TOMMY WILLIAMS / L’Observateur / July 10, 1999

After months of careful and scrupulous planning, our ‘Wedding Day’ was finally here. Everything seemed to be in place for the perfect wedding, but was is reallyproperly planned. The wedding started on time at 7 p.m., but it’s now 8 p.m. andthe limo driver is having a fit because we haven’t left the church yet. This iswhere many married couples will find themselves being held captive by the wedding photographer for much of their wedding ceremony and reception, but don’t let this happen to you. Believe me, from speaking with other weddingphotographers and from my own personal experience with shooting weddings, this is not something they want to happen.

The one thing from your wedding day that will remain with you for a very long time will be your wedding photos. Nothing makes a better wedding album thanhaving photographs of a happy and relaxed bride and groom. No one can appearhappy and relaxed if they are under too strict a time schedule for taking photos.

The two key reasons for this problem are scheduling and organization. Pleasekeep in mind that this is a subject that was previously covered.

When I say scheduling it pertains to the scheduling times of the ceremony and reception hall. It is important to realize that having the ceremony at a churchand having it in the same location as the reception changes things greatly. Whengetting married in a church, for example, if the church ceremony starts at 6 p.m., schedule the reception hall for 7:30 or 8 p.m. This allows for a 30- to 45-minute ceremony and for about 45 minutes thereafter for photos at the church.

I understand that guest may have to wait a few minutes before entering the reception hall, but why have the reception start an hour before you actually get there? For weddings that take place in the same location as the reception you must consider booking the reception hall for a minimum of four hours in order to allow for the time needed to complete the ceremony, photos and reception.

On the other hand, to keep things running smoothly and organized, have someone in charge of your photo agenda. They should have a basic list of what photos andin what order they will be taken. Their job is to make sure the individualsneeded for that particular photo are there and ready. Wasting five minutes hereand 10 minutes there can grow into 1 1/2 hours of photos quickly.

The moral of the story is lock in your dates first, but don’t finalize the times until you’ve discussed with your photographer how much time he will need to complete his job. Keep in mind that it is not uncommon in northern states tohave the reception start two to three hours after the ceremony has ended.

Remember, this will be the biggest and most important party you’ll ever pay for, and proper scheduling and good organization will allow you to enjoy it.

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