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
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.
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.
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
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
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
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
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.
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.
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!
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!
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