Wedding Itineraries & why they are important.

Your day, it’s a busy one. The bride will be treated like a queen… Hair, makeup, the whole thing she’s ever dreamed of having.

The groom, they are usually nervous.. getting suited up, misplacing things, and hoping they don’t forget their wallet, keys, and phone.

The bouquets aren’t here yet, the boutonnières are with the bride. Someone’s running late, or someone forgot something.

However, how is my quick how, to make sure you make a detailed itinerary, is well thought out, and ALSO communicate with family and friends beforehand

When making an itinerary, ALWAYS give yourself more time than you need, instead of less time. If you feel like you’re going to take this long to get ready, get yourself the extra 30 minutes. Every detail of your day is itemized down to even when you cut your cake.

So first start with:

(Do you have one or two photographers?)

If you have 2 photographers… great! Then one photographer will typically handle groom prep, while the other handles bridal. If you have ONE photographer, ALWAYS make sure they go to the grooms first, as they get ready quicker. After groom prep is done, the photographer typically heads over to bridal prep (always add in travel time, it matters) that way, groom prep is done, and now we can focus on the bride as her preparations are much more detailed.

Groom prep? Where? When? How?

Does the groom have special things such as cuff links, jewelry, a gift from the bride, groomsman gifts, notes, special socks, or anything else? Does mom or dad want to have some poses of helping the groom adjust his tie? If so MAKE SURE everyone is at the location that is supposed to be and make sure all special things are on location.

Bride prep? Where & when? Numerous locations?

Have your jewelry, invitations, rings, shoes, notes, gifts from the groom, bridesmaid's gifts, and anything else of special value in your possession. If you want classic poses of mom helping with dress, also make sure she’s on location as well.

First, looks? Do you have a special location request? Where? What time? Is it at the venue? When you have 2 photographers, this does make it a lot easier to coordinate. Come up with a SPECIFIC shot list of family, and make sure all family members are AT the location you requested. If there are any other family members outside the immediate family, inform your photographer, and those family members ahead of time.

Ceremony— how long? What time? Any special traditions? Are you having a receiving line? Is there a flower girl?

Cocktail hour— (if you had a first look, family/bridal poses will be done so relax.. unwind.. and have a drink!!!) how long is it? Bear in mind, if you didn’t do a first look, family and bridal photos will be cutting into cocktail hour, after the ceremony. Sometimes, it helps when you ask the minister to tell your immediate family to hang back, to make sure they get photos done. This can be a timely thing, and if everyone is not where they should be, it can take longer.

Reception- what time does it start? When are introductions? Is the entire bridal party getting introduced?

What time are the toasts? What time will dinner be? What time will the First dances, and parent dances be? If doing a garter/bouquet toss what time will that be? And what time will the cake cutting?

  2nd photographer? Why or why not?

Sometimes a second photographer is not necessary if you wish to have someone just to capture your ceremony and reception, and sometimes it is. But it also depends on what you’re looking for, and what your budget is. I’ve done numerous weddings myself, but I’ve also shot weddings with second photographers.

A second photographer allows you to have the flexibility to have 2 people in separate places, capturing the event from different angles, and also the ability to have more photos.

If you are looking to have a full-day service, a 2nd photographer most of the time is essential. Bear in mind, these things are possible with only one photographer but that’s when my post from a few days ago bears a strong meaning, a good itinerary.

If you are doing the bride and groom prep, one photographer can be with the bride, and one with the groom. We can both work together, to capture your day. If it’s one photographer, one will not have to rush from one location to another, and if doing a first look… the other photographer can communicate adequately to ensure everyone is in their place. We know the process. First looks may be quick, but they do require proper communication & planning to go as planned. Sometimes, I ask brides who the responsible, and dependable one is in their family or bridal party, as we tend to have to use them for communication to make sure this goes all to plan if we do not have a second photographer. We have to make sure the groom is where he should be, we have to make sure the groom does not accidentally see his bride, and we also have to make sure we have a good spot with good light.

Happy planning!

We have just added a few photos to show some of the backgrounds and props that we use.  We have a variety of paper backgrounds in autumn, banana, sky blue, white, black, and thunder grey.  In addition, our canvas backgrounds consist of blue, brown, pastel, 2 Christmas scenes, Waterfall, Central Park, Victorian, American Flag, Lake, a Garden, Crayons, and more.  Our cloth backgrounds consist of:  sand, dark blue, amber, molted grey, light grey, and more.

Remember, we can set up any of these backgrounds at your next event.  Of course, we will bring our professional Einstein lights to ensure that we are getting top-quality light. 

If you have any questions, contact us and we will be happy to talk to you.

Digital Solutions 21 LLC