Not every wedding is the same, but we thought it would be beneficial for some couples to see how we structure a timeline for the day with the couples. We show them a list of activities and how long each one would take and then we sort into a photography timeline. This allows us to maximize the time and make sure we are able to photograph everything the couples want. Chris and Esther settled on 9 hours to photograph everything in their dream wedding at the Heron Room.
The Heron Room is a wedding venue on Falls Road in Baltimore City just along the banks of Jones Falls in a refurbished mill. It has a very lovely industrial aesthetic that gives a lot of photography options. It's really an ideal place for industrial weddings.
Venue - Maddy McLeod
Catering: Catering by Uptown
DJ and Officiant: Phillip Mills of PhilPhest Events
Florist: Scentsational Florals
Hair and Makeup: Behind the Veil
Bridal Salon: Bridals by Elena
Groom's Tux shop : Mens Warehouse
Drapery and Lighting : Event Dynamics
This mid-June wedding was a hot one.
We started the day arriving at the venue an hour before our coverage began, as is our standard practice. It wasn't the first time visiting the venue, but we really wanted to make sure we had a solid game plan for the timeline we helped Chris and Esther put together. Maddy, the venue coordinator, and Chelsea, the wedding coordinator, showed us around and helped us get access to certain areas of the property.
Once we had walked through the timeline and picked our locations for the first look, bridal party photos, family formals, and bride and groom sessions, we hydrated and got to work.
Prior to the wedding day, we recommended that they should collect the wedding details in one location to make their flat lay photograph quick and easy.
After the details, we gathered the bride and bridesmaids onto the bed the Heron Room's bridal suite for a "robe shot" or in this case a "pajama shot."
At this point, we separated and Josh covered the groom's side and Elizabeth covered the bride's side.
As Josh did the Groom solo, Elizabeth covered the Bride getting dressed with the help of her mother.
Next, Josh got individual photos of each grooms person with the groom and then group shots.
First we position the groom and then the bride. We give some simple instructions and then allow them to enjoy the moment.
After the first look, we went into the bride and groom portraits. We started at the bridge, and then went to the courtyard.
After the Bride and Groom session, we did the bridal party group photos followed by the individual photos of each bridesmaid with the bride and each groomsmen with the groom.
At this point the bride and the groom separated before the wedding to help build anticipation before the ceremony. Esther also wanted to have a kind of "first look" with her father as well. It's called the "father-daughter reveal." So while we were doing portraits with the bride and the groom, the father of the bride arrived and we asked him to wait in the bridal suite.
PROCESSIONAL 4:00 PM
Then it was time for the Ceremony to begin!
At this point, I would like to mention that most unmarried guests have only ever seen weddings from this point onward unless they have also been a bridesmaid or groomsmen before. You can see that there's a lot of precious memories to capture for the whole day.
Then it was time for the I-do's.
Party time! We recommend that our couples do a kiss of some kind at the end of their walk down the aisle so that we can get a photo with their guests in the background.
The best man and the maid of honor gave their toasts. We recommend that those giving their toasts stand right up next to the sweetheart table so that we can get everyone's reactions in the same photo.
The sun starts falling behind the building across the Jones Falls from the venue an hour before sunset, so we brought the couple outside for their sunset session.
From this moment on, we had completed all of the scheduled sessions for the day and the rest of the evening was all photojournalism. So we went with the flow of the timeline.
The father-daughter and mother-son dances can be one of the most tender moments on a wedding day.
Then it was time to dance! PhilPhest events once again did a fantastic job as the DJ.
As Chelsea, the coordinator, lined everyone up for the sparkler send-off, Chris and Esther had a private last dance.
Then the time came for the end of the night. The couple had a sparkler send-off as they were surrounded by their celebrating friends and family. Then they had champagne before driving away in a Rolls Royce.
This is why we work with our couples to understand what it is that they want with their wedding day, and put together a timeline with them to make sure we can fit everything they want into their wedding day. Chris and Esther were such a pleasure to work with. Esther was especially organized and her vision for her wedding day was well defined as she is also a wedding coordinator!
Each one of these wedding vendors did a fabulous job and were service professionals. If you are planning for your wedding, please go back to the top of the blog and check out their websites.