I arrived at the church on time. As a wedding photographer, on time for me is 20 minutes early.
Nobody was there. Another 20 minutes pass, and still no one. 45 minutes before the wedding is to start and a groomsmen arrives, so I finally get confirmation I am in the right place. And then bus load after buss load of people were suddenly there.
Please, do not get me wrong. I am not complaining in any way here. When I attend a wedding I am there to serve, and I do so to the best of my ability, and always with a smile on my face. I love photographing weddings. The purpose of this blog entry is to help future engaged couples.
The wedding started off schedule, which had a trickle down effect all the way to the end of the reception. The reception end time came very quickly, and the couple was understandably not ready to call it quits. It was a great party, and in full swing when it was time to end, so the decision was made to extend the event an additional hour.
Now, for just a second, think of what it means to extend your event at the last minute for an additional hour. If you have surrounded yourself with seasoned professionals, your decision to extend your event will not be a problem.
Make sure you know how much overtime costs for each of your vendors. Is it a different rate than their normal hourly billing?
You should surround yourself with the best vendors your money can buy at your wedding, so things go as smoothly as possible, especially if you think you may have to extend your event. And just know that starting things off schedule on the front end can mean things go long on the back end of your event, and that is going to equate into money.
