INDIAN WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY TIMELINE
Indian weddings are filled with vibrant & cultural events that last over a few days. Ceremonies like Mehndi, Haldi, and Sangeet play a very vital role in the overall celebrations.The culmination of these events is the wedding day. This day itself comprises several important moments are influenced by culture & religion are responsible in creating a beautiful, mesmerizing celebration reflectant of Indian culture. It is crucial to have a predefined wedding timeline such that all the major events are able to run smoothly & as per how you would want the wedding to be. Here is an example of the grand Indian Wedding & Photography Timeline that allows for the major moments while incorporating the efforts & time required for capturing your beautiful moments.
5:00 am – Bridal Party Makeup and Hair Starts (2-3 Hours)
Makeup & Hair is usually the most underestimated aspect of the wedding day as far as carving out the dedicated time is concerned. The process could take from around 1.5 to 4 hours on the basis of the style. Therefore, you should make sure that you are allowing enough time post your consultation with the professional makeup artist and hair stylist. Photographers and videographers at this point usually document images of details in the room. Therefore, they should be scheduled for arriving when the event is quite close to completion.
7:00 am – Professional Photographers Arrive, Click Detailed Photos (45 minutes approx)
7:45 am – In Depth Hair & Makeup
7:45 am – Preparation Portraits -30 minutes approx.
This is the time when the photographer will capture images of the finishing touches given to your hair & makeup, groomsmen and relatives, candids of bridesmaids, as the Bride & Groom prepare for the big day. It is the right time for exchanging gifts as well.
8:15 am – Wedding Individual Portraits (around 45 minutes)
The photographers would like to capture some images of both the Bride as well as the Groom right before they are headed out to the first shoot location. The given small interval of time is the right moment for grabbing individual portraits.
8:45 am – Photographs of Leaving the Room for the First Look
8:50 am – First look of the Couple which covers photography and videography | around 30 Minutes
The first-ever look tends to be an intimate moment that the photographer aims at capturing for you to reminisce the same forever. After shooting the first look photography and videography, you can go to the daytime photography session wherein the photographer would take the wedding portraits. It is vital to allow abundant time for the given session as this is wherein the large number of the portraits will be shot.Video will also be present from start to finish.
9:20 am – Epic Bridal Party Images | around 50 Minutes
The given time allotment serves to be useful for the bridesmaids & the groomsmen. For bridal parties, ample time should be given for the given photo session. This is because rounding up people would take more time. For recommendations on how to measure the same, check out the Wedding Photography Timeline. The photographer would take images of you along with the bridesmaids, photographs of the groom & his groomsmen, images with your bridesmaids, group photographs of the entire party and individual images with each of groomsmen as well.
9:30 am – Setting up of the Ceremony Site
9:40 am – Ceremony Detail Photography (around 30 Minutes)
When your bridal party images are being shot and after the setup of the ceremony, the second photographer would capture images of the location of the ceremony along with its details. Here are a few stills of South Asian wedding Mandap to inspire you.
10:10 am – The Bride hides away for the Baraat
During this event, the bride is expected to return to the room.More individual pictures of the bride can be shot at this event.
10:15 am – The procession of the Baraat
The procession begins when the groom rides on the horse. The groom’s side of the family and his guests dance and make their way to the main site of the ceremony. Typically it takes around 30 minutes. Take a look and enjoy a few of our favorites grand procession of the Baraat.
10:45 am – The Arrival of the Baraat at the Entrance of the Ceremony
10:45 am – Milni Ceremony (around 20 Minutes)
Once the Baraat arrives at the site of the wedding, the groom greets the family of the bride for the Milni ceremony. Before the groom arrives at the main Mandap, he is supposed to remove his shoes. The unique Joota Chupai Ceremony starts and the family of the bride steals and hides the shoes of the groom which he has to buy back from them.
11:10 am – Walking of the Groom into the Mandap
The priest offers prayers to Lord Ganesha to bless the auspicious occasion. To know more about the Ganesha Puja tradition here.
11:20 am – Entrance of the Bride
The bride arrives for the wedding ceremony. She is escorted to the Mandap by bridesmaids or the maternal uncle. This is traditionally known as Kanya Aagaman translating to “the bride’s arrival.”
