2024 Wedding Guide by Kaitlyn Chabot

WEDDING GUIDE

I’M KAITLYN

I’m so happy you’re here! Here’s what you should know & expect from me!

I’m Kaitlyn, your 23-year-old Swiftie, Marvel nerd, and carb & cheese lover I’ll be there to capture your love & all of the special moments from getting ready to go down the aisle or getting down on the dance floor at the end of the night I’ll always provide the best service throughout your wedding planning, wedding day, and beyond

In this guide, you’ll learn about my process as your wedding photographer so you can know what to expect from me We’ll go over FAQ, timeline help and samples, and other tips you should consider when planning your big day!

My experience and expertise are not limited to photography, I graduated in May 2023 with a degree in Graphic Design from Johnson & Wales University in RI. With my designer's eye, I can help you create a perfectly designed & cohesive wedding day to fit your vibe & aesthetic But more on that later.

5-Questionnairesent4+ weeksbeforewedding

6-Remainingbalancepaid &finalcall

7-WeddingDay!!

9-Sneakpeekssent within48-72hours

10-Fullgallerysenton onemonthanniversary

ALL OF THE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

SECONDSHOOTERS

I typically recommend including second shooters for long wedding days, or if you are getting ready in different locations. This is a great way to capture different angles so that no moment goes uncaptured.

ENGAGEMENTSESSIONS

Engagement sessions are great way to get to know you before the big day and this way you have the opportunity to include these photos on your save the dates. These sessions are about an hour long with 30 edited photos in an online gallery. I have a whole blog post on my website on what to expect during engagement sessions, check it out!

MY DESIGN SERVICES

Having a expert in this process is just another way to make sure your day is elegant and beautiful as possible. So, if you want my help creating a custom wedding logo, invites, signage or anything in particular I would love to help, I'll offer my opinions on what you ' re creating or we can work together to create something that fits your vision!

We will work together on what your overall vision is, curate a Pinterest board, and send ideas back and forth. Then I will work up a few designs for you to pick from and send you a link to view. We’ll make any necessary tweaks and I will send you the final files. Then it’s a step and repeat process for any other signage/items you want designed.

After finalizing all of our designs, we can work on getting them printed at a professional printer I can work with you on finding the right product that fits your needs typically through VistaPrint to make it easy.

The

timeline

A daunting but yet important task made simple with my experience! We’ll work together to create the perfect timeline for your day.

QUESTIONAIRE

I will send over a questionnaire for you to complete before the wedding. The questionnaire you receive will help me develop a timeline that best fits your needs but still gives us time for all the photos.

Remember that timelines should have built in cushion time for any surprises because trust me, things happen.

TIMELINEEXAMPLES

On the next pages you will find two wedding timeline examples, one with a first look and one without one, all at one ceremony/reception space. If your ceremony & reception are at different places, you’ll need to allocate time for travel & parking, which I will be more than happy to assist you with!

SAMPLE TIMELINE 1

with a first look - each is different depending on sunset/ceremony time

1 pm - Photographer arrives

1:30 pm - Detail Photos

2:00 pm - Getting Ready Photos

2:30 pm - Bride gets into her dress

3:00 pm- First Look

3:10 pm - Family Formals

3:30 pm - Wedding Party Formals

3:45 pm - Couple Portraits

5 pm - Ceremony

5:30 pm - Cocktail Hour Starts

6:30 pm - Reception Starts

7:00 pm - Dinner

7:30 pm - Optional Sunset Couple Photos

8:00 pm - Open Dance Floor

9:30 pm - Photographer Leaves

SAMPLE TIMELINE 2

with NO first look - each is different depending on sunset/ceremony time

2:45 pm - Photographer arrives

3 pm - Detail Photos

3:30 pm - Getting Ready Photos

4 pm - Bride gets into the dress

4:30 pm - Detail photos of ceremony/reception space

5 pm - Ceremony Start Time

5:30 pm - Cocktail Hour Starts

5:45 pm - Family Formals

6:05 pm - Wedding Party Formals

6:20 pm - Couple Portraits

7:00 pm - Reception Starts

7:30 pm - Dinner

8:00 pm - Open Dance Floor

9:00 pm - Photographer leaves

WHY SHOULD YOU DO A FIRST LOOK?

Just my opinion, each wedding day, couple, and love story is different so plan your day out how you see fit!

