Anna Burch Photography
CLIENT GUIDE
A NOTE ABOUT THIS GUIDE
Even if you're working with a wedding planner or you're planning a simple wedding on your own, there are likely still a lot of moving pieces left leading up to your big day.
Having photographed plenty of weddings over the past few years, I tend to get asked many of the same questions. So I thought it would be beneficial if I put together a little guide that walks you through all the important details. I’ve also added a questionnaire at the bottom of this guide. I ask that you copy and paste it into an email and send it back with your answers to anna.burch2@gmail.com. I will also set up a call for us to review any questions you have on this guide. Please fill out the questionnaire before our call!
WEDDING DAY TIMELINE
Whether you choose to do a first look or the traditional "no seeing each other before the ceremony" I will work closely with you on making sure that you have the best timeline and plan for images. Whether you’re planning a first look or sticking with tradition and not seeing each other until you walk down the aisle, I have a few tips to help make planning your timeline as easy as possible.
WEDDING DAY TIMELINE EXAMPLE - Without a First Look
You'll need to plan for about 30 minutes of pre-ceremony bridal photos and about 30 minutes of pre-ceremony groom photos at separate times. After the ceremony, you'll also need about 15-20 minutes of combined bridal party portraits, 20-30 minutes of family portraits, and 20-30 minutes of couple's portraits after the ceremony if you're not doing any portraits together until after you're married.
Photographer arrives, capture details and hair/makeup
Bride puts dress on
Bride + bridesmaids portraits
Head to groomsmen’s suite to capture details and final touches, tying ties, boutonniere pinning
Groom + groomsmen portraits
All pre-ceremony portraits conclude, leave for ceremony
Wedding party hidden, guests begin to arrive, photographers capture ceremony and reception details + decor
Ceremony begins
Family portraits
Bride + groom portraits
Entrance into reception
Dinner
Cake cutting and toasts
First dance, parent dances
Dance floor opens
Photographer departs
12:00
1:45
2:00
2:30
2:45
3:15
3:30
4:00
4:30
5:20
5:45
5:50
6:45
7:00
7:20
8:30
Wedding party portraits all together, cocktail hour begins for guests
4:50
WEDDING DAY TIMELINE EXAMPLE - With a First Look
If you're doing a first look, your couple photos and all the bridal party photos can be done before the ceremony taking an average total of 1 hour and 15 minutes pre-ceremony. Then we just need 30 minutes after the ceremony to capture all the family photos (although I also LOVE grabbing just the two of you after the family photos for a few extra bride and groom pics after you’re officially a married couple.)
Photographer arrives, capture details and hair/makeup
Bride puts dress on
Head to groomsmen’s suite to capture details and final touches, tying ties, boutonniere pinning
Leave for first look location
First look, bride + groom portraits
Wedding party portraits: bride + bridesmaids, groom + groomsmen, everyone together
Pre-ceremony portraits conclude, leave for ceremony
Wedding party hidden, guests begin to arrive, photographers capture ceremony and reception details + decor
Ceremony begins
Family portraits, cocktail hour begins for guests
Bride + groom portraits
Bride + groom portraits conclude, couple joins cocktail hour
Entrance into reception
Dinner
Cake cutting and toasts
First dance, parent dances
11:30
1:00
1:20
1:45
2:00
2:30
3:15
3:30
4:00
4:30
5:00
5:15
5:30
5:40
6:30
6:45
Dance floor opens
7:00
Photographer departs
8:00
When thinking about your wedding schedule, keep your ceremony time and the sunset time in mind. If you're planning a sunset ceremony or an evening ceremony, it's best to do most of the photos before the wedding, as daylight is crucial to getting amazing portraits for your families, bridal party and your couple portraits. Making sure we have enough time after the ceremony ends when the sun will still be out is vital to ensure that portraits are not rushed.
WEDDING DAY DETAILS
I love capturing all the little details you've carefully chosen to be a part of your wedding day! Once I arrive at your wedding, I need about 30 minutes to capture and style details. It would be wonderful if you could put all of your rings, jewelry, shoes, veil, perfume, invitations, vow books, and other keepsakes together in one spot for me so I can make sure to photograph all of the important little things without interrupting your hair and makeup process.
I recommend choosing a getting ready location filled with natural light and, if possible, keep the space free from trash and clutter so there's no distractions in your photos while you're finishing hair and makeup, and putting your dress on. You can designate a closet or corner for all your bridesmaids to keep their belongings so they aren’t in the background of the photos.
