Afternoon Wedding | Cayleigh + Mitchell | Timeline Hack

Heading into my meeting with Cayleigh + Mitchell, we had no set schedule in plan, starting from scratch for their timeline. We knew the ceremony was going to be 2:00. As we started brainstorming the idea of a first look came up. First looks have many advantages including getting lots of photos down pre-ceremony!

Cayleigh + Mitchell's church is out in Bartlett, off a not very pretty main road. When they decided on a first look, I asked them, "where?" And when I ask where, I mean WHERE! It could be anywhere you want. If we have freedom of time, then why stay constricted to a brick church with an asphalt parking lot? "We could go to Shelby farms!" Cayleigh exclaimed and so I started typing away. Questions that follow are, "Should we do wedding party photos at Shelby farms too? How long is the drive from Shelby Farms to the church? Family photos before or after the ceremony?"

What we created was a timeline that gave enough time for us to get there and back. Such an awesome way to have beautiful location mid-day.

I alway request at least 10-15 minutes with the couple after the ceremony even with a first look prior. There is something so special about those first moments of husband and wife. The weight of wedding planning, anticipating, and pressure is just OFF all of the sudden; They just get to hold each other and breathe it in! Cayleigh and Mitchell were excited about this part, but the timeline just wasn't adding up on how many family photos we needed and how quickly they needed to head into to the reception. Even if we did squish in 10 minutes, it was again going to be outside in the best spot we could find around the church.

So then I pitched,"What if we took y'all's portraits AFTER the reception?!" I've done this a couple times, but tossing the idea out can seem almost too unconventional for certain couples, but Cayleigh + Mitchell both grabbed the idea. "YES! I like that idea!" And with that, we could literally go anywhere in the city we wanted! Mitchell had an internship downtown, and suggested we take some down on Main street and around that area. This stirs my little creative heart round. It's the intimacy and excitement of the wedding day, with the chill and freedom of an engagement shoot. What more could you ask for? So next time you are stumped by a wedding's location, pitch out some wild timeline ideas, pick a part the wedding day and re build it. Its not that the couple wants it that way, they just haven't been given other options. Below I have attached the timeline from Cayleigh + Mitchel's wedding, as well as my very favorites from our time downtown!

WHEN

WHAT/WHO

WHERE