You get to share an intimate moment alone with your partner! You can also take this time to read personal vows to each other or exchange gifts. 1.

2. Share your excitement and anxiety about the day together! Soak in these moments with each other before you walk down the aisle and seal the knot!

3. This also frees up time for later in the day by taking family, wedding party, and couples photos instead of doing them during cocktail hour Now you can spend more time with your guests!

Thedetails

You put a lot of time and effort into your wedding day. Down to every last detail, I want to capture these important pieces for you. Detail photos are typically the first thing I'll capture during the day. Plan to pack a box in advance ready to hand off to me when I arrive.

DETAIL ITEMS

Please have these all in a box for me when I arrive & Please note that not everything in this list needs to be there, do what best fits you and your day

Invitation suite ( 2 of each if possible invite, envelope, save the date)

shoes

rings ( engagement & wedding band)

ring boxes

jewelry ( bracelet, necklace, earrings )

hair pieces

veil

vow books

perfume/cologne

bouquet flowers

tie, tie clip

pocket square

watch cuff links

ADDITIONALLY

If there are any textured/sentimental details to your relationship that you love that you feel would make great accent items to your detail shots then feel free to throw those in there too!

Please have your dress on a nice hanger. If you didn’t buy one specifically for it, that’s okay! Any nice wooden hanger will do just fine. And I will typically bring a wooden hanger.

I love to incorporate floral in my detail shots. If at all possible, please ask your florist if there are any leftover florals that I can use in these photos.

GETTINGREADY

After I am done shooting these details, I will start taking photos of you getting ready! I typically won’t shoot while you are actually getting your makeup & hair done because let’s be honest, no one wants photos of themselves with their hair half curled and one eye of makeup done lol. Consider a robe, cute pjs, or even a button up, whatever’s your vibe, there’s tons of options out there!

GETTINGREADYSPACE

If you have a venue that allows you to get ready in their designated suite & and space, that’s awesome! If not, try to be intentional about choosing a getting-ready location for you & and your bridal party. The space can set the mood and vibe for your photos so try and choose a space with natural lighting and a clean background that has space for a lot of people to move about.

If you are staying in a hotel, try and get a suite so it’s large enough for everyone or 2 rooms so one can be cleaner and just for us to use for when you get ready.

During these photos, I will do my best to face you towards any windows for natural light as photos in this lighting always look better than the yellow overhead lighting in most spaces.

The

ceremony

The best time to plan for your ceremony is two hours before sunset!

We want all of the light we can get to capture all of the family, wedding party, and couples photos! You can plan for this by googling the sunset on your wedding date and working from there.

CHURCHCEREMONY

If you are having your wedding inside a church, please discuss with your priest/pastor beforehand if your photographer is allowed to use flash during the ceremony as churches can be very dark. Please let me know of any restrictions I should be aware of beforehand as well!

IFITRAINS

Sometimes we can’t always plan for everything to be perfect on a wedding day and it may rain! This can be hard if you are planning for an outdoor ceremony. If so, please make sure that your venue can accommodate for a indoor ceremony space. I also always bring a clear umbrella with me so you don’t need to worry about having your couple photos taken inside. As long as the two of you are okay with embracing the rain for a little, I’m down to get wet so you get gorgeous photos!

Sometimes magic can happen too, it had rained on this couples day but the venue had a perfect window that could open up, making for some gorgeous and unique portraits of the newlyweds.

THECEREMONY

During the ceremony, I recommend that you hold each other's hands to really embrace the moment together. Also, when it comes time for your first kiss, I recommend that you ask your officiant to step out of the way & off to the side. It’s also super important to not just give each other a quick peck, but to hold the kiss for at least 10 seconds so I can be sure to get the shot. Once you are officially pronounced married, I also recommend stopping for another kiss either mid-way down the aisle or at the end of the aisle.

AFTERTHECEREMONY

After the ceremony is over, typically your venue coordinator will have a designated spot for you & your bridal party to go after the ceremony is done. Cocktail hour begins typically right after the ceremony, which is when we will take more photos with your family, bridal party, or couple photos, depending on the day and if you did a first look, etc.

FAMILYFORMALS

After the ceremony is when we will typically photograph family photos unless you did a first look, in which case it may be before the ceremony. This is the time we will photograph family photos with grandparents, extended family, etc. Please make sure that the people you want to get photos with stay put after the ceremony is over, I typically only have twenty minutes for these photos so as long as everyone is one space, we can get these done nice and quick!

