor running behind schedule that can throw a kink into the timing of your perfect day!

I learned my lesson and began to carefully schedule the photography around the day better. For instance, I built in a buffer for the bride who was running behind schedule. Without telling a couple I was doing this for their protection, I would, during our pre-wedding consultation two months prior to the wedding day, schedule the "getting ready" and bride's family portraits to begin a few hours prior to ceremony time. I then would schedule the time that I would meet the groom, groomsmen and the groom's family at the place of ceremony in order to capture "hanging our" and portraits prior to the ceremony so I was also prepared for the bride's arrival. I would explain to the bride that this would allow her to spend some time hanging out with her family and friends and give her the opportunity to arrive at her ceremony with the dignity all brides deserve. After all, why should she be rushed off to her ceremony creating more stress than is necessary on her big day?

Truth is, I really created a one to two hour buffer prior to the ceremony time. Imagine if the bride was running late at the hairdresser and with the make-up artist, not that it would ever happen, but if such an instance were to occur it would now be possible to still create all the images necessary where the bride was dressing with the burden of having to play catch up with the groom and his side of the family later in the day. Believe it or not this strategic tactic has actually saved me a few times, including once when a bride decided she needed to have a spa morning and ran an hour and a half behind our planned start time before she even had her hair and make-up done. Thank god for small miracles!!

Everyone has great intentions of having the perfect day and the perfect photographs, but when the day arrives somehow time seems to move in warp drive and when push comes to shove the photography is the last thing on everyone’s mind.  Take a moment and consider that you ceremony is over and you just finished greeting all of your friends and family on the receiving line, what is the next thing you really want to do? Have your photograph taken with your family and the bridal party or just to start the party?

Avoid the “domino effect” that can be created by poor planning/time management. Don’t let time management ruin your day. If you have issues managing your time, you may want to seriously consider a professional wedding planner who will coordinate your time and manage your day. If you are a DIY couple and choose to bypass a professional wedding planner, you should consider many variables when planning your wedding there are many variables. The following comprise the most overlooked, but, obvious time factors:

• Time you need to have your make-up and hair completed.
• Time your florist should actually deliver your flowers.
• Travel time from where you are dressing to the ceremony location.
• Length of your ceremony.
• Length of time for your receiving line. (15-20 seconds per guest).
• example: 100 guests yield a 25-34 minute receiving line.
• Travel time to park or location for photo session.
• Duration of the photo session.
• Travel time to the reception location.

I'm positive you considered the value that each of the vendors you carefully selected experience brings to the table. When considering your timetable it is important that you 'listen' to your vendors and not dictate to them. Let them know what you want and let them tell you what they can do for you.

Remember, the combined experience of all your vendors and a great wedding planner will guide you to a successfully planned day.