Dayton Photographer shares Wedding Day Timeline
2020 will be a big year for weddings and engagements in Dayton. This year, Ashley Lynn Photography celebrates 14 years photographing couples and families in the Dayton area. During this time, we’ve perfected the alchemy of wedding photography timelines as well as our client experience.
Amidst the joy and celebration of your engagement come important decisions that impact not only your budget, but also your wedding day experience and the memories you’ll keep forever.
Wedding photos aren’t just captured moments of your big day; these portraits will become heirlooms that your children, nieces, nephews and relatives cherish beyond our lifetime. Before you begin the process, check out our master guide to wedding timelines to ensure you’re ready to book.
Hiring A Wedding Photographer
We like to meet with all of our clients in-person or chat on the phone to get know each other a little and make sure we’re a good fit. Wedding portraits are deeply personal, and can be quite intimate, so it’s essential that our couples feel they trust in our talent and passion for documenting their most special moments.
If you’re tempted to skip hiring a professional, consider what you’re willing to be without. The experience of working with a professional photographer is more efficient and less stressful than passing off the latest iPhone to your best friend and hoping for the best.
Wedding photographers do so much more than just document, we’ll make sure that your wedding photography timeline as well as your event schedule run as planned. We go into detail on why you should hire a professional photographer in this blog post.
The Ideal Wedding Photography Timeline
Ideally, you’ll be able to plan and prepare for the investment, must-have moments and hours needed about 12 months before your wedding date. Many “popular” dates can get competitive, and are often booked out even further to guarantee day-of services.
Pro tip: Before you contact your photographer to book, be sure you have the funds for your deposit available. More on that later.
Scheduling Your Engagement Session
Engagement sessions are so important in order to get to know your photographer and it’s a chance to feel comfortable in front of the camera, before your wedding day. Engagement sessions mark such an exciting, romantic moment before becoming a married couple. All Ashley Lynn Photograph’s wedding photography collections include a complimentary engagement session.
Pro tip: Save the dates need to be sent 6-9 months in advance of your wedding date.
To follow this timeline, we’ll need to schedule your engagement session pretty soon after booking. Keep in mind busy seasons can be difficult to schedule around.
Processing Payments and Due Dates
I require all my clients to pay 50% when booking, and the final balance is due in-full no less than two weeks before wedding date. Processing payments with us is easy, and for convenience, we can process credit cards as well as accept paper checks.
Pro tip: Check out Capital One’s Venture credit card for all wedding expenses. I tell my clients about this because they will get a ton of travel points! My husband and I have used that card to get travel points and have gone to Italy, New Zealand, and Hawaii with it and wouldn’t have been able to do so otherwise.
Day-Of Wedding Photography Timelines
I have my day-of timelines down to a science after 14 years of shooting. No matter what, I always allot buffer times just in case things get delayed. Which happens more often than not to wedding photography timelines, and is totally okay!
When couples don’t have wedding planners, I usually take the roll of planner in a lot of ways although I really encourage a least a day-of planner to keep things running smoothly.
When it comes to wedding photography, the family formals tend to be the most hectic part of the day. To help that part run as smoothly as possible, I have clients fill out a family formals form, so everyone is photographed and accounted for.
Pro tip: If there are particular groupings or details you wish to have documented, please share these details. In capturing your most treasured memories, we don’t want to miss *that* shot you really wanted.
Avoid Mishaps With Hair and Makeup
In order for your day to run smoothly, hair and makeup is key. There are numerous scenarios that impact your day-of timeline. If hair and makeup run long, the girls arrive late, or last minute appointments get added, it will mess with the schedule for the rest of the day. This happens so often!
Pro tip: I suggest adding an extra 30 minutes on to what the hair stylist tells you it will take when planning your day-of schedule.
It’s important to also let your makeup artist and hair stylist know if any of your bridesmaids or guests may become add-on’s the day of. No hate to hair and makeup artists, my sister is a hair stylist (Salon Noir.) However, this can really be the difference when it comes the wedding photography timelines and fitting in those last minute shots you really want, or not being able to capture them.
Recently engaged? Ashley Lynn Photography is now booking 2020 Weddings! Get in touch with us today.
xoxo, Ashley