Wedding Day Timing Guide
Preparations (30min–45min guys; 1.5-2 hours girls)
Open all blinds and window coverings so that as much light as possible is coming into the rooms. Be sure that windows and mirrors are all clean and free of smudges and dirt. For small/dark rooms, be sure all light bulbs are working in the light fixtures.
Having your wedding preparations in a dark or small confined area really limits the amount of creativity of the wedding videographer and photographer. It’s best to be out in an open, bright and spacious area like a living room, kitchen or dining room. Lighting is very important for proper wedding preparation coverage of the videographer and photographer!
Brushing teeth, doing makeup, hair, getting dressed, are all natural and good parts of this time of the day for wedding videography photography. Staging events is rarely done in modern candid wedding videography and takes away from authentic fun. Most people aren’t actors, and it usually shows in the video if they’re trying. Just be natural and do your thing!
Ceremony (15-20 minutes setup time)
Every church has their own set of rules that have to be followed. The wedding videographer and photographer will try to speak with the officiant prior to the ceremony so they have an understanding of the house rules. If this can be provided prior to the wedding day, the wedding videographer and photographer can be prepared when they get there.
Sound is a very important aspect of the ceremony. It’s not always possible to plug into the church’s audio system. Make sure during the ceremony that you and your fiancé/fiancée DO NOT have any cell phones on you, or ensure they’re on Airplane Mode. They can severely interfere with all microphones (wireless or wired) and can ruin your ceremony sound. This also goes for people giving readings.
Photo Shoot (1.5-2 hours)
Permits are required for some locations and should be obtained before the actual day of the wedding. Usually a call to the location or the city will be the right route in accomplishing this.
Reception (20-40 minutes setup time)
Having an itinerary of all events for the reception is something that gets overlooked quite often. It doesn’t have to have exact times on it, but something that outlines the entrances, cake cutting, first dance, parent dances, speeches, games, centrepiece, special presentations, etc. This makes the understanding of the reception’s events easier for all vendors and can minimise things being missed. It’s best to assign a person to orchestrate all your vendors like the MC, wedding planner or the DJ. Having one person to progress the evening minimises confusion and scheduling problems that can run your reception later than you want!
Lighting is very important at the reception for your entrances, dances, speeches and other activities. If the venue or DJ offers lighting for the head table, dance floor, podium lighting, or other mood lighting, seriously consider it. The wedding videographer and photographer will have some of their own lighting, but the more stylized lighting the better! Without good lighting your wedding video and photos won’t look as good as they could.
Microphone sound is ALWAYS better when going through the DJ’s system rather than the venue’s system. The venue’s speakers can be old, overworked, and usually have limited control over the volume and sound quality. If the DJ offers you a microphone system over the house- definitely take it. The sound throughout the night can easily be controlled by the DJ, and his/her speakers will be FAR better than the venue. The wedding videographer will also have the ability to plug into the DJ’s soundboard and get clean, crisp sound throughout the evening.
