Stress is the number one way to kill your wedding day— whether a couple details don’t turn out the way you planned, or you run late all day, stress is the common denominator for a miserable wedding day.

After filming dozens of weddings in Michigan, we’ve picked up on several themes that make a difference.

Does my wedding itinerary matter?

The wedding itinerary is the first thing you plan, and the first thing to go wrong. No matter how capable your wedding planner or master/mistress of ceremony is, weddings have an innate tendency to run late. When things run late, stress runs high.

Our number one piece of advice when running late? Don’t worry about it. Your wedding won’t start without its bride and groom. Nor will your cake cut itself. Sticking to your itinerary may reduce stress, but not worrying about it does wonders. Just don’t let your guests go home late or hungry, and everything will be right in the world.

Plan for the best (and the worst)

Let’s say you’re a worrywart. That’s okay! Believe it or not, worrywarts plan the best weddings.

There are several points in your wedding day where you’ll want to build lots of time into your itinerary. The more time you have to relax, the more relaxed you will be. Here are a few times that will save your day, if given more attention than you think:

• The time after everyone is dressed and ready, but before you begin traveling or taking photos
• “Down time” before the Ceremony
• Cocktail Hour

Another huge part of your itinerary is travel— do everything you can to reduce full-company moves between locations! No matter the coordination or size of your group, it’s rare that travel happens timely.

But we only have 8 hours of coverage?

You probably want to maximize your time with your wedding videographers and photographers. That’s quite alright too— to an extent. By “cramming” all of your wedding events and festivities into your 8-hour contract, you run the risk of burning yourself out.

Usually, if you begin photo/video coverage while you bridal party is finishing their “getting ready” routine, and end shortly after your reception dance floor opens, that is more than enough time to check everything on your list, and then some! We’ve seen many couples begin coverage too early or too late, and quickly fall into the misery of a high-strung day.

If either your videographer or photographer has two shooters, ask if one could start early (and end early), while the other starts late (and ends late). A team of two could easily cover 10 hours with an 8hr contract. We’ve seen some stretch to 12-14 hours!

Alternatively, book a few more hours with your wedding videography and photography teams! Most teams will charge an extra $50-100 per additional hour, so you’ll want to consider that investment.

Still searching for a videographer?

Mid-July is a low maintenance, but highly reliable wedding videographer in Grand Rapids, and serving all of Michigan! 

Drop us a line, when you’re ready to book!