pictures before or after the ceremony

aim22

We are having a Friday wedding and are trying to figure out what to do:

Option 1: Have an early ceremony (like 2 done by 2:30), take traditional Church pictures, go downtown for pictures then back to the reception at 6 (a first look will probably happen with this option too)

 

Option 2: Do a first look and take pictures downtown during the day, THEN have our ceremony at like 4 (done by 4:30) then the reception at 6?

 

Would you be worried about hair, make up and your dress with option 2? Should we be worried about the big gap in between? Our wedding is on a Friday in June...if people take the day off they do if not they don't....what do you think???

goblue111315

We're getting married on a Friday in the church to avoid that big gap.  If you lurk around on the boards here, you'll find that generally it's against etiquette to have a large gap between your ceremony and reception.  What are your guests supposed to do while you take pictures for 3-4 hours?  Your reception is to thank people for coming to your ceremony and should be done immediately after the ceremony.  (See this for info about the dreaded gap: http://forums.theknot.com/discussion/1020983/the-dreaded-gap/p1)   That being said, we're taking all of our photos before the ceremony.  We may do a few after the ceremony while our guests are at cocktail hour.  I'm not worried about my hair and makeup; I'm having them professionally done and hope that they'll last all day.  And if not, the pictures will be done first so at least everything will still be fresh then! I won't care so much when I'm partying my face off later

People may not show up to our 4:30 ceremony because it's on a Friday, but that's the chance we're taking by having it at this time.  I think you're much more likely to have more people show at a later Friday ceremony versus a 2:00 ceremony.