Congrats!
So you’re getting married. Now what?
You're about to embark on an exciting experience, one that will create lifelong memories you get to hold on to forever.
We're professionals at this. Having been part of over 250 weddings, we know a thing or two about how to get beautiful photos, in an environment cultivated to be stress-free and nourishing.
We've put together a little list of the most vital things to remember on your wedding day and in preparation beforehand that will help the process go as smoothly as possible.
Your wedding photos become a family heirloom.
Even after your wedding, after your life, your photos will live on. They will be held in the hands of family, friends, and those who have loved you throughout your lives and cherished as a memory of your life and love for one another.
Whether we're your photographers or not, you deserve to have the best photos possible, and someone who cares about the process as much as they care about you.
This guidebook is all yours. Use it as a resource to find ways to structure your day and make it work for you.
GETTING READY
allocate 45 minutes to 1.5hr for this in your timeline if it’s important to you.
Getting ready images can be a really lovely time to have photographs, especially if you're spending the morning slowly preparing, getting ready, and writing vows, the quiet and anticipatory time makes for some sweet moments. If you choose to have photo coverage of this time, here are a few things you can do to ensure your photos are extra special. If you don't have photo coverage of this, it's definitely not an essential part of the day to capture. These are likely not going to be the images you hang up on your wall, although they can be beautiful memories for everyone involved in the process and are nice to have.
NATURAL LIGHTING: This is a really great consideration when choosing where to get ready. If you’re booking a hotel or an airbnb, it’s a good idea to consider space, lighting and design. Getting ready in a dark and enclosed room makes the opportunities for photos slim, so if you need to get ready in a darker room, maybe have your outfits set aside in a brighter and less cluttered room you can shift over to when photo coverage starts.
KEEP THE SPACE TIDY: If there are a dozen people getting ready in one space, it can become chaotic! Designate one room for belongings and the prettiest and brightest room for finishing touches. Before your photographer arrives, ask your friends to do a quick sweep of the space to collect trash and make the space more minimal. Remove things like solo cups, water bottles, tissues, clothing piles etc.
DETAILS: If you have a collection of details for your day, like rings, invitation suites, shoes, jewelry, vow books, have them set aside for detail photos. It can also help to have them in one space when you’re in the last moments of getting ready and need to collect your finishing touches.
HAIR AND MAKEUP: While not entirely in your control, it can be helpful if your hair and makeup artist sets up by the window to do your makeup and hair. You will only want photos of the finishing touches of your hair and makeup so don’t feel pressured that you will be photographed the entire time.
CREATE A RELAXING ENVIRONMENT: While in your getting ready space, throw on some of your favorite music, invite only those who you know will keep your energy calm, drink lots of water and have lots of snacks, and give yourself space to take rests if you need to. You should be in an environment that feels enriching and not stressful, especially considering you’re just moments away from getting married.
FIRST LOOK
allocate 30 or so minutes in your timeline for a first look, if you’ve chosen to do one.
First Looks are the choice to see each other in an intentional way before your ceremony. While wedding tradition has historically considered it “bad luck” to see eachother before walking down the aisle, now a First Look is highly desired by couples who want space to unwind and connect before their ceremony. There are so many benefits to having a First Look; it can help the transition between ceremony and cocktail hour really seamless, allowing for you to enjoy time with your guests rather than sneak away for photos. After the ceremony, instead, you can just mingle and see your guests and enjoy your food and drinks, and grab candid photos with your guests. A First Look is also an incredibly emotional moment; all the built up nerves and anticipation usually melt away when you get a chance to see your person and feel the joint excitement for the day you have ahead.
IT HELPS THE NERVES: For many, the pre-wedding nerves can be a lot. Not a lot of people love to be the center of attention and weddings can feel overwhelming for many. There are big emotions about getting married, seeing your family, maybe even grieving losses and missing other people. The First Look reserves all of those emotions for a quiet and intimate time with each other, minus the expectation and stress of everyone else's eyes on you. Anytime we witness a First Look, the change in mood is drastic; couples go from nervous and jittery, to excited and joyful. It really solidifies the importance and weight of how special the day is.
NO NEED FOR TIPTOEING: If you’ve ever been in a wedding party where the couple hasn’t done a first look, you’ll know that the logistics of keeping everyone hidden can be a real challenge. The logistics of doing a first look mean that you get to travel to your ceremony together, see each other, get ready in the same room, and even enjoy a quick coffee or snack before your ceremony. You want to maximize the amount of time you spend with each other on your wedding day; it goes very fast.
AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE PRIVATE VOWS: Not everyone wants to write their vows for a group of extended family and college friends to hear, particularly because they can be very vulnerable and personal, so we encourage couples to take the time to write a private note or vows that you can share with one another during your First Look. This reserves your vows to the person you’re making the vow to; without worrying about filtering them for an audience. You can then share more traiditonal vows during the ceremony. This is a really lovely way to refocus your wedding day to be about your love and commitment to each other.
