First off congratulations on the engagement!! As you head into your wedding planning though, I know how hard it can be to create a wedding day timeline. As you create your timeline it can feel like the whole day is full of activities and you won’t have any time to actually slow down and enjoy your wedding day together. While that definitely can be the case I’m here to show you that it doesn’t HAVE to be that way! There are so many simple and fun ways to create moments throughout your day where you and your honey can take some time to actually enjoy your wedding day. Let’s take a look at them!

Why is it Important to Prioritize Slower Moments into Your Wedding Day?

As a wedding photographer, your experience on your wedding day is my utmost priority.  Yes the pretty pictures are important, but if you didn’t enjoy your time spent together on your wedding day then what’s the point?  You only get one wedding day to enjoy, and even if you do end up with beautiful photos from your day, if you didn’t enjoy the day itself you won’t enjoy looking back on them. This is why I believe it is SO important for my couples to plan in alone time to slow down and enjoy their wedding day. Yes the fun and excitement of the day and seeing all your favorite people in one place is incredible, but being able to slow down and enjoy your day as just the two of you, even for just a moment, is something you just can’t beat!

8 Ways to Slow Down and Enjoy Your Wedding Day

Start off Your Morning Slow

While most of the ideas on this list are ways for you and your honey to slow down and enjoy your wedding day together, having some true alone time can be great for your wedding day too! Take your morning slow, write your vows, take a walk, have your breakfast solo, and enjoy yourself before the craziness of the day begins. Plan to finish getting ready early so that you can spend time with your wedding party as well.  Have snacks, games, drinks and fun things to do so you can be present and have the best time getting ready and excited for your wedding day with the people that matter most!

Cut Out Travel Time

If possible, having your entire wedding day in one centralized location makes your wedding day run much more smoothly and gives you a LOT more time to work with. Having your getting ready space, ceremony space, reception space, and areas for portrait photos all at one location is the dream as you’ll save SO much time traveling allowing you to fit in so much more into your wedding day, or just take things a little slower and enjoy the day as it happens! Not every venue will have everything you need all at the same location though, so choose locations near to your venue to minimize any travel time you must have in your day.

Plan in a First Look

One of my favorite ways for my couples to enjoy some time together and slow down their wedding day is to plan in a first look. First Looks have become more and more popular in the wedding industry as of late, and for good reason. They’re incredibly intimate and sweet moments that are filled with so much emotion. They lead to incredible photos, and are a great way for you and your honey to come together and spend some time alone together and take everything in before the rest of the day gets underway. Another huge benefit of a first look is you can plan to have your wedding party and family photos done directly after the first look and before the ceremony to get them done early!

Sunset Photos

Later on during your wedding day a great way to slow down and enjoy some time alone together is to sneak away for some sunset photos. The three of us will sneak out during your reception and snag a few photos with the gorgeous lighting. Then once we have the photos we want I’ll leave the two of you alone so you can truly have some time to yourselves to reflect and talk about the day you’ve had so far. Talk about the emotions you’re both experiencing, everything you’ve loved from the day, and everything you’re excited for in the future!

Late Night Walk With Some Flash Photos

Later on into the night sneak away from the party for a walk alone just the two of you to take in everything that’s happened today. Your wedding day is a HUGE occasion and there are going to be a ton of feelings and emotions that you’ll go through throughout the day. Take some time to slow down and take it all in with your new spouse, reminisce on everything that’s made your wedding day wonderful. We can even snag some late night photos of you both as you enjoy the moment alone together.

Last Dance

To finish off the night, have one last dance together just the two of you to cap your night off with an intimate and heartfelt moment alone. Even if your guests are still around it will feel like it’s just the two of you alone in the moment. A last dance is such a special way to end a wedding day and a great way to slow things down and enjoy each other’s company as your wedding day comes to a close.

Private Dinner, Appetizers, or Cocktail Hour

After your post ceremony photos are done and your guests start to gather for their cocktail hour or reception, take some time to slow down and enjoy a moment alone just the two of you. Sneak away to share part of your meal alone, or enjoy a cocktail before you head in for your grand march. Not only can you reminisce on the day, but you can also take your time and enjoy your food or drinks a little slower without feeling the pressure of being in front of everyone and rushing to the next part of your wedding.

Have a Getaway Car

One of my absolute FAV ways for my couples to slow down and enjoy the moments of their wedding day is to schedule a getaway car as their grand exit. It’s such a fun experience having your people usher you out to your chauffeur to ride off into the night in style. The getaway car also gives you some much needed privacy and time to talk with one another after a full day surrounded by your loved ones. Turo is a great car rental app that lets you rent a getaway car of any style wherever your wedding is at!

As a wedding photographer I feel that creating time in your wedding day timeline for you and your honey to slow down and enjoy the moment is SO important. Incorporate some of these ideas into your own wedding day, and if you don’t think you can fit them in or you’re not sure on how to make them work ask your photographer for help! Still need a photographer for your wedding? You’re in luck, head over to my contact page to send over an inquiry and see if your date is still available!