Timelines: Does Your Wedding Need One?

Intro

If you're anything like me, running late causes you a lot of anxiety.

Above is an actual timeline I created for a past Bride. This is an example of how I choose to create my Bride’s timelines and how much space I choose to allocate for those different events.

Weddings typically operate on strict timelines:

·       4pm           (wedding ceremony)

·       4:30pm     (cocktail hour)

·       5:30pm     (entrances)

·       etc. 

One of the most important things you can do for your wedding is to create a detailed wedding day timeline.  Weddings are fast-paced and dynamic events with multiple sub-events occurring in close succession or simultaneously. Timeline will help to make sure you stay on track. We will create one together during our second Timeline & Planning meeting (our first meeting is Meet-and-Greet and Wedding Overview, we discuss what you want to do for your wedding and all important details to you and to the benefit of me knowing to successfully lead you through your wedding day).

Where do most timelines go astray?

·       Not allowing enough time for pictures:

• hair and makeup, Getting-ready, Bridal Party pictures, wedding day Bridal

• Wedding party pictures, Bride and groom portraits (at least 30 min), family and group pictures.

• Consider commute times and possible traffic delays in the areas between locations

Be sure to speak with your hairstylist and makeup artist about how long it will take for x many bridesmaids and yourself, planner, and photographer to ensure your timeline is accurate (enough time has been allotted for photographer and team to successfully create consistent with their current portfolio you chose them by).

Some Houston Wedding Photographers need time to set up before key events. E.g., Entrances. Some Photographers don’t need this. Talk to your photographer about their needs.

Include Planner and Photographer in Timeline Planning

If you have a planner or if the venue provides a timeline to you. Please – I cannot stress this enough – share your timeline with your photographer. The photographer, like myself, may have distinct and important perspectives, not only concerning their professional needs to capture pictures consistent with what you chose them by. But, including another professional wedding pro’s professional opinion who also is very familiar with timelines, creating wedding day timelines to organize complex days with many moving parts occurring in multiple directions that must occur per timeline because there is sooo much planned that if one event went over 15 minutes that would impose on the next event (when I typed that, I was recalling weddings where I photographed at Marriott Marquis in Downtown Houston for getting-ready, commute Trinity Lutheran church for ceremony in Sawyer Heights area of Houston, then, commute to The Astorian in the Sawyer Heights area), organization and analytical thinking, problem-solving, in regards to, how long things can take on fast-paced wedding days is a good practice. 

Your planner or venue may issue to you a finished timeline. Awesome! But, from the photographer’s team perspective, it may not allot for enough time (even if they were to problem-solve, they may have only allowed for enough time to simply create pictures that are not necessarily consistent with that photographer’s current portfolio and you feel that you were delivered work that doesn’t look like what you chose that professional wedding photographer by (and this issue could’ve been resolved by creating more time in timeline). Creating more time for each event and for me to setup lighting is part of our image creation practice. Afterall…you did invest in Houston’s premier luxury wedding photography company because one of those aspects you chose David Baker Studios by was the lighting…).

Add More Time Thank You Think You Need

Wedding Days Are Fast!

It is always good habit to allow for more time than just the right amount of time because there are instances where time flies by without realizing. We don’t realize how much time is required to achieve normal, life-activities we take for granted. E.g., eating a snack and drinking water during getting-ready, getting into your dress. Then, there is always that little thing that consumes a lot of time we anticipate it should take less time. And what about those times there are accidents? E.g., I helped a bride with a patch-job on her veil with super glue before walking down the aisle because it tore. The Bride was sooo distraught. Again…these inconveniences are not expected, but they are possible. And saying you don’t want to invest in an extra 30 minutes or hour is cutting corners. Think about why you purchased the 5 series BMW vs the 3 series. Think along those same lines - see that extra hour added buffer time as an investment. What happens if that extra time actually helped your wedding stay on-time?!?!? I’ve personally witnessed it’s benefit… After all…how often will you get married and spend more than $60,000 (sixty thousand) on your entire wedding? At this point…would saving $400 (four hundred) really make a big difference? If you have the budget - which my past bride’s do - include extra buffer time.

