The factor of time on the wedding day | Ideal timeline for wedding photography

The organization and schedule of a wedding are real challenges faced by all couples who have decided to make their dreams come true by connecting their destinies forever. The long-awaited wedding day passes quickly and without a good plan of action, the risks of something happening wrong increase sharply. That’s why my experience as a wedding photographer shows that it is a good idea to comment in detail with the newlyweds, in advance, the time for photographs and the route of the selected locations.
Each event takes place individually according to the requirements, conditions and expectations of the newlyweds, but the time that is optimal for me for wedding photos and I recommend to all couples, consists of several parts and is divided as follows:

1. The preparation of the groom

The weddings that have the longest duration and the most photos in the album from different locations usually start with the preparation of the groom. Photographs of the costume, shoes, watch, independent artistic shots of the groom, photos with his parents and friends. The ideal time is 50 minutes, and at least if the program does not allow more – at least 20 minutes.

2. The preparation of the bride

About an hour is the perfect time to prepare the bride and capture the details. This interval includes photos of the rings, the wedding dress, the shoes and the bouquet, cheerful and crazy photos with the bridesmaids, emotional photos with the closest ones, as well as artistically sustained art shots of the bride.
The preparation in the girl’s home / hotel room is the most special part of all during the wedding day, because at the beginning the bride is the center of attention and the photos with her are one of the most exciting and at the same time are the highest priority for me as a photographer. My shooting style suggests an optimal time of an hour and 15 minutes (for a minimum I would specify 30 minutes).
I also want to note something important – before start taking pictures of the bride’s preparation, you should keep in mind that the hairstyle and makeup are generally three hours in duration. It is a good practice to agree in advance with the photographer when to start the program so that some important details of the schedule can be foreseen, which I most often discuss with the newlyweds at our first meeting.

3. Taking the bride

Bulgarian traditions say that the groom and his parents, together with the friends, must go to the girl’s home to ask for (take) her officially. Music, fun, toasts… taking the bride out of the building by the hand of her father are just some of the rituals in this interval of the schedule. The photographs are reportage, natural and very attractive. Estimated time – 30 minutes.

4. Photo session of the couple

The time allotted for two lovers? Yes but no. Almost always with the newlyweds there is a stable entourage of bridesmaids, groomsmen and sometimes the parents. There are no firm and fast rules here either, as my instructions for the wedding photo shoot are always to start with absolutely everyone invited to the session to take group photos, then only with the bridesmaids and groomsmen, and finally a little time left for the newlyweds. An hour and a half, or at least – 50 minutes. This excerpt from the wedding story is a very characteristic indicator of the photographer’s ability to make the couple experience unadulterated emotions, in a photographic pose, through quick talk and jokes between them. The psychological moment and the approach are key for natural and beautiful shots. Purely logistical and convenient for the guests is the photo session to be placed in the schedule before the civil marriage and the wedding. Look for “Top 3 best places for a wedding photo shoot in Sofia”, if you have not yet selected a location.

5. Civil marriage

Most couples I photograph prefer everything to happen on the wedding day and all known rituals to go through together, although there has been a tendency lately for civil marriage to take place on a separate day earlier than the wedding. The duration is on average 15 minutes, but it is good to provide additional time for a general photograph, possible greetings from guests, delays from previous wedding ceremonies and others – a total of one hour.

6. Church marriage

The average duration of weddings is 20-25 minutes, and the distinctive feature here is that immediately after the end of the church ceremony all guests need to leave the church, and after them come the newlyweds accompanied to the gate by the priest, and the tradition is to throw small gifts, wheat, coins from the bridesmaids. At the exit of the temple, when welcoming the couple, confetti filled with foil hearts, soap bubbles to create more positive emotions and euphoria around the celebration. Optimal time – one hour.

7. Welcome drink

After the ritual hall and the church, there is a welcome drink. The newlyweds, photo and video teams relax for twenty minutes, and in the meantime the wedding guests are offered a welcome drink in the restaurant. This part of the wedding lasts about an hour, and my suggestion is always in the second half of the welcome drink to take the official photographs with the guests. Thus, all visitors to the wedding party will have photos with the newlyweds. Congratulations and gifts are accepted, and of course the couple is helped by brothers and sisters, groomsmen who carefully pick up and collect flowers, gifts for the young family, envelopes with Phoenician signs and other.

8. Party in a restaurant

The big day ends with a spectacular party in a ballroom of a hotel (restaurant), a romantic atmosphere in a garden with tents in the open air or a party on the beach. Yes, there are many options for a beautiful end to the celebration, and it all depends on the choice, the overall style and motifs, carefully selected by the newlyweds. Minimum time 5 hours.