Wedding Planning Guide for Your Photography

You're booked. Now let's make sure your day is everything it should be.

Congratulations and thank you for trusting me with your wedding day. I genuinely cannot wait.

This page has everything you need to plan your day well. I've been to a lot of weddings, and more than most people will ever attend in a lifetime and I've put together everything I wish every couple knew before theirs.

Read through at your own pace, come back to it as your day takes shape, and please reach out any time if you have questions. No question is too small. I've heard them all.

Recommended Vendors

These are the people I trust and genuinely love working with. Every vendor on this list has been at a wedding with me - I've seen them work, I know how they treat couples, and I'd recommend them without hesitation.

Orange Wedding Photographer | Wedding Photographer Near Me
Orange Wedding Photographer | Wedding Photographer Near Me

Golden Hour and Portraits

Golden hour is the hour of soft, warm light just before sunset. It's the most flattering light there is - it makes skin glow, colours sing and portraits look genuinely extraordinary. Worth planning your whole day around. Here's how it works:

Most ceremonies are scheduled between 3pm and 4.30pm for exactly this reason - it gives us enough time after the ceremony for portraits during golden hour.

In summer, sunset is late - which means splitting portraits into two sessions. One set straight after the ceremony, and a second shorter set later in the evening where I'll sneak you away from the reception for about 15 minutes. Worth every second.

In winter, sunset comes earlier - which means making sure we have enough time after the ceremony for portraits. At least 30 minutes, ideally an hour.

Noon sun is the most challenging light to photograph in - harsh, high contrast and unflattering. If you're planning a lunchtime wedding we'll work with shade - beautiful big trees are your best friend. Sunglasses off for portraits please!

Overcast days are actually a gift. Cloud cover acts as a giant natural softbox - the light becomes filtered, even and incredibly flattering. We have more flexibility with timing on overcast days, though we'll keep an eye on the light as the afternoon progresses.

Use the sunset calculator below to find your exact sunset time, then head to the runsheets section to build your timeline around it.

Sunset Time Calculator
Orange Wedding Photographer | Wedding Photographer Near Me

Timelines and Runsheets

Your runsheet is the backbone of your wedding day. It lays out every timing and every event so your vendors know exactly where to be and when - and so you don't have to spend your wedding day watching the clock.

Once I have your runsheet I'll keep an eye on the time throughout the day, liaise with your MC and celebrant and make sure everything stays on track. Your job on the day is simply to be present and enjoy it. Leave the logistics to us.

For detailed guidance on building your runsheet - including sample timelines you can copy and customise - click below.

Detailed Timelines and Runsheet Info

Weather and Locations

Overcast skies and moody light make for some of the most extraordinary wedding photography. The soft, even light is incredibly flattering and dramatic skies add something genuinely beautiful to your images. Some of my favourite weddings have been on grey days.

Rain, however, needs a plan - and that plan needs to exist well before your wedding week.

We won't know if it's going to rain until a few days out, so getting your wet weather plan sorted early removes a significant source of stress. Talk to your venue now about what happens if it's drizzling or pouring - for your ceremony, your portraits and your reception. Make sure you're genuinely happy with the backup options, not just relieved there's something.

If rain is forecast I'll be working creatively with locations and light to make the most of every moment. There's no reason a rainy wedding can't be stunning - and honestly, it makes for a great story.

A few practical things if rain is on the cards:

Clear umbrellas for the bridal party - they photograph beautifully and keep everyone dry.

Footwear that handles wet ground - RM Williams, boots or gumboots are your friends.

Be prepared to get a little bit wet. If it's drizzling we're going outside.

Wedding in the rain Orange NSW | Orange Wedding Photographer | Wedding Photographer Near Me

Family Photos

Family photos matter - and they're worth doing well. Immediate family member will want one, and skipping them usually means being pulled aside for impromptu photos all afternoon, which is far more disruptive than doing them properly in the first place.

Done well, family photos take 10-15 minutes. Done badly they take 45 minutes and leave everyone exhausted. The difference is preparation.

Here's what makes them work:

A list of combinations - written out clearly and shared with me beforehand. Aim for 10-15 groups maximum, ideally fewer than 10.

Someone with a loud voice who knows everyone - a teacher, a bossy aunt, a best man who takes charge. They'll be your wrangler on the day and they'll be worth their weight in gold.

Timing - straight after the ceremony before people wander off for drinks. If you're doing a first look we can do them before the ceremony instead.

A standard family photo list looks like this….

Partner 1 and Partner 2 + grandparents

Partner 1 and Partner 2 + Partner 1’s extended family

Partner 1 and Partner 2 + Partner 1’s  immediate family

Partner 1 + immediate family

Partner 1 and Partner 2 + Partner 2’s extended family

Partner 1 and Partner 2 + Partner 2’s  immediate family

Partner 2 + immediate family

Add siblings, parents only, both sets of parents together, important friend groups - whatever combinations matter to you. Just keep the total under 15 and you'll be fine. Under 10 is even better.

You get the idea! Siblings, parents only, both sets of parents in the photos you can add too - whatever combinations are important to you. Important friend groups you can do here too.

But try and keep it under 15 photos - ideally less than 10 or you will be very sick of them at the end!

Orange Wedding Photographer | Wedding Photographer Near Me
Orange Wedding Photographer | Wedding Photographer Near Me

What I Need From You

Three things. That's it.

  1. Your final runsheet or photography timeline.

  2. Your family photo list.

  3. Your final package confirmed and invoice paid.

Get these to me about a week before your wedding and we're completely set.

And any time between now and then - if you have questions, want to talk something through or just need someone who has been to a lot of weddings to weigh in - I'm here. Just reach out.

hello@kirstencunningham.com

Planning FAQS

Orange Wedding Photographer | Wedding Photographer Near Me

  • No. It actually is better if you don’t because I can concentrate on what is happening rather than checking the list.

    Saying that, if there are any specific details I might not be aware of or aren’t obvious please let me know.

    Like a relative is quite sick and you’d like a lot of photos of them, or any special details that might not be obvious like a special handkerchief you gave your dad.

    If you look through my recent wedding galleries you’ll see what is typical for me to photograph - basically everything I can see!

  • If you need help with either, please reach out and ask anything you like, anytime before the wedding.

    Otherwise as long as I have everything a week or two before that is fine. Your other vendors will no doubt need it before me, so feel free to send it through earlier too!

  • Yes please! If you book me for more than 5 hours please organise a vegetarian (no eggs) crew meal. I’m not entirely vegan but close. Most venues have no issue with dietaries and have cheaper rates for crew meals!