Resources · Planning your wedding
Wedding planning tips from the photographers in the room
Twenty-eight short videos on the questions couples actually ask us: how much coverage you need, where the time really goes, and how we handle the moments that matter.
Why we made these
The same answers we give on every planning call, recorded once so you can plan at your own pace.
Every couple asks a version of the same questions: how many hours, when the sun sets, whether a second photographer matters, what happens to the tea ceremony. Lulan recorded these short videos for our own couples, and each one now has a written guide under it with the numbers we actually use on the day.
Watch one, or read them in order by section. When you are ready, we build the real timeline together, venue by venue.
The guides
Twenty-eight short guides. Pick the part of the day you are planning.
Each card opens a two-minute video with a written guide underneath it.
All guides28Timeline & coverage8Getting ready2Ceremony & couple moments4Reception5Cultural ceremonies2Engagement sessions1Practical details6
All 28 guidesEvery guide, roughly in the order the day happens — swipe through, or pick a part of the day above.
Timeline & coverageHow many hours you need, where the time goes, and how we build a day that runs on time.
Getting readyThe first hours of the day: details, robes, the dress, the groomsmen, and what to have on hand.
Ceremony & couple momentsFirst looks, first touches, private vows, sunset light and the portraits around your ceremony.
ReceptionGrand entrance to grand exit: what we capture, how long we stay, and how the group photo really works.
Cultural ceremoniesTea ceremonies and how to fit them into the day without losing the timeline.
Engagement sessionsPlanning the session with your wedding photographer: locations, permits, timing and travel.
Practical detailsSmall things that go wrong on wedding days, and how to keep them from going wrong on yours.
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Every guide, in one list
The full index, grouped the way the day runs.
Timeline & coverage
- Church wedding photography timeline: a shorter getting-ready plan — This video explains why we typically arrange a shorter getting-ready portion for church weddings, how we use the gap before the reception, and when a big wedding party means starting early.
- Do you need a second photographer for your wedding? — This video goes through what a second photographer or videographer actually adds on a wedding day, from getting ready in two locations to a large church and the cocktail hour.
- How much wedding videography coverage do you need? — This video answers a question we hear from couples who book photography first: how many hours of video do you really need? Usually the same as your photographer, or about 3 to 4 hours for the essentials.
- Photography coverage for a micro-wedding of 50 guests or fewer — This short video explains how our coverage changes when your wedding has 50 guests or fewer, and why we ask how formal you want the reception to be.
- Planning photography for a large wedding of 200+ guests — For couples planning a really big wedding, 200 plus guests with 10 or even up to 20 wedding party members per side, this video explains where the time goes and when a third photographer earns a place.
- Using the time gap between your ceremony and reception — If your ceremony and reception are hours apart, this video explains how we bill the gap and how couples turn it into a second portrait location or a reset before the party.
- How to join your own wedding cocktail hour and still get photos — Couples often assume cocktail hour is lost to photos. This video explains how we plan the day so you can spend at least 30 minutes of it with your guests.
- How long wedding family photos take and how to plan them — The video gives our rule of thumb for family photo time, about an hour when 75 to 100 family members are involved, and explains why a written list matters. For couples with large families.
Getting ready
- Photographing the bride and groom getting ready in different places — For couples getting ready in two different places, this video explains how a single photographer covers both sides, in what order and for how long, and when we recommend a second photographer.
- Planning your wedding getting-ready session: what three hours covers — For a wedding with five bridesmaids and five groomsmen, this video walks through the 3 hours or so we typically need for getting ready, a first look and formals.
Ceremony & couple moments
- Private vows exchange: the best times on your wedding day — Many couples want a moment to say their own words to each other, away from the crowd. This video covers the three times on a wedding day when we typically do a private vows exchange.
- Wedding moments without a first look: first touch and family reveals — If you would rather not see each other before the ceremony, this video offers two alternatives, a first touch and a family first look, and explains how we arrange them.
