Planning a wedding is a lot of small decisions made in the right order. Get the big pieces in place early and everything after becomes easier. Below is the simple timeline we share with our couples, followed by one decision that removes a surprising amount of stress on the day: booking your photographer and videographer as one team.
12 to 18 months before: the big decisions
Start with your budget and a rough guest list, because together they decide which venues are realistic. Then choose your date and book your venue. As soon as the venue is confirmed, book the suppliers who can only be in one place on your date: your photographer, your videographer and, if you want one, your band or DJ. Popular summer Saturdays often book 9 to 18 months ahead, so these are worth securing early.
If you're planning a traditional or multicultural celebration, such as an African traditional ceremony followed by a white wedding, or an Asian wedding with a mehndi, ceremony and reception, decide early which events need coverage. It shapes your budget and your supplier bookings.
9 to 12 months before: shape the day
Choose your outfits, caterer, florist and cake maker, and book your registrar or celebrant. For a civil ceremony in England and Wales you'll both need to give notice of marriage at your local register office at least 29 days before the wedding, and appointments can book up, so plan ahead. This is also a good time to book a pre-wedding or engagement shoot: it gives you great photos for your invitations and lets you get comfortable in front of the camera.
6 to 9 months before: guests and logistics
Send save-the-dates or invitations, sort accommodation for travelling guests, and arrange transport. Think about how guests will move between your ceremony and reception if they're in different places, and share the plan with your photographer and videographer so travel time is built into your coverage.
3 to 6 months before: the details
Confirm menus, music and readings, book hair and make-up trials, and choose your first-dance song. Write your family photo list now: name each group and who's in it. Ten well-planned groups take far less time than twenty improvised ones, and your guests will thank you.
1 to 3 months before: lock in the timeline
Build your on-the-day timeline with your venue, then share it with every supplier. Good timelines leave breathing room: time for getting ready, a buffer before the ceremony, 20 to 30 minutes for couple portraits, and enough light for outdoor photos. Check sunset time for your date if you'd like golden-hour portraits. Confirm final numbers, the seating plan and any cultural moments your photographer and videographer must not miss.
The final week
Reconfirm arrival times with suppliers, hand the family photo list to a confident friend who knows both families, pack an emergency kit, and then step back. Your suppliers have it covered.
Why booking one team for photo and film makes it easier
Most couples now want both photographs and a wedding film. You can book them separately, but booking one team that does both has real advantages.
One timeline, one plan. You only explain your day once. The photographer and filmmaker plan together beforehand, so they know who covers what during the ceremony, speeches and first dance.
No one in each other's shot. Separate suppliers who have never met often compete for the same spot at the same moment. A team that works together regularly knows how to move around each other, so your photos don't have a camera operator in the background and your film doesn't have a photographer blocking the aisle.
A consistent look. Your photos and film are colour-graded in the same style, so everything feels like it belongs to the same day.
Less time away from your guests. Couple portraits are planned once and shot together, rather than doing the same walk twice for two different suppliers.
One point of contact. One booking, one contract, one set of questions and one person to call on the morning of the wedding.
Better value. Booked separately, our full-day photography and cinematic film would be £1,600 each. Our Photo & Film Combo is £3,000 and also includes an engagement session and priority editing.
When separate suppliers can make sense
If you've fallen in love with a particular photographer and a particular filmmaker who don't work together, it can still work well. Introduce them early, share one timeline, and ask them to speak before the day. The key is making sure they plan as one team, even if they aren't one.
Planning your photo and film coverage
Whichever route you choose, a few small decisions make a big difference: ask your officiant whether you can have an unplugged ceremony so guests' phones aren't in every shot, make sure the speeches are near a microphone so the film has clean sound, and keep the portrait time in your timeline even if the day runs late.
If you're marrying in Telford, Shropshire or the West Midlands and would like one team for both, see our wedding photographer in Telford page, or get in touch with your date and venue.