How to Time Your Wedding Pictures

We are frequently asked how much time is needed for bride and groom wedding pictures on a wedding day. The answer always is – as much as possible! However, we do understand that there are time limitations and no one wants to turn their wedding day into an all day photo shoot. There are so many things happening during your wedding day, you don’t want to miss a single moment! However, wedding photography plays one of the biggest roles in a wedding timeline, and it’s important you allocate enough time for your bride and groom wedding portraits.

From my experience, 45 minutes to 1 hour is enough to take beautiful, flawless portraits of just the bride and groom together. Of course, it will depend on weather conditions, the day of the year and the overall wedding schedule. However, we always recommend allocating at least 45 minutes to 1 hour for your wedding pictures, and here’s why:

First, great wedding coverage needs to have beautiful photos of you as a bride and groom. This is the once-in-a-lifetime experience, and you want to remember how you looked and how happy you felt on the biggest day of your life.

Second, whether you decide to take your wedding pictures before or after the ceremony, it’s nice to have some time alone with your significant other before the wedding party really kicks in. Your wedding photo shoot is an opportunity to escape from some of the hustle and bustle of the wedding day and enjoy your newly found status as a husband and wife.

For those of us who are a bit camera shy, here are a few tips I’ve learned over the past years that can help minimize photo fatigue and enjoy your wedding photo shoot to its fullest:

1. Choose the right photographer for you.

Ask them about their approach to photography. Do they like to be more involved and give directions? Do they prefer to stay out of sight and let the moments unfold naturally? As a rule of thumb, photojournalistic wedding photographers tend to make a real effort to stay out of the way, thus capturing all the in-between moments, even during your official wedding photo shoot. Here at Mango Studios, we really love that approach as we believe that those moments of raw emotion and real laughter are what make your wedding photos unique. It doesn’t mean that we’re not involved either! There will be some moments when we’ll gently direct you into a pose or a photo location that we love, however, it’s never going to be overly posed or forced. We are strong believers that your wedding photo shoot should be fun!

2. Don’t skip the sunset photos.

I’m a big fan of seeing each other before the ceremony and taking a few creative wedding photos after your First Look. Seeing each other before the wedding day kicks in is very calming, and it just makes you more excited for all the fun that is about to happen! But if you’re trying to minimize the amount of time you have to spend posing in front of the camera, my secret weapon is to save formal portraits for dinner. By the time your wedding reception rolls around, you’ve gotten through most of the wedding and are feeling less nervous and more excited. You also probably already have had a chance to mingle with your guests, so you don’t feel like you are missing out on any special moments. Your vibe and your attitude, therefore, is relaxed. That’s why I usually ask my couples if they would like to sneak out for twenty minutes or so in between their dinner courses to take some beautiful sunset photos. At that point in the evening, spending some time alone with your partner usually ends up being a welcome break from the party.

At the end of the day, taking your wedding photos shouldn’t feel like a chore. There are always ways to turn your wedding pictures into a fun, memorable experience. Guess what? The biggest feedback I get from my couples is that their wedding portraits were definitely one of the biggest highlights of their wedding day.