Welcome to Your Wedding Planning Resource Hub!

This is such an exciting time for you, and we know that planning a wedding comes with so many details to consider! From choosing the perfect venue to finalizing your timeline, there’s a lot that goes into creating a seamless and unforgettable day. As wedding photographers, our goal is to make at least one part of the process effortless for you—capturing your day beautifully while ensuring a stress-free experience.

Photography is more than just images—it’s woven into the moments, emotions, and details that make your wedding day unique. With thoughtful preparation, we can ensure a smooth, enjoyable day while creating stunning images that tell your story. That’s why we’ve created this resource hub, filled with our trusted vendor recommendations, sample timelines, and helpful tips to guide you along the way.

We’re honored to be part of your wedding journey and can’t wait to document this incredible milestone. Let’s make this planning process as fun and stress-free as possible—so you can focus on what truly matters: celebrating with the people you love!

alex, founder

Wedding Planning Resources

start here

01.

PREFERRED VENDORS

02.

WEDDING DAY TIMELINE

03.

WEDDING DAY PREP

Preferred Vendors

A Curated List of Some of Our Favorite Wedding Professionals

Over the years, we've learned the important role quality vendors play in creating a stress-free wedding day. We've worked with all of the vendors below and we can't recommend them enough! This is not a paid list - we chose these vendors for both the quality of their work as well as their professionalism on the actual wedding day.

WEDDING PLANNERS

FLORAL DESIGNERS

ViDEOGRAPHY

Falco's Catering

CATERING

Brian Kirk & The Jirks

DJ & BANDS

HAIR & MAKEUP

CAKES

WEDDING DRESS

Rustic Drift

RENTALS 

Art Paper Scissors


Invitations

CALLIGRAPHY

OFFICIANTS

The Wedding Plan and Company


Bogath Weddings


Dee Kay Events


Carismas Design

I Do Wedding Planning

Gilded Lily Events

Gifted Events NJ

A Lovely Universe

Lace and Rose Events

Kathleen Deo Weddings

Dahlia Florals


Laurelwood Designs


Narcissus Florals


Faye and Renee

Bespoke Floral

Blue Jasmine

Daybreak Flowers

Twisted Willow

Tone Media

Live Picture Studios

Lorenzo Media Productions

Above & Beyond Wedding Studio

Delia Studios

Kaan Tulgar Productions

Frungillo Caterers

Kate and Ally's

Merri-Makers

Hank Lane Music

SCE Event Group

Elite Entertainment

This Is It Entertainment

Posh DJs

Make Me Up Eva

Michelle Elise Artistry

Unveiled by Anna

My Beauty Makeup Artistry

Sweet Hair Peace

Beauty on Location

Perfect Bridals by Christina

Anahella Bridal

Palermo's Bakery

Chocolate Carousel

My Daughter's Cakes

The Vintage Cake

White House Bride

Castle Couture

I do… I do..

Dovetail Vintage

Faye and Renee

Lace and Belle


Crisp by Britt


Little Black Dress Paperie


Karson and Co.

The Jess Press

Reverend Ben Hickey

Love and Light Officiants

Alisa Tongg

Rev. John Michael O'Sullivan

Celia Milton

Wedding Day Timeline

building the perfect

Whether you choose to do a first look or the traditional "no see before the ceremony" we will work with you on making sure you have the best timeline and plan for images.

If you're choosing to go traditional with a church ceremony, you'll likely be able to do all your photos between ceremony and reception EXCEPT if it's a late fall or winter wedding. In that case we recommend doing a first look in order to have daylight for your wedding photos.

For church ceremonies where there is a big gap between ceremony and reception and plenty of daylight, a first look is not recommended.  


Whether you're planning a first look or sticking with tradition and not seeing your groom until you walk down the aisle, we WILL MAKE SURE YOUR WEDDING DAY TIMELINE ALLOWS FOR A STRESS-FREE WEDDING DAY!

For venue ceremonies where the ceremony is immediately followed by cocktail hour and reception, you can easily do all your photos beforehand by doing a first look.

If you do not do a first look, you'll need two different sets of photo times: images taken before the ceremony and images taken after the ceremony.

If you're planning a sunset ceremony or an evening ceremony, it's best to do all photos before the wedding, as daylight is crucial to getting amazing portraits for your families, bridal party and your couples portraits. Making sure we have enough time while the sun is up is a great way to ensure portraits in natural light.

View Sample Timelines

view the timelines

VENUE
CEREMONIES

view the timelineS

CHURCH
CEREMONIES

12pm - 2pm: Bride Prep 
1pm - 2pm: Groom Prep
2pm - 2:15pm: Set up for first look
2:15pm: First Look / Vow Exchange
2:30pm - 3:30pm: Bride & Groom Photos
3:30pm - 4pm: Bridal Party Photos
4pm - 4:30pm: Family Photos
4:30pm - 4:45pm: Add'l Bride/Groom Photos 
4:45pm: Bride hides; guests arrive
5:30pm - 6pm: Ceremony
6pm - 7pm: Cocktail Hour
7pm: Reception 

