A photographer's take on wedding day timing

Timing is an important part of wedding day photography. Our Heartline Pictures photographers are very experienced at scheduling and they help the bride and groom set up a realistic shooting plan.

A realistic shooting plan is particularly important for those weddings where the ceremony and reception take place at one location since the gap time between church and venue is now gone.

Often couples don’t allow enough time for family, wedding party and bride and groom photographs. We provide a ratio of the number of shots per hour that can be taken at specific venues. For example, time getting from one spot to another is required for a summer wedding at a location with beautiful gardens or golf course greens. Whereas, an indoor winter wedding requires less time since everything will be done in one location.

It is very important that the hairstylist and makeup artist start and finish on time. Very often delays at the beginning of the day can affect the amount of available time for photography. We advise brides to build in extra time with their hairstylist and makeup artist so that they can be on time for their photographer.

When everything is at one location, we suggest to couples to do the family pictures before the ceremony. First of all, everyone looks fresh and fabulous. Secondly, since we make the experience so much fun, being photographed loosens everyone up and helps everyone be more relaxed during the ceremony. Thirdly, since the family pictures are done, the couple and family members can enjoy being with their guests during cocktails.

Paying attention to timing ensures that the photography component of the wedding day is stress free and the results exactly what the couple wants. This is particularly true when multiple locations are involved. At a recent wedding we started off at the Westin Prince Hotel in the bride’s suite, then photographed the groom and his groomsmen in the lobby of the hotel and outside on the beautiful grounds, then during the ceremony at the hotel, which was followed by a mad dash to the Toronto Botanical Garden (Edwards Gardens) for family and wedding party shots, and then back to the hotel. The bride and groom had built in lots of time between locations and photographs turned out great!