Weddings

Timing

The whole timetable from the beginning of the service to the sitting down for the meal should take around two and a half hours depending on the distance between the church and reception.

For a full church service, allow about 40 minutes, maybe longer if special readings or musical arrangements have been organised. For Civil Ceremonies, the service will take about fifteen minutes allowing extra time for personalised ceremonies where family or friends will speak or read passages at the request of the Bride and Groom. Both timings cater for the signing of the register.

After the service, give yourself ten minutes to relax and breathe the sigh of relief that it all went according to plan, this is most important as starting on photographs straight away will not give you that chance to wind down after this emotional moment in your life.
Allow about half an hour for photographs, a little longer if the large group shots are to be taken there as these photographs can be quite time consuming. Remember that guests will start to drift off if too much time is spent in the Church grounds as elderly guests will want to find somewhere to take the weight off their feet and families with younger children will need to find the inevitable loo. This is one of the advantages of a Civil Ceremony as the facilities are available immediately.

Once at the reception venue (or immediately after the Civil ceremony), it is usual practice before photographs re-commence to be greeted with drinks supplied by the management. Ensure everybody has got a glass to keep them happy and make a start on the photographs. Another half hour can quickly pass by here, longer if a series of formal photographs are requested by the newly married couple, whereas more informal reportage shots of guests and family members can be taken while drinks are being enjoyed.

Bear in mind that a Receiving line of Bride, Groom and parents greeting guests as they file into for the wedding breakfast can take another half hour as everybody wishes to recount their stories of the Bride at age four doing what can only be described as moments she would rather forget about. Not all weddings photographers work the same way as I hear a lot of complaints about the 'last wedding' someone went to where the photographer took ages to do the pictures. Well, he may have been requested to take a long series of photographs down at the local beauty spot of the Bride and Groom while the rest of the guests enjoy more than one Pimms at the reception, but do try to balance the sort of photographs you would like taken, with the golden opportunity to speak to family and friends on this most important day of your life.

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