- How to plan wedding day sunset photos in winter or summer — Almost every couple asks for sunset photos. This video explains how to plan for them: where the ceremony sits in winter, and how we handle a summer sunset that lands during your reception.
- What not to do before your wedding ceremony: protecting the dress — Planning to shoot most of your photos before the ceremony? This video covers the one thing we watch closely when we do: keeping your gown clean between the first frame and the aisle.
Reception
- Planning your wedding grand exit: sparklers, bubbles and timing — Thinking about a send-off? This video ranks the grand exit options we photograph most, from two-minute sparklers to phone flashlights, and explains the timing problem every couple runs into.
- How to take a group photo with all your wedding guests — This video answers a question we hear from couples with big families and big friend groups: how do we get everyone into one photo, and when in the day does it actually work?
- How much reception photography coverage do you need? — The video lays out how we allocate reception coverage by guest count, from three hours for 80 to 150 guests to a 30-minute reception for an intimate dinner. For couples building a timeline.
- Planning a sneak-out photo session during your reception — This video explains what a nighttime sneak-out session is, why we do not push it at every wedding, and how to let us know if you want a few minutes of night photos away from the party.
- Wedding reception timeline for photo and video coverage — For most couples the reception is the biggest part of the day. This video walks through every formality we capture, in order, and how much open dancing we stay for.
Cultural ceremonies
- Planning a tea ceremony for a Chinese or Vietnamese wedding — The video walks through how we cover a same-day tea ceremony at the bride's home, from the early start through the groom's entrance, the tea and the family photos. For Chinese and Vietnamese couples.
- Adding a tea ceremony without changing your wedding timeline — The video compares three places a tea ceremony can sit in the day and what you give up with each. For couples blending Chinese or Vietnamese tradition with a Western wedding.
Engagement sessions
- How to plan your engagement session with your photographer — This video walks through how we plan an engagement session: booking it with your wedding photographer, choosing locations and checking permits, and timing a 2 to 3 hour session around sunset.
Practical details
- How to avoid wedding day delays and keep your timeline on track — This video explains where wedding delays actually happen, how much buffer we and your planner build in, and how lost time is made up afterwards.
- How to include your dog or cat in your wedding day — A quick video on bringing pets to your wedding, and the one rule we ask every couple to follow: someone is responsible for the animal at all times. For couples who want their dog or cat in the photos.
- What to do if your wedding venue isn't photogenic — This video is for couples who love their venue for every reason except how it photographs. We walk through the two options we use most: a nice hotel nearby, or a short, planned trip somewhere better.
- Wedding day essentials every bride forgets to pack — A one-minute reminder of the small items that quietly save a wedding day: scissors, napkins, lipstick and a hanger worth photographing. For brides and whoever packs the emergency bag.
- Make sure your wedding ring fits before the wedding day — A 43-second reminder: check that your wedding ring actually fits before the day, because a loose ring is the last thing you want on your mind.
- Planning vendor meals for your wedding reception — The video explains how vendor meals work for photographers, videographers, DJs and planners, who arranges them, and why a 15 to 20 minute pause matters. For couples finalizing their catering count.
About the series
Before you press play
How long are the videos?
Short. The longest is under five minutes and most are one to three minutes; all twenty-eight together run about 59 minutes. Each one answers a single question we hear on planning calls, and the page under it expands the answer into a written guide.
Who is speaking in the videos?
Lulan, the studio's founder, recorded them for our own couples so they could plan the day with the same advice we give on a call. They are unscripted and drawn from the weddings we have photographed and filmed since 2016.
Do these replace a planning call with the studio?
No. They cover the questions that come up most, but every wedding is different, and once you book we build the timeline with you, venue by venue and hour by hour. Use these to arrive at that call already knowing the trade-offs.
Lulan Studio · Los Angeles
Ready to plan the real thing?
Tell us your date and venue. We will map the day with you, hour by hour, and tell you plainly how much coverage it needs.