I always recommend no less than 1 hour of getting ready photography coverage to photograph for getting ready images. All packages with 2 photographers will have 1 photographer capture the bride and the other capture the groom separately.

This 1 hour provides enough time to capture the list below

• Styled Detail photos of your wedding invitations, wedding rings, jewelry, shoes, and any special heirloom pieces

• The bride getting a few minutes of hair and makeup touch ups.

• The bride getting into her dress, putting on jewelry, shoes & veil

• Candid photos of the fun and the interactions in the bridal suite

• The groom’s details, the groom getting ready and candids of the men getting ready before the wedding

I recommend at least 1 and a half to 2 hours of getting ready coverage if you envision other getting ready images that include

• Bridal party gifts being open

• Bridesmaids photos in matching robes/pjs

• First looks with parents

• Bridal Boudoir like, getting-ready images in your getting-ready attire

• Bridal portraits in your dress at your getting ready location

• Parent gift opening

• Opening a gift from the groom/bride, or reading a letting from each other

• A bourbon dig

If your Mr & Mrs portraits are important on your wedding, I highly recommend doing a 1st look so that you maximize the time you get to do portraits of just you both.

If a first look isn’t part of your timeline, I recommend making sure you have 30 minutes minimum for bride and groom portraits during cocktail hour.

If the photo of your first kiss as husband & wife is important to you…

1. Take your time with your kiss. Hold your first kiss it for at least five Mississippi’s

2. Have fun with your first kiss, either go for a “kiss & a dip” or sneak in a second kiss & enjoy your first moments as Mr & Mrs.

3. Coordinate with your officiant before your wedding day, asking them to move off to the side when you are pronounced husband & wife & take your first kiss

BONUS TIP: Let’s make sure you get one extra kiss at the end of the aisle as you exit your ceremony with all your guests behind you. I’ll make sure to cue you to stop for a kiss before you leave your ceremony.

I have a love-hate relationship with sparker send-off. The photos are always worth it but in my professional experience, there are a few recommendations I highly recommend exploring.

1. Only use 36 inch long sparklers. Sparklers only stay lit for a limited window of time, to ensure you get the best images, keep yourselves, all vendors and guests safer at a longer distance, longer sparklers are the best and safest way to go.

2. Only having your bridal party for a sparkler send-off. This is helpful when you want to simply stage a send-off (while the rest of your guests are still partying) but don’t have extended photography coverage that goes late into the night.

3. Reconsider an alternative to a sparkler send-off if you’ve had an open bar or you know your guests partied super hard.

Alcohol and open flames are a bigger safety hazard than most assume. I’ve been physically burned during sparkler send offs by intoxicated guest as I photography images through the tunnel of sparklers set ablaze. I find that weddings that have limited alcohol access create safer working conditions sparkler send-offs.

Some beautiful alternatives even at night are
- Bubbles
- Rose petals
- Rice/Confetti

If images of your ceremony location without guests are important to you please make sure to provide 20 minutes in your timeline before your any guests arrive for me to capture your ceremony site untouched.

If images of your reception location fully decorated & completely empty of guests are most important to you, please make sure to select a collection with a 2nd photographer & allow for the final 20 minutes of cocktail hour to be used for capturing these images.

*Capturing an empty reception room & all the many details and stations in your reception venue takes at minimum 20 minutes to capture well.