Timeline
Our ceremony is at 4pm and we have no idea when to ask the photographer to start. Hair and makeup begins around 10am. Bride is getting ready at the venue, groom at a hotel 15 minutes away. We're booking for 8 hours and trying to make every hour count. Should they show up for the dress, the first look, or just the ceremony?
For an 8-hour booking with a 4pm ceremony, I'd start at 12:30pm.
The last 60-90 minutes of getting ready is what you actually want documented — hair finished, dress about to go on, mom helping with the back zipper. Anything before that is mostly "people sitting in a chair holding coffee." It photographs the same whether you're paying for it or not.
What I'd aim for: 12:30pm bride detail shots and final hair/makeup → 1:00pm dress on, last looks with bridesmaids → 2:00pm first look or solo portraits → 3:00pm guest arrival and ceremony prep → 4:00pm ceremony → 4:45pm family formals → 5:15pm cocktail hour candids → 6:00pm reception start. That puts you ending at 8:30pm with first dance, cake, and ~30 min of dance floor.
The trade-off: if you want exit shots (sparklers, getaway car, etc.), you either book a 9th hour or do a fake exit at 8:00pm. Most couples don't miss a real exit — but they regret skipping the candid dance-floor coverage.
One thing Jordan didn't cover that matters technically: ask your photographer what the light is doing at your venue at the times they'll be shooting. A 4pm October ceremony in Texas has the sun directly in everyone's eyes if it's outdoors and west-facing. Same ceremony in June is fine because the sun is higher.
If the timeline can't move, the photographer can — angle, scrim, reflector. But they need to know the orientation in advance to plan for it.
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