Oh man….if you only knew how long I’ve had this written out, deleted, re-written, advised not to even talk about it AND THEN written again. Now before you start I need you to understand, none of this is a personal attack, it’s an observation of a fixable problem and my best guesses as to how to fix it based on a shitload of weddings I’ve been lucky to be a part of. So if you take it personal…you’re more than likely a part of the problem and won’t want to work with me anyways.
So let’s fucking dive into this seemingly simple topic that can wreak havoc if not handled correctly.
First and foremost, do you need a timeline? Absolutely yes you do. In the same way you need a planner. Yes you need a planner 1000 times I will say this. Timelines shape the chaos and give order to what is usually dozens of moving pieces. BUT if handled wrong….things happen, odd strange things that no ones seems to know the how’s or why’s of. So what I want to do is speak about how we can maybe fix this. No one wants to be rushed ( yet every wedding on any given day is rushed ) why is this and let’s think out loud. And yes, there are some weddings that flow with the tides beautifully and we’ve had those. We’re focusing on the ones that haven’t.
Timelines are rarely if ever constructed in a way that take the intangible into account. ( aside from a few planners I work with regularly who ALWAYS nail these things )
Shameless plug for these amazing planners
https://www.triciadahlgrenevents.com/
https://www.cassandraleeco.com/
Before I get too deep into this I want to explain how I’ll break this up. First we’ll talk about bridal prep and hair and makeup. Second we’ll go over invisible time ( ooohhhh mysterious ) and lastly we’ll touch on the unspoken truth of planners diverting too much time away from what’s important into what’s not as important ( I’ll get in trouble for this one, count on it )
BRIDAL PREP / HAIR AND MAKEUP
Rule #1, never let hair and makeup schedule you as the last person to be worked on. This is perhaps one of thee most idiotic things to ever happen….and it happens ALOT. Go in the middle, go first, it doesn’t matter just don’t be last. Why you may be wondering? Because if you’re not finished then the show stops, if your bridesmaid isn’t finished then fuck it she can catch up. Simple as that, solution to not falling behind on time out the gate.
Hair and makeup is unfortunately the cause of most timelines running behind in the prep stages. It could be bad scheduling, it could be added bridesmaids OR it could be ( and I’ll get yelled at for saying this ) that they simply talk to much and when they talk they stop moving their hands and when they stop moving their hands they stop working…see where I’m going with this? Now, I didn’t just pull this out of my ass, I’ve made it a point to actually see if this could be the cause using over 100 weddings and a bunch of science stuff with beakers and shit. This is a whole different article but I wanted to mention it because a lot of planners don’t see this and therefore don’t adapt the timeline to the average outcomes of bridal prep and/or never make the suggestion for a bride to not get prepped last. This is IMPORTANT.
Rule #2, when they give you a start time ALWAYS have them start 30-40min earlier. This allows you the pad time you’ll need later that we’ll get into.
Are all hair/makeup rockstars bad? HELL NO! Some just kick ass like these three below. Will they yell at me for what I wrote above….I’m almost certain they will but I’ll still love them :
INVISIBLE TIME
Yes. It does exist. This myriad of minutes that add up unbeknownst to us and then BAM how are we behind now? I like to call this invisible time. The time it takes to get to the elevator, the time it takes to exit a car and enter the doors of a venue, the time it takes to oh shit where’s my purse and phone. ALL of these things add up and if not accounted for can have you scrambling for time. So you can see the problem when you get a timeline and it looks like 12:00 prep 12:01 bride puts on dress 12:02 bride leaves for venue. Planners who put timelines together like this ( and yes it’s a slight exaggeration ) are just setting everyone up for failure. Educate your brides about why something won’t work and why something will work instead of just cramming every damn thing into a Shakey’s buffet, you know that won’t end well so why would this?
Couples, don’t think you’re off the hook. A lot of the times brides and grooms demand to cram 100 different happenings into a timeline because they don’t want to extend vendor coverage times. This is a stupid thing to do and more often than not you know better but just want to see what you can get away with. You MUST be realistic. When you hire a planner LISTEN to them, let them guide you to a successful wonderful wedding. If you want to add events then plan that with additional time not with invisible time because if you use invisible time you will be rushed and look rushed.
DIVERTING TIME AWAY FROM WHATS MOST IMPORTANT
The hot take as some will say. Are details at a wedding ( reception specifically ) important? The answer is yes. Are they more important than my couple? Fuck no. You see, a lot of planners ( and by a lot I mean a shit ton ) seem to think that we work FOR them and not WITH them. This mind set is rotten and what happens is they will schedule an absurd amount of time in your timeline to get pictures of reception details so they can have marketing material and win awards and other dumb shit that doesn’t matter to me. What matters to me is that the story of my couple is not lost in the inanimate. Do I take time to get reception details? Of course, it’s part of the day, you spent money on it and they’re probably awesome. Do I need to spend 45min on it? Absolutely not. Make sure it’s set up on time, the room clear and it can be done in 5-10min tops. I am not shooting the wedding with the planner in mind. This is where a lot of planners fail in my eyes. I am 100% failing my couple if I do this. If a planner wants marketing material they should hire their own photographer to come in and snap away for 3hrs.
All of the above is what I mean when I say diverting time away from what’s important. YOU are important not the cup you drink from. So if you see a planner give you a timeline and there’s more than 10min scheduled for these shots, you need to question it. Do you want 1hr of centerpieces coverage OR do you want to have pictures of actual life happening around you, cocktail hours, more creative pictures taken, more romantic pictures taken….you get the point I’m trying to make? There are a dozen better ways to maximize reportage on a wedding day and spending 15% of that coverage time on something that hasn’t been there with you through life isn’t one of them.
So this too may be why your timeline sucks. The solution? Don’t let planners do it to you.
SO IN CONCLUSION WHAT ARE WE EVEN SAYING HERE?
Every wedding does need a timeline. Simple.
BUT….
Don’t be a timeline tightass. Add padding. Add coverage if needed. Loosen that timeline up and let it breathe. If you have 12hrs of events do not try to fit it into a 8hr coverage period. Shit’s just not happening and you’ll set yourself up for anxiety and ultimately disappointment.
Think about invisible time. It does exist and will haunt you or reward you. Just give me a second doesn’t exist, always consider the actual amount of time that means.
Don’t let planners think YOUR photographer works for them and not you.
Be present. Don’t be distracted by things or worry about shit or where’s this and what’s that. Be present in the moment with those you love and show them fun and love. ( this is a separate article I’ve been working on forever )
I’m going to be in so much trouble for even publishing this damn thing >_< but we need to think out loud a lot of times and explore in order to find solutions.
While you’re here feel free to check out some of the other incredible weddings I’ve been a part of as well as advice you’ll need when debating that First Look!
May + Mike | FCC Los Angeles Wedding
First Looks. Traditional VS Modern and why you should always choose the latter.
Leslie + Vlad | El Encanto Santa Barbara Wedding
Ryan + Trent | El Matador Malibu Engagement
Emily + Joseph | Hacienda Heights Country Club Wedding
Gail + Brian | Figueroa Mountain Wedding
I want to tell YOUR story and be you’re PASADENA WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER! Chat with me today to see if your date is still available!
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