TIMELINE PERKS: It absolutely works in your favor to do a first look! Having all your “structured” photo time before the ceremony means you actually get to enjoy your wedding day! No need to miss out on cocktail hour or other precious moments!
*its really important that if you do choose a first look, it's just you and your partner. Having other people watching and taking photos with their phones can ruin some of the sweetness of the moment.
FAMILY AND WEDDING PARTY PHOTOS
allocate 15-30 minutes for each, depending on how large your group is.
Structured family and wedding party photos are a great way to create intentional time in your timeline to capture photos with your closest people. Your close families will be so thankful for photos with you, and often time, those photos are the most commonly printed through galleries. It can be a unique challenge to get a large group of family members together, that’s why it’s important to have a good plan in place for making these photos happen.
TELL YOUR FAMILY: Let your family know in advanced when and where they will be needed for photos. It’s a great idea to do them right after your first look and just before your ceremony. We suggest choosing about 10 family photo combinations, with just immediate family members present, and leaving the rest of the wedding for opportunities to grab candid photos with other family members. Here are some combination examples we suggest to help you build from. For the sake of the example, I will use the pronouns Bride + Groom.
Couple + Bride’s Parents
Couple + Bride’s Immediate Family (siblings, parents, grandparents)
Couple + Grooms Parents
Couple + Grooms Immediate Family (siblings, parents, grandparents)
Couple + Both Immediate Families
Couple + Both Parents
Couple + Brides Extended Family (aunts, uncles, cousins, or skip this)
Couple + Grooms Extended Family (aunts, uncles, cousins, or skip this)
Couple + Grooms Siblings
Couple + Brides Siblings
WEDDING PARTY PHOTOS ARE QUICK: Most of your wedding party images can be done within 15 minutes if everyone is participating and cooperating well. As with your family, let them know in advanced what time they need to be ready and have them meet at an easily visible common area to gather for photos. Usually, the structure of Wedding Party Photos is as such:
Couple + Both Sides (full wedding party)
Bride + Bride’s Side (group)
Bride + Individual Portrait with Each Member on Bride’s Side
Groom + Groom’s Side (group)
Groom + Individual Portrait with Each member on Groom’s Side
Any special requests
CEREMONY
usually between 2-4 hours before sunset, ideally no longer than 30-45 minutes.
CONSIDER THE TIME OF DAY: It’s a great idea to consider the time of day your ceremony is going to be; Are we choosing the hottest time of day? Will the sun be in our eyes? Will it be dark already? You should ideally choose a time that is after the hottest part of the day (in summer), close enough to sunset that the sun won’t be blinding. It’s common for the sunset to be around 4/4:30pm in the peak summer months when the days are very long, and earlier in the winter months, at around 2/3pm.
FIND A UNIQUE MOMENT: It is always really lovely to see couples choosing a way to make the ceremony unique to them; maybe you share a poem, write your own vows, change the whole ceremony structure, do a culturally traditional ritual like breaking the glass or tying the knot, brew a cup of coffee together, or something to mark the moment with an element of personalization. Even if it’s as simple as writing your own vows, find a way to make it your own!
CONSIDER THE SETTING: Find a way to make your ceremony a sacred and pretty space by working with a florist or stylist to bring some color and texture to your ceremony space. Maybe it’s a matter of choosing a scenic backdrop or using an arch or arbor to add some dimension, finding a cute vintage rug to stand on while you get married, or building your own backdrop. Not only is it beautiful for your guests to see, it is a way to make the space special for the commitment you are making in it.
EXIT IN STYLE: Exiting your ceremony should be FUN! If you are feeling particularly celebratory, maybe bring along something give your guests on their seats to throw in the air as you walk back down the aisle; compostable confetti, rice, flower petals - but first, check with your venue and see what their rules are for this. Nothing can match the feeling of being celebrated with screams and confetti after you just married the love of your life.
UNPLUGGED MIGHT BE BEST: Over the years, we’ve seen our fair share of iPhones in aisles, photos of the back of phones and distracting digital clutter filling space that would best be enjoyed fully in the moment. While I’m sure you don’t want to see peoples iPhones in front of their faces during your ceremony, it’s actually better to ask your officiant to make an announcement for the sake of everyone being present during your ceremony to put their phones and cameras away. After all, you’re hiring a photographer to take your photos, there’s no need for those blurry and crooked iPhone photos.
1 hour for cocktail hour
1-1.5 hours for dinner
15 minutes for toasts
15 minutes for formal dances
30 minutes minimum for open dancefloor
15 minutes for sunset photos
RECEPTION
AMBIENT LIGHTING: During your reception, you’ll want some ambient lighting to create a mood while you enjoy good food and conversation. String lights, candles, chandeliers all create a lovely moody atmosphere. It will be helpful for your photos is there’s a warm light source like these, and for the dancing photos you could expect some wild flash dancing shots.