I also recommend designating a bridesmaid or a family member to help gather people during this time.

THESHOTLIST

I will send over a questionnaire for you to complete a little over 1 month before the wedding for you to complete. This is for you to list all of the family groupings that you want photographed. Having everyone’s names makes the process go by much smoother, Instead of shouting out ‘ bride with dad & step-mom’ I can just say ‘Anna with Steve & Cheryl.’ It’s key to keep this portion of the day as short & sweet as possible, so we can leave the rest of the day to enjoy it & party!

OTHERGROUPPHOTOS

If you have any additional photo groups you want captured. i.e: you with your college friends, etc. Please so your best to let me know. These are typically taken during the reception. The best way to get these photos taken during reception is by coordinating this with the DJ: having the couple either at your sweetheart table or seated in the middle of the dance floor, with each table number called up to take a group photo with you while a song is playing. This ensures that you’ll essentially get a photo with everyone at your wedding!

WEDDINGPARTY

After the family photos are done, I like to do photos of the full wedding party. We will start with the full group, then split off if we have a second shooter. If not then I will be getting group photos and photos of you with each of your bridal party members.

COUPLEPHOTOS

This is where the magic happens! If possible, I try to typically set aside 30-45 minutes to take as many photos of the two of you as possible. Sometimes this is during sunset, after your first look, or after your ceremony. It just depends on how you want the day to go.

I already have my set list of poses and prompts for all of my couples but if you have any specific shots you want of the two of you, please send me your Pinterest board ahead of time so I can do my best to capture those for you.

The

reception

This part of the day is typically coordinated by your venue coordinator and DJ with these important events like your grand entrance, speeches, first dance, cake cutting, etc. Each venue is a little different so let me know what the general timeline will look like for this portion of the day beforehand

RECEPTIONTIMELINE

This is typically how a reception runs, this needs to be coordinated with your DJ as they are in control for this portion of the night! ( So make sure you get a great DJ ;)

Your family & wedding party will be introduced The newlyweds will be introduced!! When you walk in, have fun with it!! This is the best time to go straight into your first dance

After your first dance, you can either go straight into parent dances or speeches, depending on how you want to do things! Or if you have a certain tradition, etc do it at this time before dinner is served. My personal favorite is to head to speeches, and save parent dances for after dinner- it’s a great way to get the dance floor going after dinner!

Once your venue starts the dinner service, you can sit back and relax at this time

Or, you can do your cake cutting!

Or, you can have your DJ play a song & every table is called to the dance floor/ your table to take a photo with you!

How you want your reception to run is up to YOU so just do whatever you think is best and let me know!

RECEPTIONDETAILS

Typically I will try to arrive early to your reception space and take photos of the space and all of the details. Coordinate accordingly with your DJ & venue coordinator beforehand to make your reception run smoothly. It’s also important to ask them to turn off any colorful lighting, strobe lighting, and any other distracting lighting. And to ONLY leave on the warm, ambient lighting for the entrance, first dance, any special parent dances, and during cake cutting.

DINNER

Nobody wants photos of their mouths full so this is the time I will be eating too. It’s also important that I eat when you’re eating so the rest of the evening can flow smoothly. This is so I am not running late to your cake cutting, dance party starting, speeches, etc. Please coordinate this with your venue coordinator ahead of time if possible please!

PARTYTIME

After dinner time, let’s get dancing, I am here to hype you up on the dance floor, sing and dance my heart along all night!

There are so many fun things to do during this time as well, bouquet toss, dances with the DJ, let me know if you want to incorporate other fun events during your party time as well.

Unless we discussed it in depth, I will typically leave your reception about 1 hr- 1.5 hrs into the dancing- it varies to every wedding timeline. I find that I can get a great variety of shots during this time frame of people dancing and having a blast.

As long as your DJ is cranking out some good tunes and theres a good mix of people having fun on the dance floor, I’ll be grabbing the shots. At the end of the night, I will grab you both to say a quick thank you and goodbye.

SERIOUSLYTHOUGH

You don’t have to be traditional or "stick to the book", do whatever the heck you want it’s YOUR wedding! Don't get wrapped up in what's best for others because this is about you two as a couple and the memories you want to make on your wedding day!

2024 Wedding Guide