Gold Coast Wedding Photographers
Even though your wedding will be far from the standard run-of-the-mill, it may still be useful to know what happens on a typical wedding day. Many people go to several weddings every year and get a good insight to how it all works, some have been in bridal parties and see a lot of the behind-the-scenes stuff that you wouldn’t be privy to as a guest. But as Gold Coast wedding photographers we very often hear brides and grooms tell us on the day of their own wedding, “I don’t know how anything works, I haven’t been to many weddings”. Obviously we are more than happy to give our input to help our couples out; I can only imagine how overwhelming it is if it’s all new to you!
So to take it a step further we thought it would be really useful to outline a typical wedding day from our perspective, to hopefully better prepare you for your big day.
So What Does a Typical Wedding Look Like?
Wedding Prep ?
Before the main event takes place, there is a lot to be organised behind the scenes. In the days or weeks leading up you have probably already been organising a lot of stuff, so hopefully in the morning of your big day you’re feeling nice and relaxed.
This is when hair and makeup happens at the bride’s getting ready location, usually the bridesmaids (and sometimes mothers) go first and the bride has her makeup and hair done last. That way your makeup stays fresh as long as possible, and you can go straight to putting your dress on. By now you would probably have had flowers delivered, the last updates for the ceremony confirmed by your venue, and your photographer and/or videographer may have been taking candid shots of the preparation process and the little details like your dress, shoes, jewellery, perfume and flowers. While you’re getting ready your photographer may ask you to put your ear rings in slowly to capture some good photos, and once you’re dressed you will probably pose for some photos with your parents and other close family members, and then your bridal party. The groom may also have a photographer present at his location, and will then also have photos of details such as suit, shoes, cuff links and cologne, as well as at various stages of getting ready with his groomsmen. Before you leave for the ceremony you will both have some photos taken of just yourselves in all your bridal glory, and this is probably when the nerves will set in! You’re so close now! ?
Ceremony ?
You will be getting picked up from your getting ready location and taken to the ceremony venue, probably with your parents and/or bridesmaids. Once you arrive at the venue, the staff will help hide you away from the groom and your guests until it’s time to walk down the aisle. The groom will arrive half an hour prior to the ceremony to greet your guests and get in position at the end of the aisle.
The ceremony is the highlight of the day, but usually also the shortest. It typically goes for 20-30 minutes, and the most important moments here are walking down the aisle, exchanging rings, saying your vows, signing the register, and your first kiss as a married couple. After you walk back up the aisle you will be so happy and content, but also feel SO relieved that this part is over! ?
Now is the time when all your family and friends run up to you to say their congratulations, and then you will have group photos with your immediate and extended family. You will also do a large group photo with all the guests.
Photo shoot ?
This is the part when you will get to go off with your photographer and capture some magic! The amount of time you have at your disposal will largely determine how stressful or not this will be, but if you allow 1.5h for creative photos with your bridal party and the two of you as a married couple, you will be fine. Another factor to keep in mind is the size and conduct of your bridal party; sometimes for us photographers it’s a bit like taking a group of preschoolers on a field trip! You will probably have organised some food and drinks to bring, sometimes the venue staff will follow you around with canapés and wine. During the bride and groom photos there are some lovely chances for the two of you to take it all in and really enjoy the moment, so make sure you grab these opportunities. The day goes so quickly, so it’s important that you take the time to really appreciate the experience, and each other. ?
Reception ?
After the photos the whole bridal party is usually taken to a space at the reception venue where you can unwind and have some canapés before the entrance. Your venue staff will be very bossy and try to keep you on time as they are relying on a timeline to get the food out at certain times. If anything is to push out the timeline during your reception, it will be the speeches, so make sure uncle Bob knows to keep to the 2 minute time limit! Enjoy the food, mingle with your guests, catch up with distant relatives and friends, and HAVE FUN! ?
Check out more info about our wedding photography!
