Bellingham Wedding Photography Tips First Look and Timelines

Timelines tend to be one of the last things on the to-do list, but truth be told, a thoughtfully designed timeline is absolutely essential to a stress-free, well executed wedding day. Building out a timeline isn’t nearly as fun as some of the other parts of wedding planning (I’m looking at you cake tasting!), but once you have this piece hashed out, the rest of your wedding day will start to fall into place. The peace of mind you’ll have knowing that the most important elements of the day have been accounted for will free up brain space for you to think about all the fun stuff- like cake!

Trying to construct a timeline might be overwhelming as you’re diving into wedding planning, but lucky for you there are lots of people in the industry that are here to help. First and foremost- If you’re the type of person that just doesn’t like working out the small details- I can’t recommend an event planner highly enough. Planners have the experience of working with and coordinating lots of different vendors, can work with you to build a timeline that highlights exactly what is most important to you and can help you navigate everything from table linens and catering to makeup and DJ’s. I love when my clients hire planners and frequently work with them to help build successful timelines for our clients together, taking the stress off you!

However, wedding planners aren’t for everyone! Maybe you’re comfortable with the details and just need a little guidance in what a successful wedding day timeline looks like. Lucky for you, with over 10 years of experience as a wedding photographer, I have really honed this skill and am happy to help you with this piece. I like to start talking timelines very early in the process so we can be sure we have time to capture everything on your must-have list! Each piece of the day needs to be accounted for from getting ready and detail shots to couple’s photos, family portraits, the ceremony and the reception. There’s a lot going on when the big day arrives, so the more detailed your timeline is, the less stress you will feel! It’s good to note, too, that wedding days can be unpredictable and things come up. I always try to build in a bit of buffer time so that even if something goes awry, we are still on track!

So, let’s talk “First Looks.” I am a MAJOR advocate for first looks, primarily because I have found this to be the least stressful approach for my couples, it maximizes your time with guests after the ceremony and because it gives me the chance for some quality, intimate time with the two of you without distractions. Once the whole guest list arrives, it’s hard to pull you away! I build in time for a first look prior to the ceremony and before all the family and guests arrive to the venue, usually just after you finish getting ready. I always recommend 45-60 minutes of time for couple’s portraits and the majority of my clients find that this intimate time with their significant other helps to reduce their stress and get the wedding day jitters out before walking down the aisle in front of everyone they love!

Once the day begins and your guests are there, it is REALLY tricky to find that quality, stress-free time after the ceremony if a First Look isn’t in the schedule from the get go. You are being pulled in every direction to hug, greet and chat with people who haven’t seen you in years and that stress can definitely come through in your images. Many people that don’t decide to do a first look try to build in a short cocktail hour to try and accommodate all photos that include the bride and groom. This cocktail hour often consists of not only couple photos, but all bridal party and family photos as well (Items that can typically take anywhere form 2-3 hours depending on your venue layout and group size). All the while there are antsy people that are excited to celebrate the newlyweds and this pressure can cause the couple to be incredibly rushed through photos.

This is not to say that first looks are the only way to go! I have photographed MANY weddings in which we did not do a first look and I wholeheartedly see the magic in doing this. As the client, the final decision is all yours, but there are a few good things to keep in mind while making this decision:

Holding off on seeing on another until after the ceremony means that all the couple’s photos, family photos and bridal party photos will have to be done between the ceremony and the reception. This can take anywhere from 2-3 hours depending on your bridal party and family size.
Many couples build in a cocktail hour between the ceremony and reception to entertain guests while we work through photos. This isn’t typically enough time for all the photos we need to get done, and guests can start to become antsy which leads to the couple becoming anxious to the join the party and forces the photographer to work more quickly than they’d like. This kind of stress does show in photos!

Ultimately, your wedding day timeline should reflect what is most important to you and both options are extremely fun. Never hesitate to reach out if you have questions or need support in this process!

Now, onto the fun part! First looks can be done is so many different ways! Here are some of my favorites:

Sneaking up from behind with a sweet little shoulder tap or a hug is classic, fun and great for photos:

2. Find a unique location in your venue! Like this split doorframe that the bride could walk through to make her entrance.

3. Choose a meaningful location we travel to away from the venue. These two chose the Welcome to Bellingham sign that was sentimental to them! They wanted the whole sign, so they started far apart and backed into one another.