❐ Dress
❐ Dress Hanger
❐ Rings (both engagement and wedding bands)
❐ Shoes
❐ Veil
❐ Bouquet
❐ Hair pieces
❐ Jewelry
❐ Invitation ( 2 full sets with envelopes)
❐ Any other paper stationary you may have like program cards
❐ Any other sentimental keepsakes you would like to include
BRIDAL DETAILS CHECKLIST
CONSIDER UNPLUGGING
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If you've been to a wedding recently, you may have seen a sign from the happy couple asking for their guests to remain "unplugged" during the ceremony.
And while it might seem like a strange request to ask guests to put down their phones, there's a pretty good reason for it! You made a big investment in photography and I'm sure that one of the last things you want on your wedding day is for the photos of your ceremony to be filled with obtrusive iPhones, iPads and relatives standing in the aisle with their own cameras. In order to help me do the best possible job capturing your wedding, I recommend asking guests to unplug during the ceremony.
PHOTO TIMING
It is very important that we have good day light for the arranged photos. When deciding on ceremony timing, try to avoid having your ceremony be less than 2 hours before sunset, unless you plan on doing all your posed photographs before the ceremony. If we run out of natural light during your family, bridal party, or couple photos, we will have to use artificial light. The photos will still be really nice, but it won't be the same style of photos that you see on this page.
FAMILY FORMALS
This is a chance to photograph you with the members of your family. When I send out my pre-wedding questionnaire, I'll ask you for a list of specific groupings and special situations (such as divorces or handicapped family members & more). I’ve added some generic groupings below. I suggest focusing on immediate family during this time. During this process, I will be calling out different groups of family members to stand next to you for each photo. This process goes best when we can stick with the list you provided. It can get complicated if we go out of order and makes it harder for me to ensure we checked everyone off your list. Please do your best to be specific with this list. Consider things like this: In your larger group family photos, will that include a sibling’s significant other? If your parent is remarried and you have half siblings, do you want one large group photo with everyone or two separate arrangements? If all arrangements are listed, there will be no confusion or potential awkwardness when arranging these photos.
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If you plan to take your entire bridal party group photos after the ceremony, these family photos will start immediately after we finish. If you take your entire bridal party group photos before the ceremony, these family photos will take place immediately after the ceremony. It is essential that we have all listed family members present when we start family formals. It will significantly slow down these photos if we are trying to coral family members. Please tell the family members that will be in these photos to stay close by and make sure they’re present shortly after the ceremony.
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If you’d like to have photographs taken with extended family during this time, we can absolutely do that but we will need to extend the recommended time of 30 minutes. The reception is a great chance to get photographs of you and your extended family members, so if you plan to keep the formal photos to just immediate family, you can always get more casual candid photos with aunts, uncles, and cousins later in the evening.
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❐ Bride + Brides Mom
❐ Bride + Brides Dad
❐ Bride + Siblings
❐ Bride + Groom + Brides Mom + Brides Dad
❐ Bride + Groom + Brides Mom + Brides Dad + Siblings
❐ Bride + Groom + Brides Parents + Brides Siblings + Brides Grandparents
❐ Bride + Groom + Brides Grandparents
❐ Groom + Grooms Mom
❐ Groom + Grooms Dad
❐ Groom + Siblings
❐ Groom + Bride + Grooms Mom + Grooms Dad
❐ Groom + Bride + Grooms Mom + Grooms Dad + Siblings
❐ Groom + Bride + Grooms Parents + Grooms Siblings + Grooms Grandparents
❐ Groom + Bride + Grooms Grandparents
Please note that this list is just a starting point and that I'm happy to take any requested family portraits as long as time allows!
EXAMPLE FAMILY PORTRAIT LIST
ADDITIONAL TIPS
1. If you're getting married in the summer months, a snack or lunch before portraits is always a good idea for you and your bridal party to avoid hungry bellies.
2. If it's going to be hot, a cooler of cold waters and frozen washcloths can help keep a wedding party cool - especially if your men are wearing lots of layers.
3. Avoid wearing socks, hairties, or a bra on the morning of your wedding because the will leave marks on your skin. Remove apple watches or fitbits unless you’re purposely keeping them on for your wedding.