11:30 am – The Wedding Ceremony Commences (around 1 Hour)
The Wedding Ceremony as per the Indian traditions is known to consist of several different traditions & rituals. Here are some of them:
- Varmala
- Kanyadaan
- Vivaah Homa
- Hastmelap
- Mangalsutra
- Granthi Bandhanam
- Saptapadi or Mangal Fera
- Kalasha
- Laaja Homam
- Kansar Bhakshan
- Ashirwad
12:45 pm – Ceremony Ends
The Wedding Ceremony comes to an end 12:45 pm.The Vidaai (around 5-10 Minutes) soon follows.It is the moment when the family of the bride bids her farewell and she leaves with the groom. Know more about the significance of the Vidaai in Indian Wedding.
1:00 pm – Wedding Lunch ( around 1 Hour)
12:50 pm – Get together or Family Formals (around 45 Minutes )
The wedding guests eat lunch. This is the optimal time to take formal family photographs with the immediate and extended family. We highly recommend you assign a family member with the list of various family group and individual pictures. We highly recommend putting elders, grandparents and people that need assistance on top of the list.
1:30 pm – Photography Session of the Couple (around 45 Minutes)
The photography session of the couple serves to be another great opportunity for the photographer to capture some more pictures as a wedding couple.
2:15 pm – Downtime for the Bride & Groom
2:45 pm – Hair Re-Do / Makeup Touch-Up for the Reception (around 1 Hour and 15 Minutes)
The photography and videography crew will capture the details as well as the preparation shots of the outfit changes for the reception. Therefore, it is vital to have all the given details all at a single place.
4:00 pm – Getting Ready for Reception (around 15 Minutes)
4:15 pm – Wedding Family Portraits (around 45 Minutes)
The given event serves to be another opportunity for getting images with the family members in the respective formal wear for the grand reception. It is crucial to give ample time for all the images you wish to have.
5:00 pm – Cocktail & Guest Detailing Photographs (around 45 Minutes)
5:30 pm – Wedding Cocktail Hour (around 1 Hour)
Here, the guests arrive at the venue for the reception and start interacting with each other. Usually, the bride & the groom might not attend the given cocktail hour as they are away capturing more photographs in the respective reception attire.
5:00 pm – Couple Session Photography for the Reception (around 1 Hour)
Here, we try getting some exclusive sunset or nighttime shots. These are our signature look at P.Taufiq Photography. Make sure that you allow ample time. We encourage getting photos of only the bride & the groom in the wedding reception hall before the arrival of the guests. We aim at getting epic shots after which you are able to attend the cocktail hour.
5:45 pm – Reception Details Photography (around 45 Minutes)
6:45 pm – Reception Doors Open
7:00 pm – Reception Grand Entrance
7:00 – 9:30 pm Programming, Performances, Dinner, Speeches
Now, the reception is allotted for all sorts of programming you might have planned. Most of the times, in a typical Indian Wedding, there are several dancing performances by family members, performers, and professional. This is a great time for family speeches and events like the Maid of Honor & the Best Man. This is when we capture another big moment of the night.. the first dance.
9:30 pm – Opening of the Dance floor for the Guests
Check out our list of favorite DJs for the Wedding Reception DJs.
10:00 pm – Sneaking Away Photography Session (around 20 Minutes)
It serves to be the last session for the couples photography. We set up the shot and sneak you away for a quick photoshoot. As it is completely dark by now, we aim at capturing the closing moments of the wedding day. It is great to come across locations that have interesting lighting & landscapes. Elements like cityscapes, mirrored rooms, bodies of water and fountains reflect light excellently.
10:30 pm – Cake Cutting Ceremony
Our goal is to capture the couple with their wedding cake and cutting the cake
10:45 pm – Continued Dancing
Conclusion of the Wedding Reception
As the wedding reception ends, you might opt to ensure a grand exit in the Indian Wedding Timeline.
Know more about the grand Indian Wedding Photography & Indian Wedding Timeline Videography.
P.Taufiq Photography
Bold, inspired and passionate. A team of high skilled photographers and videographers from Boston that travel internationally to make weddings come to life. The experience is unlike any other and no wedding day is complete without having PTaufiq Photography make sure your memories are captured in a creative and beautiful way. Give us a call today and we’ll tell you how we will make your wedding day even better.
