Creating your wedding timeline from scratch can be overwhelming. There are some important parts of the wedding day where you have to plan in advance especially if you want top plan some time for bride and groom photos. Knowing exactly how much time you need for certain aspect of your wedding is crucial when making your wedding timeline.

If your wedding photos are one of the most important things on your wedding day, then you definitely need to stick around! Here are my best tips on planning your couple photos on your wedding day.

What’s the best time to take couple’s photos on your wedding day?

The most important things you’ll want to discuss with your photographer is when to take your wedding photos. If you ask me, you have four options:

1. Before the ceremony (this applies if you’re doing a first look)
2. After the ceremony (this applies if you’re waiting until the ceremony to look at each other for the first time)
3. During the reception
4. After the wedding

During the reception or after the wedding.

We can start by eliminating option #3 and #4 because those are definitely not your best options for many reasons. First, unless you have a makeup artist and hairdresser on-hand, your make-up and hair are not going to be fresh if you’re waiting till the end of the day to takes these photographs. This is also the time that most of the fun things are happening: drinking, speeches and dancing! I definitely don’t want to disturb you as you’re having fun! 

So, this leaves us with two options: before and after the ceremony. 

Before or after the wedding ceremony

If you’re having a first look, you’ll definitely take your couple photos right before the ceremony. This is, in my opinion, the best option because it allows you to take advantage of several things. First of all, you will look your absolute best because you’ve most likely just had your hair and makeup done, you’ve just put on your dress on and you’re not sweating.

The second important benefit is that you won’t have to worry about taking these pictures once the wedding starts. That means as soon as the wedding ceremony ends and cocktail hour begins, you’ll be able to happily grab a glass of champagne and enjoy with your family and friends. All the pressure is OFF and you can happily enjoy your big day. You’ve already taken your wedding photos, you’re officially married and now you can only focus on enjoying your big day.

The only drawback of taking your photos before the wedding ceremony is that your groom won’t be seeing your the first time as you walk down the aisle. For some brides this is a no-go, other’s don’t find it such a big deal.

If, on the other hand, you’d like to experience seeing your groom for the first time as you walk the down the aisle, then the best time to take your photos is after the ceremony.

My best tip on taking bridal photos after your ceremony is to plan in advance what pictures you’d want. Obviously, you’re taking the bride and groom photos, but I’m sure you’d want to take formal photos too. The best thing to do is to create a list with the most important photos so that you can arrange everything (and everyone) in advance and not waste time looking for people. 

You can download a complete formal family photo list for your wedding day HERE.  This list will make sure you have everything organized and don’t miss any important family photos on your big day!

Download your FREE family photo-checklist for your wedding here.