4. Keep your getting ready space free from trash and clutter so there's no distractions in your photos while you're finishing hair and makeup, and putting your dress on. You can designate a closet or corner for all your bridesmaids to keep their belongings so they aren’t in the background of the photos.
5. Make sure to have your bouquet delivered in time to make an appearance for the detail shots and for your first look.
I love capturing all the little details you've carefully chosen to be a part of your wedding day! Once I arrive at your wedding, I need about 30 minutes to capture and style details. It would be wonderful if you could put all of your rings, jewelry, shoes, veil, perfume, invitations, vow books, and other keepsakes together in one spot for me so I can make sure to photograph all of the important little things without interrupting your hair and makeup process.
I recommend choosing a getting ready location filled with natural light and, if possible, keep the space free from trash and clutter so there's no distractions in your photos while you're finishing hair and makeup, and putting your dress on. You can designate a closet or corner for all your bridesmaids to keep there belongings so they aren’t in the background of the photos.
6. Steam your dresses the night before so no one has to do it while you’re all trying to get ready.
7. If your reception is at a separate venue, we can add some "buffer time" so that I have a chance to run over to the venue to capture it once it is fully decorated and while it's still "untouched" by guests.
8. I always recommend the bride go into hiding at least 30 minutes before the ceremony at the absolute latest. Guests typically arrive early to weddings and I want to ensure you have a little time to rest, refresh, and prepare before you walk down the aisle.
9. During the cocktail hour and the reception, I like to be near you that way anytime you'd like a photo with someone, you can get photos with your guests too. I love being your personal paparazzi!
10. I love to help with planning your timeline to ensure all of the important moments are built in with plenty of padding time so you never feel rushed. We can work together to build the timeline, and I'm happy to share it with your other vendors so everyone is prepared and on the same page throughout the day!
11. Make sure to take a second to take it all in. Try to find time throughout your day to pause and be present.
PAYMENT
After you fill our the questionnaire, I’ll know the total number of hours you want to book me for and can give you the final total for my services. I can take payment in the form of cash or check and payment can be made on the day of the wedding. If you choose to make payment via check please make it out to “Anna Gagnon-Burch.” Arrangements can be made for electronic payments if absolutely necessary.
DELIVERY TURNAROUND
The average turnaround times for weddings are 6-8 weeks. I will do my best to send out a sneak peak a few days after the wedding! Sometimes I’ll post sneak peaks on my instagram, so please let me know if you’d like me to keep these off social media.
YOUR ONLINE GALLERY
When photos are ready, I will be sending you access to your gallery via email. When downloading your photos, I recommend downloading the ENTIRE gallery all at once, so you immediately have a copy of all your images! I also recommend saving this gallery in multiple places like onto a laptop/desktop and in the cloud. As you can imagine, I’ve heard horror stories of fried hard drives and unretrievable galleries. I always recommend saving your gallery in two places to avoid this. I only save select photos from each wedding gallery, so I will not have your full galleries. This means it is very important that you get them downloaded safely and backed up!
GALLERY EXPIRATION
I only keep these online galleries up for 1 month after the delivery date, so please download them before that window is up. And of course, if you have any issues with this site please let me know and I can walk you through the process.
YOUR FLASH DRIVE
In addition to your online gallery, I will be mailing you a flash drive with a second copy of your gallery for you to keep. Just to clarify, it is important to also have a copy of these photos saved elsewhere, not just on this flashdrive. If you plan on printing these images at a larger size, I recommend using the copies on the flashdrive since they are higher res images. Please let me know when you get images downloaded and when you receive the flashdrive, it should be sometime in the next few weeks! And if you have any questions at all please don’t hesitate to reach out.
SHARING YOUR IMAGES
You can also send the gallery link to friends and family so they can download images as well. Just make sure they download images before that 1 month window is up. You are also completely free to share your images wherever you would like! Whether it's on social media, printing them for your home, or sending to your friends, share away! I want you to treat your images like they're yours. Just keep in mind not to add filters or re-edit them in any way (cropping is totally okay!) Photo credit when posting is always so greatly appreciated!
QUESTIONNAIRE
Thank you so much for taking the time to fill out this questionnaire. If you have any questions, concerns, or need any help please feel free to text me (802-579-8988). You may have given me some of this information already but I like to confirm details in case anything has changed. If you are unsure of an answer feel free to leave it blank and we can discuss during our meeting. Please fill this out and send it back to me before our video call so I have time to review the details. The earlier that you are able to send this back, the more input and advice that I can give back from a photo-standpoint. I ask that you copy and paste this into an email and send it back with your answers to anna.burch2@gmail.com. I will also set up a call for us to review any questions you have on this guide. Please fill out the questionnaire before our call!
