The Wedding Day Timeline || Lynchburg, VA Wedding Photographer

There’s a lot of big decisions you’ll have to make for your wedding day- from caterers and bakers, to what dress you’re wearing, and who you want in your wedding party, etc. Yet, one of the most important decisions you’ll have to make is your wedding day timeline. You want to make sure you have enough time to ensure that you have the time set aside to get those wedding day photographs, to be able to capture the memories of your Dad seeing his little girl in her wedding dress, your Grandparents dancing together, or your groom seeing you for the first time!

Here are a few tips when prepping your wedding day time:

1- Remember, everything always takes longer than you expect. You may be expecting your ceremony to be 10-15 minutes, but also counting in the time it takes for everyone to say hi to each other, and walk over to the cocktail hour, it will most likely be closer to 30 minutes.

2- Check the time of sunset! Especially if you aren’t planning on doing a first look! I recommend scheduling the end time of your ceremony an hour before sunset so you have time for family portraits, photos with your wedding party, and of course time for pictures with your new hubby!

3- Make a list for family photos. Talk with your Mom, and your future mother-in-law so everyone is on the same page, and create a list of about 10 groupings for family photos. I recommend immediate family, grandparents, parents, siblings, etc! Then anything else can be captured at the reception!

4- Build in extra time. I usually recommend 30-45 minutes before the ceremony of “extra” time in case your hair or makeup is running late, a groomsmen forgets his tie and has to run back out to get it, etc!

5- Make sure you prioritize Bride and Groom portrait time! The day goes by in a blink and it’s easy to rush through these, but these are the photos that you’ll want to remember the day by!

Hope these tips helped you! I believe creating a great timeline is crucial to a successful wedding day that is stress free! Because of this, I include a custom timeline creation meeting with each and everyone of my couples!

Getting Ready Rooms || What to look for in your getting ready room for your photos!

I think you would be surprised to hear that one of the most overlooked, but important aspects of a wedding day, is the getting ready time. This time with your closest friends and family is something to truly cherish, and most likely, important moments that you want to have documented. But, often times, the getting ready room is not the perfect place for taking priceless photos!

As you are touring venues, keep a special eye out for the Bridal Getting Ready Space! Aim for a space that has at least one window, as well as plenty of room for you and your bridesmaids to not only hang out, but also to get ready! These rooms can fill up pretty quickly when everyone has their clothes, makeup, hair, snacks, etc!

Know that I will ask your bridesmaids to do a quick clean up before getting you in your dress- you don’t want to see reminders of old water bottles or snack bags in the background of you getting zipped up in your dress by your Mom, but a teeny tiny room can make that very difficult.

So, what happens if you fall in love with a venue, but the getting ready room isn’t anything to be excited about? It’s okay- I’ll just ask you to be a little flexible! Often times, especially for church weddings, the bridal room is a preschool classroom, filled with bight colors and plastic toys, so for this, I will actually have you do those final getting ready moments outside. I often look for a porch, a pretty doorway, or space outside that will help us get those gorgeous photos without the clutter and distraction!

Have questions about your getting ready space? Let me know & I’d love to help you get those dreamy photos you’re dying for!

Just got engaged.... Now what?! Creating a Wedding Inspiration Board

Did you just get engaged?! Congrats!! I know you’re feeling so excited… but maybe also a little overwhelmed and don’t even know where to begin with planning your wedding?! Trust me, I totally understand! There are so many big decisions to be made, which can seem impossible when you aren’t even sure what direction you want to go in! Which is why, I think the very first step that can be SO helpful is to create an inspiration board for your wedding! A mood board is simply a tool to help you visually create your wedding day. Creating a wedding mood board will help you to zero in on your wedding aesthetic, nail down your details, and even your style!

This isn’t where you are making all of your final decisions, so don’t worry about stressing about the perfect bridesmaids dresses, but instead draw inspiration from other weddings and images that you love. From here, you’ll be able to discover your palette, style, and design details! This should be not only how you want your wedding to look, but also how you want it to feel!

Help everyone be on the same page. Wether you’re creating a tangible mood board or electronic, being able to share and show friends, family, planners, and wedding vendors, will help everyone see your vision and help you to execute it!

The Virginian Hotel Wedding || Emily's Bridal Portraits

Oh I have been so excited to share Emily’s bridal portraits with you guys! We took these back when hurricane Florence was hitting the east coast, and everyone’s wedding and portrait plans got thrown for a loop! So we last minute changed up some plans and took her bridal portraits at The Virginian Hotel in downtown Lynchburg.

It was THE perfect place for her portraits- Emily made such a classy bride- the marble staircase at The Virginian was just the perfect backdrop! AND the rain held off so we were able to head outside for a few, and explore some of the other rooms in Virginian (how cool is their library?!)

Thanks again Emily for trusting me with these portraits for you! You are such a stunning bride!

---

Cat's Bridal: Bedford, Virginia Bridal Portraits

It was POURING as I drove out to meet Cat and her Mom at The Historic Avenel in Bedford, Virginia. Is there a word for more than pouring? Because that's exactly what it felt like! I was certain I was going to make it to the venue and we would have to reschedule, or do all the photos inside. The Avenel is beautiful inside, so we could have totally made it work, but the outside is beyond gorgeous! But, oh my goodness, it was meant to be because as I pulled onto Avenel Avenue, the rain stopped and the sun started shining! It turned into a beautiful evening- not too warm, the light! It was a night meant to be photographed! I loved it! Cat looked absolutely gorgeous in her bridal gown, and we had so much fun around the gorgeous property! 

Venue: The Historic Avenel in Bedford, Virginia

Makeup: Amanda McCoy in Lynchburg, Virginia

Hair: Jagged Edge in Forest, Virginia

Bridal Gown: Becky's Bridal in Buena Vista, Virginia

---

Ashley Eiban is a Wedding & Portrait Photographer based in Central Virginia. Serving the Lynchburg, Charlottesville, Richmond, and surrounding areas. Available for travel world-wide.  Ashley is passionate about cultivating genuine relationships built on mutual understanding, trust and lasting friendship.  

Currently booking a limited number of wedding and portrait sessions for 2019. Interested in learning more? Inquire here! 

---