Is anyone doing formal photos after the reception?

rasp.berry

I know I may be in the minority here, but I was hoping there might be someone doing something similar or someone who has any input.

We're getting married at 11:30 and having a lunch reception. I'm trying to get a timeline together for our photographer and I'm having some issues deciding when to do photos.

Here are my options:

1) Take a few photos before ceremony of bride, bridesmaids, flower girl, MOB, SFOB. Take a few more photos in between ceremony/reception (mostly those that require the kids to stand still) in the 30 minute transition. Take remainder of photos (group shots, groomsmen, B/G alone, any family shots) after eating and visiting with our guests at the reception.

2) The same as above, except do the remainder of photos while guests eat their meals.

I prefer option 1 so that we can spend time with the guests, but my photographer raised some legit concerns about people not being "fresh" or looking their best 3 hours after the ceremony.

A few notes: We aren't really having a cocktail hour. The ceremony will end, and there will be veggies/fruit trays set up until the meal is served. We're planning on only about 30 minutes, just enough time for the guests to move from the ceremony building to the reception building (same property), assuming that they'll meet others along their way that they want to catch up with. The meal should be served by 12:30 (30 minutes post ceremony).

We aren't having the traditional reception. There is no grand entrance, no garter toss, no bouquet toss, no first dance (or any dancing for that matter).

The biggest question is: Is anyone else foregoing a gap between ceremony/reception, a cocktail hour, and is having an earlier wedding? If so, when are you doing your photos? If the wedding was later, I would suck it up and do all photos beforehand, but there just won't be enough time that morning unless I'm up (and everyone else is too!) at 4 AM.

 

Danidawn20

I'm doing my pictures after the wedding. my timeline will be 4m ceremony, 5 pictures, and 6pm Cocktail then diner

rasp.berry

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-club-boards_june-2012-weddings_is-anyone-doing-formal-photos-after-the-reception?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding Club BoardsForum:3ae4d68d-f10a-4dec-8810-da13c14a7b86Discussion:16e99b92-8c0f-4318-8f36-5a1029308361Post:29462577-9ada-40d9-9bfc-d0d2d2843c6c">Re: Is anyone doing formal photos after the reception?</a>:
[QUOTE]I'm doing my pictures after the wedding. my timeline will be 4m ceremony, 5 pictures, and 6pm Cocktail then diner
Posted by Danidawn20[/QUOTE]

Which is pretty traditional. You've got a cocktail hour in there as well as a gap, both things we are not doing, as I mentioned above.

What I'm looking for is anyone who can relate to doing the photos after the ceremony AND reception. This would be approximately 3 hours after actually saying "I do".

MiksChick23

Given that our reception ends at midnight and most WP members may be feeling the affects of their alcoholic beverages...we will most definitely NOT be doing photos after.

Charlene John

My wedding will be at 10:30 with a lunch after.. I slotted 30 min after the ceremony for pics. I'm only having 13 guests and 6 ppl in the WP..so it shouldn't take much time. Hope this helps!

Urchin9

We kind of have the opposite issue. Our ceremony can't be until later (6pm) so we've opted to have our photos done before the ceremony...that way our guests won't have to wait until 9pm to eat... lol

Have you thought of doing pictures before? I know many couples don't want to see eachother until the ceremony...but it's still an option!

rasp.berry

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-club-boards_june-2012-weddings_is-anyone-doing-formal-photos-after-the-reception?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding Club BoardsForum:3ae4d68d-f10a-4dec-8810-da13c14a7b86Discussion:16e99b92-8c0f-4318-8f36-5a1029308361Post:5d5c93be-ec75-4205-9cba-4799ae57eedf">Re: Is anyone doing formal photos after the reception?</a>:
[QUOTE]We kind of have the opposite issue. Our ceremony can't be until later (6pm) so we've opted to have our photos done before the ceremony...that way our guests won't have to wait until 9pm to eat... lol Have you thought of doing pictures before? I know many couples don't want to see eachother until the ceremony...but it's still an option!
Posted by Urchin9[/QUOTE]

The issue with this is not having enough time to get ready... if we were to do photos before, we would need to begin them by 9 AM, meaning hair make up, etc will need to be done by then. I just don't see being able to coordinate everyone enough to be done by that time, and everything outside will still be wet with dew, and I wasn't really envisioning walking down the aisle in wet shoes and with a wet train :( Thanks anyway! We'll figure something out...

jfellows82

We're having a similar timeline/style as you...mass from 12-12:45; cheese and fruit platters from 1-1:30 and then lunch at 1:30.  

We're going to do as many of the formal pics with our separate families as we can before the ceremony.  Immediately after the ceremony we'll do the rest of the formal pics at the church.  Our reception ends at 4:30 and then just FI and I are going to do outdoor pics.  

Unless you want a huge amount of formal pics, I think it would be best to do them all between the ceremony and lunch.  Your guests will be fine as long as they have something to nibble on and drink.  And you'll have a much better time if you can sit back and relax and enjoy the meal.

Hope this helps!

caitlintaylor07

We are doing formal/family photos between the ceremony and reception. We are actually setting aside a time the next weekend to get all dressed up again and doing a bride/groom photo session.

precamies

we have no gap between the ceremony and the reception. and we decided that we do not want to see each other before I go down the aisle. so the photographer is coming at 5pm to take pics of me and the girls getting ready. then the ceremony at 6pm then the reception at 6:30pm (it's not a sit down dinner, but dessert reception with no assigned seating). during reception we will take pictures with whoever would like to have a shot with us as we socialize with them. the guests will leave between 8-8:30pm, so we will start taking couple's shots at 8pm until 9pm.

in your case I like the first option, because I wouldn't want to starve the family let them eat and then you can take care of the pictures when everyone has some more energy

MMRoberts11

My FI and I are doing a first look then we are doing most of the WP pics before the ceremony.  After the ceremony we'll do all the family pictures and finish up the WP pics before we go in for the reception.