ENJOY YOUR DINNER TIME: We cannot stress enough how important it is for you to sit down and enjoy your dinner on your wedding day. Take a break from saying hello to guests to enjoy sitting down for a moment and catching up with your newly married spouse. Your vendors will be eating, your guests will be eating, try to take the time to unwind for a moment before getting back to the party.
SPEECHES SHORT AND SWEET: If a wedding timeline goes over and runs behind, it’s usually because speeches have gone for much longer than expected. It’s usually a good rule to give everyone 5 minutes maximum, ask to keep it to comments about the couple to avoid any unwanted stories from childhood or college to come up, set boundaries about things that are off-limits. Another great way to prevent this time from going over is not to open speeches up to anyone who wants to volunteer. Keep it structured to a few close people and toast to the good times.
THINK OF ALL WEATHER CONDITIONS: Consider the potential for rain or wind if you are having an uncovered reception area, have a backup plan for if the weather looks stormy the day before, or just embrace the unpredictability of an outdoor wedding. Even better, if you’re getting married during shoulder season, an indoor venue might be the way to go. Controlled environments are so much easier to plan weddings for.
EXITS ARE COOL: A wedding exit is a really fun way to signal to your guests that the party is over and it’s time to go home. You can mark this with a sparkler exit (fire safety first), a last dance, or something to get everyone involved. This will help move guests out of your venue before your cut off time and ensures your vendors can begin packing and cleaning up.
sample timelines
sample timelines
6 HOUR-INTIMATE WEDDING
based on a 7:30pm sunset
2:30 Getting Ready Photos (getting finishing touches on)
3:15 First Look
3:45 Family Photos
4:15 Wedding Party Photos
4:30 Break and Prep for Ceremony
4:30 Invitation Time
5:00 Ceremony Begins
5:30 Ceremony Ends
5:30 Cocktail Hour Begins
6:30 Grand Entrance
6:45 Dinner is Served
7:15 Sunset Photos
7:30 Toasts/Speeches
7:45 First Dances
8:00 Cake Cutting into Open Dancefloor
8:30 Photo Coverage Ends
8 HOUR WEDDING COVERAGE
based on an 8:30pm sunset
2:00 Getting Ready/Detail Photos
3:00 First Look
3:30 Wedding Party Photos
4:00 Family Photos (invite time)
4:15 Break and Rest Before Ceremony
4:30 Ceremony Begins
5:00 Ceremony Ends
5:00 Cocktail Hour Begins
6:00 Cocktail Hour Ends
6:05 Grand Entrance
6:15 Dinner is Served
7:15 Toasts
7:30 First Dances
7:45 Cake Cutting into Open Dancefloor
8:00 Sunset Photos
8:30 Couple Joins Dancefloor
9:30 Last Call
10:00 Coverage Ends
8 HOUR WEDDING COVERAGE
based on a 5:30pm sunset
1:00 Getting Ready/Detail Photos
2:00 First Look
2:30 Wedding Party Photos
3:00 Family Photos (invite time)
3:15 Break and Rest Before Ceremony
3:30 Ceremony Begins
4:00 Ceremony Ends
4:00 Cocktail Hour Begins
5:00 Sunset Photos
5:15 Cocktail Hour Ends
5:20 Grand Entrance
5:30 Dinner is Served
6:30 Toasts
6:45 First Dances
7:00 Cake Cutting
7:10 Open Dancefloor
9:00 Photo Coverage Ends
vendor list
Planners
Keen Events (Elise)
Bridal Bliss (Katy, Candida, MacKenzie and Catherine)
Hosted By (Kate and Hanna)
Madeline Moore Events (Madeline and Kinzie)
Alston Mayger Events (Ashley)
Peachy Keen Coordination (Cindy)
Caterers
Devils Food Catering
White Pepper
Tournant
Celilo Catering
Art of Catering
Venues
The Evergreen
The Orchard
The Griffin House
Tin Roof Barn
Florists
Indwell Floral (us)
Brier & Ivy (Amy and Brian)
Sea of Roses (Heather)
Taylor Made Floral (Taylor)
Darling Elm Co (Dakota)
Small Yard Flowers (Arielle)
Officiants
Officiant Jimmie
Hair and Makeup
Blossom and Beauty
The Wildeflower Co
Kelli Thomsen
RENTALS
Lily & Cane
Party Place Rentals
Riverwood Rentals
DJ/SOUND
Soundbox PDX (Deena)
Paradox Productions
Higher Ground Entertainment (Ben)
Stationery
August and White
Oblation Paper
Carta Plena
Signage
Hey Halle (Paige)
Cakes
Dreamcakes (Johannah)
Horoscope Cakes
Dresses
AandBe Bridal
The English Dept
Ania Bridal