Wedding Photography Timeline
Real Photos – Real Weddings – Real People
I’m a laid-back individual, and that relaxed attitude translates into my work. That should not be mistaken for a lack of planning, though. My approach to wedding photography comes from my experience, and I want to share some of that with you here. Your wedding photography timeline is important to work out and I can give you some pointers here.
This is a guide on what to expect from me, not instructions on how to run your day. The best advice I can give you is this: Plan your wedding as if you are planning a party that you would want to go to.
My wedding photography guide is to let you know what to expect from me from the moment you enquire, on your wedding day, and after.
As a Manchester wedding photographer, I cover North West weddings, including Greater Manchester, Cheshire, Ribble Valley, Liverpool, Lancashire, Yorkshire, the Lake District and beyond. Comfortable in any setting, from big weddings to more intimate ones, indoors and outdoors, I approach every wedding with the same professionalism and fun, relaxed manner.
Check out my Portfolio for some of the fantastic weddings I’ve been honoured to capture. Get in touch today to discuss your special day and how I can ensure it is something to treasure forever.
The Enquiry Stage
So, you’ve chosen an amazing venue and are now looking for an equally fantastic photographer; what should you be looking for?
If you are on this page and reading the guide, then using my contact form would be my preferred option.
But what else should you be doing?
As with any significant investment, do some research.
- Take a look at the quality of my work and read the reviews.
- Talk to the couples I have previously worked with.
- Ask to see an entire wedding or two. You need to look for quality consistency here to get an accurate impression of what to expect.
- Look at several photographers and check them out thoroughly, too.
Fill Out That Contact Form
This is my preferred method of first contact, but please call or message me (07984 423857) during office hours.
Once you have filled out the enquiry form with loads of information, hit submit, and it gets sent to me. Assuming I’m not busy, I will reply quickly or as soon as possible. If it’s a Saturday, then I am probably shooting a wedding, so I’ll be in touch the next day.
My email will be to say hello and arrange an initial chat, which can be a phone or video call.
Initial Chat
The main point of this chat is to give you as much information as you want and to make sure we click. Getting the right photographer for your wedding is better than just getting a photographer for you. I will spend as much time with you on the big day as a member of the wedding party, possibly more.
We will also discuss your requirements and ensure you get precisely what you need. All the prices and packages are here, so it’d be great if you have a look at them. If you want something more bespoke, we can look at that too.
The Quote
From our chat, I will put together a quote for you. This will come as an email which will take you to a client portal where there will also be a contract for you to look over and an initial questionnaire.
If you want to proceed, then all you need to do is accept the quote.
Invoice and Booking Fee
Your acceptance of the quote generates an invoice. All you have to do is pay the booking fee, sign the contract, and I’m booked. Filling out the questionnaire with as much information as possible is also helpful. If there are any bits you don’t know or aren’t relevant, then skipping them is fine. At this stage, the most important thing I need to know is the wedding date and the location.
I prefer bank transfer as payment, but you can also pay via credit or debit card; all the details are with the invoice. The booking fee is non-refundable but is low to be fair to all parties.
The Contract
The contract is relatively standard and written to be fair to both parties. If there is anything you need clarification on, then please do ask. I will not shoot a wedding without the entire payment when it is due and a signed contract.
Payment
The final payment is due four weeks before your wedding.
Final Chat and Questionnaire
Around four weeks before your wedding, you’ll get another questionnaire via email with lots of questions about your day. I’ll also arrange a video chat to talk through your day with you and ensure we are all on the same page. This can help firm up expectations and sometimes highlights one or two things you haven’t considered.
“From the moment Michael arrived he made myself and all my bridal party feel at ease. He was friendly and funny, and captured many natural laughs and smiles from all my guests. I have since spoken to many of my guests and they have commented on how great the photographer was. I can’t recommend him enough. Lovely man. Thank you Michael for being part of our special day. Amazing”
What To Expect On Your Wedding Day
The Wedding Prep
On the wedding day, I like to start while you are getting ready and take the time to settle into your wedding. Most wedding venues will have some great rooms to get ready in. Make sure you choose one of them.
