Last week, I addressed whether you should do a first look at your wedding. Another question that I receive quite often is in regards to wedding timelines. More specifically, brides and grooms want to know how much time they should set aside for the fun wedding party photos. For simplicity, I’m going to focus on wedding ceremonies and receptions that take place in Chicago when I answer that question today.
Most people set aside about 2 hours for wedding party photos in Chicago. That usually gives us enough time to go to three locations in the city. Keep in mind that traffic could be moving at a crawl on a Saturday afternoon, and the fact that you’ll be in a limo or trolley will slow things down even more. I can help you brainstorm ideas and locations, and we can try to plan out a route that makes the most sense depending on the locations of your ceremony and reception. When we figure out locations and a route, make sure you communicate it to the driver of your limo or trolley! If your driver knows where he or she is going, it takes the pressure off of either you or me to navigate them around the city.
Since Chicago traffic can become ridiculous on a pleasant Saturday afternoon, I always try to stay with the wedding party in the limo, trolley, etc. Driving separately creates a whole new set of issues – we could get separated, you could be standing around waiting while I try to find parking, and I wouldn’t be able to get fun candid photos of you and your friends in the limo/trolley and in between locations.
When planning locations, don’t forget that some locations aren’t the most easily accessible. I can help you with these details, too, but it can take a chunk of time to get to locations like Navy Pier or the Adler Planetarium which aren’t exactly located in the heart of the city. Yet other locations might require your driver to drop you off and circle until you’re done with pictures, so make sure you someone in your party has the phone number for the driver, not just the limo company!
Often, we’ll end up stopping in random, unexpected spots that are completely unplanned. There might be an alley with some great light, a wall with really cool graffiti, or even the middle of the street! Chicago is a fantastic city, and there’s never a shortage of fun locations and backdrops for fun wedding photos.
Finally, I’ll never ask you to leave your friends and family during your reception, but I’ll gladly come along if you want to sneak outside for a bit to take some nighttime portraits! If you have any questions about how much time you’ll need for wedding photos, feel free to shoot me an email here. And don’t forget to have some fun while you’re running around the city taking photos!
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Great images, love the ferris wheel !
Gorgeous photos! I just love looking at wedding photos. My personal favorite is the one in the middle of the street.