So the ceremony is over, you’ve just got married. What happens now? A lot actually, and again most of the time I spend after the ceremony is shot in documentary style where anything happens and I’m just there to capture it!

The Receiving Line:

So the ceremony is all finished and you are married! But you still have to greet all your guests (Covid restrictions or not!) at entrance of the church/venue. At 99% of my weddings, this happens, so I’m going to put this on here. And of course how long this takes depends on how many guests are attending the wedding. For example for a wedding with 200-300 people (like most of my weddings) I have seen this take from 20 minutes (a couple that knows time is precious) to 45 minutes (a couple that likes to chat!). So bear this time in mind, as it’s always a part of the day that most couples forget can take a while! It’s a great time for capturing guest candids though so I’m always on the hunt for good shots, anticipating what might happen and when. There’s an old saying with sports photography, in that if you see it, you’ve missed it! That’s the same with people’s expressions so anticipation is crucial.

Family Photos:

In my opinion the best time to capture the family photos is after the receiving line, when everybody has left the church. If weather and light and background allows me, that’s when I’m going to do them. It means everybody is there on site, so we can get them done in about 5 minutes! It’s not always possible though, and some couples do prefer to do them at the reception venue.

The Drive Between Venues:

This is the part of the day that varies at every wedding because the venues are generally different. If you have a long drive, more than 30 minutes, factor that into the day, as it’s time you will not get back. If you have a longer drive, an hour or so, I definitely recommend having your ceremony earlier, probably by the same hour. You don’t want to arrive at the reception and not have time with your guests, and that is what a wedding is all about, spending time with family and friends.

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