This is why when we talk to each other, I stress the importance of David Baker Studios “personable customer service approach creates the foundation for your pictures to be made” because having 1) ability and vision to create your pictures; and 2) having enough time to create your pictures in my style - are not independent variables. Having the ability, vision, professional tools (camera gear and understanding the complex study of lighting and knowing how to use them during fast-paced wedding days), understanding posing and how to put you into natural-looking poses where your personality can shine between you and your fiancé to be yourselves, having enough time and having a cohesive plan before your wedding day is indispensable - coming from the perspective of one of Houston’s top luxury wedding professional photo studios that has photographed 100’s of luxury weddings and destination weddings where emotions have been high and expectations for heartfelt, beautiful, classic-chic, and timeless pictures created non-negotiable! Like I said earlier… we are able to work during high-pressure circumstances and still be personable and kind to you during your wedding day. But, not having enough time in your timeline is an issue and where some wedding pro’s have been considered delivering work not comparable to their portfolio – because the client didn’t allow for enough time in the timeline. I am a professional who has experience with timeline creation and guiding the client through their wedding day. But, client not allowing for enough time is something I cannot control when time runs out…

Time to Celebrate and Relax

Extra buffer time not only helps you, in the event, your wedding day gets behind. Extra buffer time also enables you and your bridal party to enjoy a relaxing day hanging out with each other, instead of, rushing and getting on each others nerves because you can’t find your earrings. Hahaha - I’ve been in a situation like this, too! A bride who had a little more to drink than she should’ve tried to place blame on me for misplacing her earrings when I actually handed them back to her after photographing her details and accessories… That was not a fun getting-into-dress at the church. That was very stressful. Instead of, getting stressed out about not having enough time. Add that extra time, so you have time to celebrate with your wedding party and family. Don’t take my word for it (please do lol) but think back to times you late for work, and you attempted to make up time by driving 60 in a 40. What happened? After the cop let you go with a ticket, you actually added 15 more minutes to being 5 mins late… Why add more stress, on-top-of, feeling excitement on your wedding day?

What If Time Does Run Out?

Not enough time anticipated for. Unforeseen circumstances arise. An extra event included on wedding-day.

What happens if time does run out during certain events? At that time, I get into contingency mode. This is where I create those pictures per the timeline but may create for a shortened amount of time.

For example, my team and I photographed a lovely and awesome bride at The Crystal Ballroom and Lawless Spirits and Kitchen. She had bad anxiety during her hair and makeup and getting ready. After she had her hair and make-up done, she and her sister went out of the Bridal suite and were gone for at least 30 minutes! Of course…what were we supposed to capture next? Her fun and cute bridesmaids in their getting ready outfits group pictures inside the bridal suite, her with her dress (this bridal suite is super romantic, art deco, classic and timeless. I had a scene set up in my mind I knew she would look beautiful in – just needed time to literally create the pictures), mom closing up the dress, and she wanted to do a first-look with her dad.

In her timeline, she had allotted for 45 min for her wedding day bridal session because she wanted to feature 3 locations inside the hotel: city street, entrance of Lawless, and the outside terrace at Live The Rice, in downtown Houston. So, what happened because of ceremony time coming up and reduced time because of her absence during getting ready (which things happen. Her health and safety is more important to me)? 3 bridal session locations were reduced to one easy-to-access location for AT MOST 10 minutes! Because we ran out of time…I was sad because we missed another romantic, classic-chic, and elegant spot inside the bridal suite. Again…this was a 1920’s art deco decorated room. As soon as I saw this room, I knew what I wanted to create in there. Because my bride had an anxiety attack. I didn’t hold this over her saying, well…we missed that opportunity…Things happen. I kept these thoughts to myself. Wedding days are fast - faster than people anticipate! Some will claim, that doesn’t require that much time…I am not a confrontational person. But, I do see my job and responsibility as a guide for you and your once-in-a-lifetime wedding day. So, I may be persistent in those areas I am confident in and especially when certain wedding day areas are full of grey - event the seasoned 30 year pro’s solution is to add more time.

I included this wedding-day example to say: if we do run out of time, due to, unforeseen circumstances on the wedding day. I can problem solve and SWOT analyze the next best opportunity cost – like with my Crystal Ballroom and Lawless Bride. She LOVED her delivered bridal pictures and the rest of her wedding day pictures. Of course, her anxiety attack was something we never brought up. For her benefit, I said, “hair and makeup took longer than I expected! Just happy we created your Bridal pictures when we did!” That would be embarrassing, and she would feel that it was her fault. Again… things happen. This is why you hire a Professional wedding photographer in Houston who has experience leading brides through fast-paced wedding days where there are many moving parts

We solve problems many modern luxury wedding photographers struggle with during wedding days

But I wrote that wedding day scare to finally say: this is why you invest in Houston’s top luxury wedding photographer in Houston. David Baker Studios is able to solve a lot of the problems other professional wedding photographers are not able to during fast-paced wedding days and deliver albums and wall art enlargements consistent with what you chose us by. We put you at the center of everything we do!

For more information on our wedding planning help we include in your wedding package. Contact Us!