Church wedding photography timeline: a shorter getting-ready plan

How we plan photography around a church ceremony

If you are planning a church wedding, we typically arrange a shorter getting-ready portion of the day, for two reasons. The first is that there is often a gap between the church ceremony and the reception, and we are able to use that time for additional portraits and some getting-ready style photos.

The second reason is that most couples marrying in a church want their first look to happen at the altar. When there is no first look, we obviously do not have to photograph all of the group photos and individual photos beforehand. Those two things significantly shorten the getting-ready time for a church wedding.

Do make sure the timing is still sufficient for you. For a big wedding with multiple wedding party members, it is still recommended that we start getting ready really early, so we can photograph the bride and bridesmaids, individually and as a group, and the groomsmen the same way, before the ceremony.

Once those are done before the ceremony, there is not too much to worry about afterwards. After the ceremony we only have to do the big group photos, the two of you with each family and with the whole wedding party. That is usually the plan for church ceremonies.

Using the gap between church and reception

Churches often hold ceremonies in the early afternoon and receptions often start in the early evening, which leaves a gap of one to a few hours. We use it for the couple portraits and family groups that a venue wedding would squeeze into cocktail hour.

It is also why we can be relaxed about the morning without losing anything. Anything not photographed before the ceremony can be photographed in the gap, usually in better light. Tell us the gap length and we will plan what goes where.

Big wedding parties still need an early start

The shorter getting-ready plan assumes a manageable wedding party. With a large party on each side, the individual and group photos of bridesmaids and groomsmen take real time, and they cannot all be pushed into the gap without eating into the couple's portrait time.

So for a large church wedding we start getting ready earlier than the short plan suggests, finish the wedding party photos on each side before anyone leaves for the church, and arrive at the ceremony with only the big combined groups left.

• Tell us the exact gap between the ceremony end and the reception start.
• Count your wedding party; a big one means an earlier start.