First & last names:
Wedding date:
Both of your phone numbers + one additional contact person's number:
Email addresses:
Mailing address:
Instagram handles if applicable:
What last name(s) will you each be taking once you're married:
Getting ready location for both bride and groom:
(Please specify if you would like this part of the day covered and if you’d like photos of just the bride or groom , both, or neither. Please note that if you’d like photos of both of you getting ready then I will need extra time to cover you both since there is only one of me.)
Ceremony address & type:
(Ex: field, church, under a tree, barn, lakeside. All details appreciated.)
Restrictions of the photographer during the ceremony if applicable:
(Ex: Stay out of the isle/front, no flash, moments of silence/prayers where shooting should pause.)
Reception address & type:
(Ex: tent, barn, reception hall. All details appreciated.)
Number of invited wedding guests:
Names of immediate family attending and relationship to you:
Are there any family circumstances I should be aware of:
Best man's name:
Maid of honor's name:
Names of bridesmaids:
Names of groomsmen:
Are there any other key people involved in the wedding:
Are you comfortable with me providing some poses and direction for photos or do you want me to be hands off for all moments and to keep it more documentary style:
Will the couple do a first look before the ceremony:
Any other special traditions or events happening during the ceremony I should know about:
Are you having any special events during the reception:
(Ex: First dance, father daughter/mother son dance, bouquet toss/garter toss.)
Will a vendor meal be provided:
(Please list the vendors used so I can credit them in photos if applicable.)
Bouquets/flowers:
Hair stylist:
Makeup artist:
Wedding dress & veil designer:
Caterer:
Wedding cake:
DJ/band:
Videographer:
Wedding planner or coordinator:
Any other vendors you'd like to give a shoutout too:
Planned method of payment:
(I can take payment in the form of cash or checks. If you choose to make payment via check please make it out to “Anna Gagnon-Burch.” Arrangements can be made if electronic payment is absolutely necessary. Payment can be made on the day of the wedding.)
Timeline of wedding (Please make as many adjustments to this timeline as you’d like. This is just the generic order of events. I know that timelines shift but please do your best to put the approximate times so I can help do my part to keep us on schedule. I am happy to help if you need any assistance with this section!)
Photographer Arrival Time:
Bride preparation:
Groom preparation:
First look and couple portraits (if doing a first look):
Bridal portraits:
Groomsmen portraits:
Pre-ceremony entire wedding party photos (if doing a first look):
Departure time to ceremony:
Ceremony start & approximate length:
Receiving line (if applicable):
Cocktail hour:
Entire bridal party photos (ideally 15 minutes unless doing before ceremony):
Family photos (ideally 30 minutes):
Couple's portraits (ideally 25 minutes, only 15 needed if doing a first look and couple photos before ceremony):
Reception:
General order of events for reception:
Couple send off (if applicable):
Photographer departure time:
Any other specific timeline details I should know about:
Family formals portrait list:
Please add your own family shot list below. Please make as many adjustments to this list as you’d like. These are just generic groupings as a starting point. Feel free to add or remove any combinations. Please also add the names of these individuals in the family list so it will be easier for me to call out family members. You can add their names in parentheses.
Bride + Brides Mom
Bride + Brides Dad
Bride + Siblings
Bride + Groom + Brides Mom + Brides Dad
Bride + Groom + Brides Mom + Brides Dad + Siblings
Bride + Groom + Brides Parents + Brides Siblings + Brides Grandparents
Bride + Groom + Brides Grandparents
Groom + Grooms Mom
Groom + Grooms Dad
Groom + Siblings
Groom + Bride + Grooms Mom + Grooms Dad
Groom + Bride + Grooms Mom + Grooms Dad + Siblings
Groom + Bride + Grooms Parents + Grooms Siblings + Grooms Grandparents
Groom + Bride + Grooms Grandparents
Thank you so much for choosing me to photograph your big day! I want you to know that I am here for you throughout wedding planning and am happy to help however I can! If you have any questions along the way, whether they are photography related or not, please feel free to reach out to me at any point. I hope this guide serves as a resource for you as you plan and prepare for your big day!
xoxo, Anna