Tips and Tricks :: Downtime on your wedding day

When you consider all that has to fit into a wedding’s 8 or 10 hours of photography coverage, you may not think it’s important to account for a little downtime, but we’re learning that it is very critical to our couple’s experience. Your wedding day shouldn’t feel like a photo shoot. Why yes, we all want to photograph and document the entire day, the big moments and small moments, equally important. Portraits, details, getting ready, ceremony, reception, sunset portraits… all of it is on our must have list. But sometimes when all we do is rush from one photo opportunity to the next, you, the couple, never has a chance to just be. To sit in quiet moments, without an audience of lenses, to relax and be “off” for a little while.

Building in a little bit of downtime throughout a wedding day timeline is a huge benefit for you, your family and your bridal party. During this downtime, or time when you aren’t being followed around by your photographers/videographers, you can relax, regroup, and prepare for the next big part of the day. Brides can stand next to a fan on a hot day and air out the layers of tulle, while Grooms can take their jackets off and recline for a little while. It’s even nice to have a small buffet of snacks for the entire bridal party at certain points of the day, especially if the portraits have been taken before the ceremony.

We’ve learned, that the best time to build in downtime for the Bride, Groom and Bridal Party come when we as photographers have some regrouping to do ourselves, during the transitions of the day. Here’s a general idea of when we like to suggest the option of downtime to our couples…

 

• After hair and makeup are complete, before it’s time to get dressed – Putting 15 minutes of downtime in at this point of the day is always useful. Bridesmaids especially, have lots of things to pack up before heading to the portrait location or ceremony space.

 

• After the First Look and portraits, before the ceremony begins – This is a super important time to take for yourselves. Regroup, relax, and get ready for the ceremony itself. Most couples have done a first look by this point, and we’ve completed the vast majority of couple’s portraits, as well as group bridal party portraits. Everyone finishes at the same time, and the whole group usually goes to a holding room/rooms to wait for guests to take their seats. Typically we’ll plan on finishing portraits 30 minutes before the ceremony begins. This allows us to hide the Bride before guests arrive. Take this time to touch up makeup, have a snack, and hang out with your bridal party!

 

• Immediately following the ceremony, before family formal photos begin – Another time that we have found to be very good to keep from being rushed. You’ve just kissed, announced as a married couple, and ran down the aisle. Your bridal party and immediate family members have joined you at the back of the church, or in a secluded part of the venue. This is time you’ll want to take to hug, kiss, congratulate, and cheer! Build in some downtime here, and cushion the timeline so you don’t have to cut this special moment short by needing to rush into family formal photos. 10 minutes is plenty of time to get through all of the hugs and well wishes before starting to line everyone up for pictures.

 

• Just before your entrance to the reception – After finishing the family formal photos, and getting in any additional couple’s portrait or bridal party shot that might have been missed earlier, we like to give couples time to themselves. We really suggest taking the time alone. This is probably the only time you’ve had a chance to have a quiet moment together all day, let alone after you’ve officially been married! So take it. Take 10 or 15 minutes to sneak away, arm in arm, to soak it all in. The next step will be your entrance to the reception, and for the rest of the night you’ll be going from table to table or showing off your dance moves. This time is special for you both.

 

Of course, we hope it goes without saying that timelines are only the idea of how you’d like the day to run. Often, they don’t always stay on track. Something runs late, and we as your photographers, will need to make up for lost time somehow. Usually, we’re very good at getting through all the photos you are hoping for us to take, in a very efficient way, and we can get you back on schedule. But sometimes the limo driver gets lost, or hair and makeup runs 2 hours late, or a Groomsmen cuts his hand and has to go to the ER for stitches. In circumstances like this, when things are really behind schedule, the first thing to go will be these downtime moments. So make sure that the timeline is communicated with all of your vendors, all of your family and bridal party, and any changes are brought up to the photographers as soon as possible. That way, we can still try to make sure you get in these moments where you can be “off” and away from the hustle and bustle of the day, just for a little while.