Planning your wedding day around the photographs
A good timeline is the cheapest way to better photographs. Here is a plan that works, and the reasons behind it.
Getting ready: allow more time than you think
Plan for photographs to start about an hour to an hour and a half before you leave for the ceremony. It is the calmest part of the day and full of details — the dress, the rings, the shoes, a letter. Put the rings, the invitation and the flowers together in one place and everything goes faster.
The ceremony
Ask whoever leads the ceremony to step aside for the kiss, so nothing stands between you and the camera. If you would like an unplugged ceremony, ask your guests beforehand — their phones will not be in the photographs.
Family group photos: make a list
Do them straight after the ceremony, while everyone is together. Write down the groups you want — usually eight to twelve — and choose one person who knows both families to gather people. Plan about fifteen minutes. Send me the list at least 14 days before the wedding.
Couple portraits in the golden hour
Twenty to thirty minutes, ideally in the last hour before sunset; it can be split into two short slots. See sunset times by month.
The evening
Cake, speeches and the first dance: tell me the order so I am in the right place. Sparklers and a first dance at dusk make some of the most striking photographs of the day.
An example: a wedding in mid-September
| Time | What happens |
|---|---|
| 16:00 | Getting ready |
| 17:30 | Ceremony |
| 18:00 | Family group photos, then drinks |
| 19:30 | Couple portraits in the golden hour (sunset about 20:25) |
| 20:30 | Dinner and speeches |
| 22:30 | Cake and first dance |
From getting ready to the party is a full day (10 hours). A half day (6 hours) covers getting ready to the first dance with a shorter morning or evening, and an elopement (2 hours) covers the ceremony and portraits.
Questions and answers
How long should couple portraits take on the wedding day?
Twenty to thirty minutes is enough, ideally in the golden hour; it can be split into two short slots.
How many family group photos should we plan?
Usually eight to twelve groups, about fifteen minutes straight after the ceremony, with one person who knows both families helping to gather everyone.
Articles
- Why you see Beata in so many of my photos
- A secret, uncrowded photo shoot location next to the Alhambra
- Sunset portraits, shot straight into the sun
- Several frames of every moment, so that one of them is right
- My favourite photo spots between Nerja and Salobreña
- A beach wedding on the Costa Tropical
- Wedding weather on the Costa Tropical, month by month
- When is golden hour in Andalusia?
- Legal, religious or symbolic: getting married in Spain from abroad
- Booking, payment and delivery: the practical answers
When, where — and how it should feel
Dates go early for May, June and September. Send the date, the place and the feel you have in mind. I usually reply within minutes — at night or during a shoot, first thing the next morning or as soon as I finish.
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