Planning a wedding day timeline around the light

The light on a wedding day changes every hour, and it does not wait for speeches to run on time. When we plan a timeline with a couple, we start with the sun and fit the day around it.

Start with sunset

Look up the sunset time for your date and location. The hour before it is the softest, warmest light of the day, and it is when we want twenty minutes with the two of you for portraits. Everything else on the timeline is worked backwards and forwards from that window.

Getting ready

Choose a room with a large window and clear the clutter from one corner before we arrive. We photograph getting ready in daylight, so a bright room matters more than a large one. Allow at least ninety minutes, and have dresses, suits and details in one place so we can photograph them while hair and make-up are finishing.

The ceremony

Midday sun is hard and casts deep shadows under the eyes. If the ceremony is outdoors and the time is fixed, ask the venue about shade, or position the arch so the sun sits behind the guests and off the couple's faces. Indoor ceremonies are easier to plan, but a quick note on whether flash is allowed saves a conversation with the officiant on the day.

Family photographs

Make a list of groups, keep it to ten or fewer, and name one person who knows everyone to gather them. With a list and a helper, family photographs take about twenty minutes. Without one, they take most of the drinks reception.

A sample timeline

• 12:00 Getting ready, details, letters

• 14:30 First look, if you are having one

• 15:30 Ceremony

• 16:15 Family groups, then drinks

• 18:00 Dinner and speeches

• 19:20 Twenty minutes outside for portraits, an hour before a 20:20 sunset

• 20:30 First dance and the evening

Every day is different, and we send a draft timeline built for yours a month before the wedding. Our producer then keeps it current with your planner until the week itself.