sample timeline WITH a first look

venue ceremony

1:30pm - 3:30pm: Bride Prep 
3pm - 4pm: Groom Prep
3:30pm - 4:15pm: Bride, bridesmaids, and bride + family photos
4:15pm: Bride hides
4:15pm - 5pm: Groom, groomsmen, and groom + family photos
5:30pm - 6pm: Ceremony
6pm - 6:10pm: Combined family photos
6:10pm - 6:20pm: Combined bridal party photos
6:20pm - 6:50pm: Bride & Groom Photos
7pm: Reception 

sample timeline without a first look

venue ceremony

10am - 12pm: Bride Prep
11am - 12pm: Groom Prep
12pm: Groom leaves for portrait location 
12:15pm: Bride leaves for portrait location 
12:30pm: First look
12:45pm - 1:45pm: Bride and groom photos
1:45pm - 2:15pm: Bridal party photos
2:15: Leave for church
3pm - 4pm: Ceremony
4pm - 4:10pm: Church Exit
4:10pm - 4:30pm: Family photos indoors
4:30pm: Drive to venue
5pm - 6pm: Cocktail Hour
6pm: Reception 

RECOMMENDED FOR LATE FALL AND WINTER WEDDINGS

CHURCH ceremony WITH A FIRST LOOK

11:30am - 1:30pm: Bride Prep
12pm - 1pm: Groom Prep
1:15pm: Groom leaves for church
1:45pm: Bride leaves for church
2:30pm - 3:15pm: Ceremony
3:15pm - 3:25pm: Church Exit
3:30pm - 4pm: Family photos
4pm: Drive to venue
4:30pm - 5pm: Bridal party photos
5pm - 6pm: Bride and groom photos
6pm - 7pm: Cocktail Hour
7pm: Reception 

RECOMMENDED WHEN YOU HAVE A GAP BETWEEN EVENTS

CHURCH ceremony WITHOUT A FIRST LOOK

additional resources

Check out these resources to help you with your wedding day timeline.

01.

FAQ: Should I Do a First Look?

02.

Guide to Hiring a Wedding Planner

03.

All About Family Formals

Wedding Day Details

We love capturing all the little details you've carefully chosen to be a part of your wedding day! Once we arrive at your wedding, we need about 45 minutes to capture and style details. We recommend choosing a getting ready location filled with natural light and, if possible, please keep the space free from trash and clutter.

It would be wonderful if you could put all of your rings, jewelry, shoes, veil purse, perfume, invitations and other keepsakes together in one spot for us. Please unwrap your dress but don't worry about styling it - we'll hang it in a beautiful spot! 

Dress
Dress Hanger
Shoes
Veil
Bouquet
Engagement ring
Wedding bands (both of them)
Hair pieces
Jewelry
Invitation Suite ( 2 full sets with envelopes + stamps)
Any other paper stationary you may have like program cards.

Bridal DETAILS Checklist 

His shoes
Socks (if they're special)
Cuff Links
Tie or Bow Tie
Pocket Square
Boutonnière
Vows Book
Watch
Anything else he'll have that is special or sentimental.

Vow Book
Any other sentimental keepsakes you would like to include
We once had a bride bring her grandmother's hand mirror. This is completely optional - but if you have something sentimental you'd like styled with your details, we love including family heirlooms in our detail shots.
Bonus: We'd love to have a few cuts of the florals you'll be using throughout your wedding day. If your florist will supply us a small bucket of extra pieces we can incorporate those in your detail shots.

GROOM DETAILS Checklist 

We will take photos of your rings during prep. If possible, try to have your engagement ring cleaned or clean it yourself. To clean at home, soak your ring in warm water with dishwashing soap for 20 to 40 minutes. Then gently brush the stone with a soft toothbrush, rinse and repeat if needed.

The Rings

If the forecast is calling for rain, fear not because rainy days can still be beautiful! 

If rain is in the forecast, check with us or your wedding planner to see if our stock of umbrellas will cover your size wedding party. You may also want to order umbrellas from Amazon.

HERE'S WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

It is a good idea to re-evaluate portrait locations to make sure we can still shoot in natural light - even if it means heading offsite. 

If you're not working with a planner, it might also be a good idea to check in with your entire vendor team to make sure they're aware of the weather. Hair and makeup may need to be tweaked to withstand humidity and if your wedding is outdoors, DJs and bands may need to take extra precaution to protect their gear. A quality rental team can also minimize the amount of mud at outdoor events.

While we can't guarantee that rain on your wedding day is good luck, we can put a plan in place to ensure a beautiful day and beautiful images.

Rainy day weddings may require a little more flexibility and creativity, but there isn't any reason why they can't be as beautiful and as joyful as sunny weddings!

rainy wedding days

We hope this guide helps make the process of planning your wedding details much easier and less stressful. Reach out if you have any questions!

THANK YOU!

The 

BOUDOIR EXPERIENCE

A PERFECT GIFT FOR YOUR GROOM

Boudoir sessions take place in our Point Pleasant, NJ studio, which allows our clients to relax and feel at ease. With us, there's no having to feel uncomfortable renting a hotel room or Airbnb, and you won't be interrupted by other clients as we only hold one session at a time.

We offer a luxury experience where you'll be pampered with professional hair and makeup right on-site, guided into the poses that will flatter your body best, and treated to an experience that we guarantee will be amazing!

click to visit our boudoir website