Building a wedding day timeline around the light

The single biggest thing that changes how your photos look is the time of day they are taken. Here is how I plan a timeline with couples.

Start with sunset

Look up the sunset time for your date and venue. The hour before it is when the light is warm and soft. That is where your portraits go.

Work backwards

1. Portraits: 20 to 30 minutes in that last hour.
2. Family photos: straight after the ceremony, while everyone is in one place.
3. Getting ready: the last hour of it is plenty.

Leave room

Add fifteen minutes of nothing between the big moments. Something always runs over, and a buffer means it never matters.