More time is usually spent with the bride in the morning but often I capture the groom getting ready too.
The joke is that it’s the bride’s day, but I think it is important to acknowledge that the day is special to the groom as well. Many choices can go into getting the right suit, and there are often quite touching moments between the groom and his best man.
From there, I like to get wedding photos of the venue and ceremony room and your guests arriving.
The Wedding Ceremony
During the ceremony, I try to be as unobtrusive as possible. I keep my camera on silent and keep out of the way. I’m here as a professional, and that’s how I work.
Photographing a natural wedding is never about the photographer.
Go Unplugged
Everyone want a phone pic, and there is a time for that.
The very best way to be engaged in a wedding ceremony is to put your phone away and be in the moment. It also has the benefit of being able to see your guests in my pictures rather than a sea of screens.
There is usually time after the signing of the register for your guests to take a photo.
Check What Is Allowed
Every so often, I will have a church wedding where the vicar/priest will be very strict about photography. Some don’t even allow it. So when booking your church make sure you ask what they allow.
The Confetti
Once the ceremony is done, it’s often time to get everyone outside and lined up for the confetti walk. Or the confetti group shot. So once everyone has wished you well, I get them all lined up and ready. Some tips for you:
- Get the big tubs of biodegradable confetti; it’s way easier for people to grab a handful.
- Let the bridal party know they are expected to hand out the confetti.
- Have your guests throw the confetti up and over you instead of at you.
- Enjoy it!
Variations
Some venues don’t allow confetti at all, or the weather can be bad. When this happens, here are some alternatives.
Throw the confetti inside as you leave together down the aisle.
Use bubble guns instead of confetti.
Do a sparkler arch later when it’s darker. A word of warning here, though. Mixing drunk guests with fire can be a bad idea, and people can get hurt. I do not provide or organise sparklers, but I will photograph it for you.
Group Photographs
After the ceremony, there is all the usual “fun” of corralling everyone for the group wedding photographs. This is often like herding the proverbial cats, but I get it done with minimum fuss, usually at the wedding venue.
I then whisk you away for some couple portraits for 20 minutes before getting you back to your wedding party. This is the perfect way to get some shots, but I know I’ll be capturing the inspired portraits later.
Top Tips
- Think about how many group shots you actually want, and remember, you have to be in every one of them.
- Delegate organising the groups to someone who knows everyone. If that person is a teacher, then even better – they can use the teacher voice.
- Give me a copy of the list, and more importantly, give the list to your designation cat herder.
Mingling
There is usually time for some mingling before the wedding breakfast. I use this time to get photos of people’s interactions. All the little bits you may miss while having to chat with everyone you have invited to your wedding day.
Couple Portraits
Depending on the time of year, after your wedding breakfast can be the perfect time for your portraits. These can be on the grounds of venues or nearby. Mostly, for these, I use natural light with some off-camera flash as well. It’s a time to really let my creative style flow.
These are usually the shots that will stand out in your wedding album.
I will give you some pointers as we go, but I want you to enjoy this, so my advice is to get lost in each other. Look into each other’s eyes, have a laugh and lots of kisses.
The Wedding Breakfast
Expect this to take around 2 hours at least. The speeches usually take place before or after the meal. It doesn’t really matter to me which, as long as I know when they will happen.
This time is important for us to check over our cameras, back work up and have a break. Food is also necessary whether you have been amazing and provided a meal, or if it’s just sandwiches.
Take a look at my blog about Feeding Your Photographer.
Evening Reception
The portraits usually take us up to the time when your evening reception will start, with more friends joining you and the DJ or band starting up. This is another time for me to get wedding photographs of happiness and laughter. Images of your loved ones having so much fun and in the moment. All captured with my usual relaxed style.
Cake Cutting and First Dance
Around 8.30 pm, most couples want to get the final formalities out of the way. Often, this is the cutting of the cake followed by the first dance. My approach to this is the same as every other part of the day. You enjoy being in the moment, I’ll take the photos.
