4 Ways to Elongate Your Wedding Day

We jumped in the car and looked at the time….then looked at each other. How did our wedding day fly by so fast? We knew time would fly because it’d be fun…but it felt like we blinked and our beautiful wedding day was over! Each moment is precious, and I wanted to share 4 ways to elongate your wedding day. So here goes!

Get Ready Early  

In my experience as a bride and a wedding photographer, getting ready takes longer than anyone may anticipate. Traffic, misplaced jewelry, or the sheer fact that 10 girls are trying to get ready at the same time can play into a later-than-anticipated timeline. Being off track often makes your planner have to cut some things short; maybe we’ll have less time for pictures or dancing. With that being said, it’s safe to add an hour of buffer time into your timeline for “just in case” things. Once your dress is on, stuff gets real. Being ready early (or just on time!) prevents you from having to skimp on things you were so looking forward to. It also allows the wedding day to mentally start earlier for you…leaving more time to soak it in and enjoy what’s to come.

Do a first look and husband and wife portraits

Wedding days often fly by because it’s hard to find time to soak it all in. Bride and groom pictures are the perfect place to do that. During both the first look and the husband and wife portraits, I’ll give you time to stop and take everything in. The venue, the beauty of the day, and each other. In those still, quiet moments you’ll be able to stop time and enjoy the very moment you’re in. If each only take 15 minutes, that’s 30 minutes on your wedding day to gain the ability to soak the whole day in.

Celebrate the day before 

Instead of just celebrating one day, why not two?! Getting your nails done with your girls, having a family lunch, practicing your first dance, and of course the rehearsal dinner are all things that make the celebration last longer.

Join the reception early 

I recommend that my couples do a first look and family portraits before the ceremony for multiple reasons. One of the main reasons is it allows you to join the reception early; instead of spending an hour taking pictures, you’ll have time to spend with your guests and bridal party members during the reception. It allows the events of the reception to start earlier, which can spread out the timeline and allow you to soak in each milestone moment as it happens. If you want to read more about why first looks are advantageous, click here!

 

So there you have it – 4 ways to help your long awaited wedding day slow down! I’d love to hear what you think in the comments below!