Pro Tip: Want to know the must have piece of the puzzle for flawless altar family photos at church?
Even though I prefer how beautiful skin tones look outside for family photos, I know that your mom or grandma won’t stop about the tradition of the altar photos at your church to match their own. And I respect their wishes. And I have flash to help.
BUT we all need to have an understanding about TIME.
The number one question you need to be asking your church contact is “What time is the next event after our wedding service?” Often times there is a 4 o’clock mass or another wedding following your own on a busy Saturday at your parish. And I’m here to tell you that time in between you and the next sometimes only leaves 15 minutes for altar time. And that’s simply not enough.
It’s THE WORST feeling for a priest to be telling us we have to leave mid-family photo time on the altar. And I’ve had it happen plenty of times from couples not understanding the time restrictions and planning necessary for the next church event. I’m here on the forefront to try and prevent these moments from happening to you!!
Great news if you’re still reading this…I have the exact time science of how many minutes it will take from walking down the aisle as the new Mr. & Mrs., to getting on the limo after completing dozens of wedding party and family photos indoors, to be able to know what time to set your ceremony.
It’s a question I get often, and I’m breaking down my answer here.
Let’s work backwards from the time of the next event at church. We are going to use an example of a 4 o’clock mass following your wedding service.
4 o’clock mass means we all need to be out of the church by 3:30. You like this time too because you get to go party on your limo now ;)
To be done by 3:30, we need to be starting family photos by 3:00. Cue my Army General voice as I will lead your troops through this front haha
To be starting family photos by 3:00, your end-of-ceremony time needs to be by 2:30. Trust me when I say it will take 15 minutes for you and all guests to walk down the aisle to empty the church, receive some Yay You’re Married Hugs, and another 10 minutes to get your family and wedding party back up to the altar for photos all accounted for. This also accounts for when we find Grandpa Sal had to pee and we need to hang on one sec.
Now you can do the math for ceremony start time based on the length of service your priest will conduct.
In conclusion, you can see why you want to buffer 90 minutes of time in between your end of ceremony to the beginning of the next church event. Happy planning!!