There may be people out there who want photography of them holding a knife while grinning at the camera. But these aren’t my couples. My couples want natural photographs so they cut the cake then dance!
The Afterparty
After the first dance, I like to hang around for a while and capture the festivities. It’s nice for you to see what happened on the dance floor after you did your bit. The energy is usually high at this point, and inhibitions are low. I can create fantastic dance pictures for you to look back on (or bribe your wedding party with).
Do We Get Any Pictures On The Day?
You may do, I like to send a few over while you are having your meal if I have time. I love photographing weddings and get a real kick out of sharing my amazing photographs with you.
After The Wedding
A few things go on after your wedding, so I’ll give you an overview here.
Keeping The Pictures Safe
My security starts on the day. Each of my main cameras writes exactly the same images to two SD cards, so if one breaks, I have a backup. At the end of the night with you, I make sure all my memory cards are on me, and if I need to stop on the way home, I take them with me rather than leaving them in the car.
When I get home, I copy everything to my computer and from there to two external drives. I also start a cloud backup for offsite security.
The Wedding Queue
Generally, I seldom do more than one wedding a week, so my queue is always short. I work on my weddings sequentially, so I don’t always get to your wedding straight away. I make sure you have some images on the day if I can; if not, I will quickly choose and edit a few and send them to you in the next couple of days.
Culling The Wedding
Now it’s time to work on your wedding. To do that, I choose the images I want to work on. I do this by loading them all into an image viewer and run through them all, starring the ones I want and ignoring the rest. The ones that get discounted are repetitive, out of focus, someone was blinking, or I’ve accidentally taken a photo of my foot.
The ones I keep are placed in a separate folder ready for editing.
Editing The Photos
I then import the selected images into my editing software, and on import, I apply my own preset. My preset is something I have created over time and helps get my photos closer to being finished. I then work on the photographs one at a time, making sure they look right, tweaking the crop, exposure and things like that. I’ll occasionally Photoshop something if it’s distracting, but I don’t change the image as a whole. Though the occasional spot may disappear, I don’t airbrush people as a rule.
I offer heavier editing on request, but this will incur an extra charge.
Final Check
Once I have finished the edit, I let them sit for a day or two, then check them over again with fresh eyes. Sometimes an image can be overlooked when in the flow of editing, so this allows me to spot anything that doesn’t quite fit or needs a final tweak.
Upload
With everything edited and exported as high-quality jpg, I ready your gallery and upload your photos. I also save the finished images on my PC, two external drives, my cloud backup and now your gallery.
Your Gallery
I split your day into sections such as Prep, Ceremony, Reception, etc, and once everything is uploaded, I create a slideshow for you (short day and full day packages).
The gallery gives you fantastic control over your images. You can download all (please do this), share images, share the gallery, hide photos or parts of your day, and choose images for print or your album.
There are no restrictions on you sharing or downloading your images. Again, please download all your images and back them up. I will keep the gallery live for at least one year.
Your Album
If you are on a full-day or short-day package, or have paid for an album, then this is where you get to choose your images. I will send you an email asking you to make your selection, and all you have to do is go and select the images you want. Once you have done that, hit submit, and I will design your album. I will also check what colour you want the album cover to be.
Once ready, I will have the album sent to me so I can check it for quality, and once I am satisfied, I will send it to you or deliver it if you are local.
Review
Once you have everything and had a chance to look at it, I will send you a final email asking you to review me on Google and Facebook. It means a lot to me when I get a great review, and these are vital to my business.
It’s been a pleasure!
“We absolutely loved having Michael as our photographer, he is a very talented young man and a perfect gent . He was so relaxed and guided us throughout our wedding and we are delighted with our pictures he captured our day with all our friends and family perfectly everyone looks so happy and the pictures are so beautiful. Michael you are the Man !!!”
Michelle and Matt
“Michael was wonderful, amazingly professional, warm and an absolute rock of calm on our big day and as a queer couple we felt totally supported throughout. We’re delighted with the photos Michael took which perfectly captured the vibes and happiness of us, our friends and family on the day.”
Mark and Tim