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Ninety per cent of the photographic problems at a wedding do not come from equipment: they come from the schedule. A ceremony set half an hour too late eats all the good light; an aperitivo that stretches erases the couple session; preparations that start late drag until the end of the day.
This is the timeline I propose to my couples, built around the one variable that cannot be negotiated: sunset. Adapt it to your season and venue, but keep the order.
In this guide
First: calculate sunset, then everything else
The starting point is not the ceremony time: it is the sunset time on your day. In Calabria the sun sets around 8:30pm in June, 7:20pm in September, 4:40pm in December. The couple session belongs in the forty minutes before that hour, and everything else is built backwards.
This single choice changes the quality of your photographs more than anything else.
Preparations: two or three hours, not one
Preparations are photographically sacred: it is in the details and the positive nerves of the moment that the best images are born. For the bride I recommend two and a half hours of coverage, for the groom one. If the locations are different and far apart, this is the classic case where a second photographer avoids having to choose.
The final part of the preparations is where the first watch belongs — the family's first sight of the bride. It is one of the moments I love most, and it does not repeat.
Ceremony: add thirty minutes to whatever you were told
Ceremonies almost always start late and end later than planned. Build in thirty minutes of margin, otherwise the delay lands on the only compressible item in the schedule: your photographs.
Right after the exit, set aside fifteen minutes for family groups with a list prepared in advance. Done in an organised way it takes a quarter of an hour; improvised, it eats forty minutes.
Aperitivo: the best part of the reportage
It is the liveliest part of the day: everyone has met, everyone is talking, nobody is thinking about the camera. These are the images couples look at most years later. An hour and a quarter is the right length.
I advise couples to appear for the central part and disappear for twenty minutes towards the end: that is where the couple session slots in without keeping anyone waiting.
Couple session: twenty or thirty minutes, no more
You do not need an hour. With the right light and a familiar venue, twenty minutes are enough — thirty if you move a little. The secret is not the duration, it is the hour: the last forty minutes of sun are worth more than two hours at noon.
At seaside venues I always add ten minutes on the shoreline after sunset: the residual light on the water is the most beautiful there is.
Dinner, cake and party
During dinner the photographer works little and observes a great deal: speeches, surprises, tears. The cake cutting should be set before the party has already started, not after, otherwise you photograph an interrupted dance floor.
For the party I recommend at least one hour of coverage after the dancing begins: it is the freest and truest part of the evening.
An example: September wedding in Calabria
2:00pm bride's preparations · 3:30pm groom's preparations · 4:15pm first watch · 5:00pm ceremony · 6:15pm exit and family groups · 6:45pm aperitivo · 7:00pm couple session · 7:40pm back to the aperitivo · 8:15pm dinner · 10:30pm cake · 11:00pm dancing.
With this scheme the couple session falls exactly in the September sunset and nobody is left waiting.
Frequently asked
What time should we set the ceremony?
In summer, no earlier than 5pm, so the exit and couple session fall in good light. In winter, bring it forward to 11am or noon to use the full afternoon.
How long do family groups take?
Fifteen minutes, if you have prepared the list. Without a list they can stretch to forty and ruin the aperitivo.
How long is the couple session?
Twenty or thirty minutes. The hour matters more than the duration.
Do you stay until the end of the party?
It depends on the agreed hours. I recommend at least one hour after the dancing starts: it is the most authentic part of the evening.
Want me to build your day's timeline around the light? Write to me.
