Wedding Planning Guide
Planning Guide or Timing guide
Planning the timing of events of your special day can be overwhelming no matter how small or minimalist your wedding will be. A runsheet is a written timeline of events for your wedding day. It is a crucial tool so that you, your wedding party and vendors can all be on the same page when it comes to smoooooth operations!
We’ve created this guide to help you plan your runsheet, decide how many hours you might need as part of your package as well as explain what to expect from our photographers and videographers when you book with us on your wedding day.
Preparation Before the Ceremony
Documenting the preparation before you officially say “I do” is important to many people. It is a time where you and some of the most important people in your life get ready together and share some laughs (and possibly some drinks). We hear people ask, is it necessary to have pictures of this part of the day? Our answer is that there is something so sweet about this intimate part of the day and the pictures and video always reflect that.
We almost always start with the groom getting ready and we recommend 45 to 60 minutes for your Love Pixels photographer and videographer to capture this part.
Some tips to keep in mind before your photographer arrives:
Be showered, have everyones hair done with your pants and shirt on
Have your suit jacket on a hanger and ready to go
Leave your accessories out and in one place, these might include ties, shoes, socks, the rings, cologne, cufflinks and watches.
If you have family or friends not part of the bridal party with you at your location, please ensure they’re already ready and dressed
Have your place as tidy as possible
During this time, there’s always lots of laughs, possibly some drinks with mates, some directed photos as well as plenty of candid, light-hearted and fun snaps.
Next, we move on to the bride’s location. Factor in the travel time in your runsheet and then add a bit extra in case of traffic. Although it’s always best to keep the preparation locations close to the ceremony location, we understand that this can’t always happen. It’s totally okay as long as we factor in the travel time into the runsheet.
We recommend 1.5 hours for your Love Pixels photographer and videographer to capture the bride getting ready.
Some tips to keep in mind before your photographer arrives:
Have your wedding dress on a hanger or stand
Aim to have your makeup and hair completed or just in the stages of final touches
Leave your accessories out and in one place, these might include flowers, jewellery, shoes, perfume and printed wedding invitation
If you have family or friends not part of the bridal party with you at your location, please ensure they’re already ready and dressed
Your Love Pixels photographer will capture all your beautiful details and then be a “fly on the wall” while you and your bridal party get ready together. Before we all leave for the ceremony, we love to snap some portraits of the bride putting on her last minute touches and then with her bridal party and family and friends. Factor in any travel time between the bride's location to the ceremony location and add that into your runsheet.
The Ceremony
The most anticipated part of the day - the ceremony. Generally, a civil ceremony will take about 30-45 minutes whereas a religious ceremony may be 1-2 hours (best to check with your marriage officiant).
The nerves, excitement and all those emotions come out now. Your photographer and videographer would ideally like to be here at least 15-20 minutes before the bride arrives to capture the set up, the groom greeting guests and the arrival of the bride.
Tips to ensure you get the best possible photographs and video to remember forever:
Ask the celebrant/ marriage officiant to ask that mobile phones should be kept as away from the aisle as possible
When the bride is walking down that aisle, look up and take your time! This gives your Love Pixels photographer/ videographer more time to capture the pure reactions from seeing each other in this moment
The best celebrants we have worked with move away before announcing the first kiss - this means that in the photographs there are JUST two newlyweds sharing a kiss for the first time. If this is something you would like, discuss with your celebrant beforehand
Speaking of first kisses, we’d love for you to take your time with this one as well so we can get your best angles! Savour this wonderful moment with your new husband/ wife
Group Photos
Directly after the ceremony and after all the hugs, kisses and congratulations are out of the way, your Love Pixels photographer will gather everyone present for a group photo (if this is on your list of wanted shots). After the large group photo, smaller groups of your choosing will be called forward to take photos with you, these may include your immediate family, closest friends and colleagues.
Depending on the size of your wedding, we normally recommend roughly 30 minutes for group photos.
Newlywed and Bridal Party Photoshoot
Next, we may travel to a pre-discussed location to capture moments between you and your new husband/ wife and some fun snaps with your bridal party. You might have a location in mind that is sentimental to you or we might find the best spots around your ceremony or reception venue.
Factor in travel time to this location into your runsheet and then allocate 1-1.5 hours for couple and bridal party photos.
We hear so many people say, I’ve never done this before, I feel awkward in front of a camera or I’m not sure what to do. Don’t worry - your Love Pixels photographer will prompt you as little or as much as you would like with our primary goal to make you feel comfortable and enjoy yourself. We have some fun and cheeky ways to do this and here’s what some of our reviews say:
“Friendly and clear directions throughout the whole day for a couple who are not comfortable in front of the lens! Made us and our bridal party feel very at ease during photos.”
Germaine
“We instantly felt comfortable with Ash guiding us and the quality of the photographs exceeded our expectations.”
Annie
“Ash is very professional at the same time very easy going which was so important to us as awkward posers”
Chamari
“We didn’t feel awkward when doing the poses as they directed us really well. They were able to perfectly capture our personalities and the vibe of our bridal party and guests”
Maria
“He gave us tips to make us feel comfortable, right from the start, and made the whole experience fun and enjoyable”
Bronson
“My wife and I have never done a photo shoot and were quite nervous but Love Pixels made the whole experience comfortable. They guided us through the whole shoot and made the whole experience so enjoyable that when they took the photos/ videos the smiles came out naturally.”
Kevin
Reception
Your Love Pixels photographer will get to your reception slightly earlier to capture all the details such as your table set up and florals. If time permits, some couples love to do a “room reveal” where the bride and groom see their reception set up for the first time and have a quiet moment to themselves before everyone comes in. We will then get some pictures of your guests coming in and then capture the action (and dance moves!) of your bridal party and then you entering.
Over the course of the night, we’ll capture plenty of candid moments of you and your guests as the formalities get underway. Common formalities include speeches, cake cutting, the first dance and the bouquet toss. After the main food and formalities have been completed, the dance floor then opens for you and your guests to dance the night away! This is usually around 9:30pm depending on what time your event finishes and generally the night will end around 11pm.
Your Love Pixels photographer/ videographer will generally finish half an hour after the dance floor opens to capture some of the dancing and fun. However, if you have other formalities that you would like documented such as sparkler exit at the very end of the night then we can also finish after everything you have planned has been captured.
Do reach out if you have any questions at all. Happy wedding planning!
Love Pixels
