I guarantee one the best ways to get great images from your wedding day is to have ample time dedicated towards capturing those once in a life time images. Being on time for your pictures is the key, not only will you have more fun but you get more pictures as a result. The foundation for your timely arrival starts with the hair and makeup artist. Of course you want to look like the model bride on your wedding day and hair and makeup are naturally the best way to accentuate your beauty. You hire your facial artist, her/she arrives to your wedding ready to perform your cover-girl makeover, but the one tool not in their kit, is a watch. 

In my twenty years of photographing weddings, hair and makeup are the number one reason for making my brides late. So to offset this hair raising experience, I started suggesting to my brides that they tell their makeup and hair artist they need to be ready for their photographs one hour prior to the time they really need to be. This way if they do run late (which they usually do) its no big deal, the bride and the photographer know the real start time for photos and everyone can relax.
If for some reason they do finish on time, then the bride (You)  now has extra time to sit around and chat and travel down memory lane with her girls, maybe even having a glass of champagne. There are no rules that say your wedding day has to be one stressful event after another.
If you don’t want a smudge on your wedding day memories, tell a little colorful lie. Make your photography a priority, after all, you don’t get a makeup day.

The second key to a great photographic experience is getting your family and friends to the right location and on time, then getting the key players to stay around and not wander off while waiting for their turn in front of the lens. From a photographer’s perspective, if everyone showed up on time and stayed in the area where pictures are being taking without wondering off, family portraits would be much faster and a lot less frustrating, especially for the bride and groom.

Stay on Time

The best way to make this concept a reality is by communicating with your families ahead of time.  You must make the time and extra effort to let each person know where and when they need to be.  If you have people in your family or bridal party who are notorious for being late, it’s a good idea to hedge a bit about the time they need to arrive. Depending on how late they run behind, it would be a good idea to have them arrive at least one half hour before they really need to be there.

Place a phone call or write a personal note to each person or family member you would like to be included in your wedding portraits.  Let them know how special they are to you and how much it would mean if they would be in a picture with you.  Express to them how imperative it is that they arrive on time and not to wonder off, until they are excused. Communicate to them that being on time and staying around helps to make family pictures a pleasure and run more efficiently.  By taking the time to call or write each person, letting them know how important they are, people will make more of an effort to be on time, as opposed to telling them at the last minute, you need to be here for pictures tomorrow at three.  Everyone likes to feel special and most of the time people will go out of their way when they do. Use  the rehearsal dinner as a time to remind them once more.

Your wedding pictures are usually not a priority to anyone other than you and your parents; everyone else is there for a party. We all have friends and family members who are notoriously late, you can bet your wedding day will be no different.  A little time embellishment here really works wonders.

Getting great wedding images is not just the responsibility of your photographer.  There are several factors that determine the outcome of your images.  Clear communication between you and your photographer and family members and other vendors, is a great start.  Be on time; nothing hampers creativity more than lack of time.  When a bride runs late, the photographer can only work with the time he/she is given.

Most importantly, have the time of your life at your wedding.  Once your day arrives, let everything go and have fun.  Take in every moment and feel and express every emotion as it comes.  A great photographer can see and capture emotion, but even the best photographer can’t get you to fake it.

Smile….

Robert Evans

Los Angeles Wedding Photographer-Robert Evans

Orange County Wedding Photographer-Robert Evans

San Diego Wedding Photographer-Robert Evans

Destination Wedding Photographer-Robert Evans

RobertEvans.com 818-509-9222