WELCOME


to the JGP couples portal! We understand how hectic wedding planning can be - our goal is to help make your engagement and wedding day planning seamless!


This thoughtfully crafted portal was made to help you and your fiance connect with resources (timelines, planning tools, how-tos) and exclusive vendor recommendations!


We are here to help and support you during your engagement and wedding planning process, please reach out with questions!

T I M E L I N E

let's talk about your

To make sure that you get all of the photos you want, I’ve broken down each section of the day into time increments. This is on average how much time I spend getting photos of each category.


  • Details: 1 hour
  • Bride Getting Ready + Bridesmaid Formals: 30-60 mins
  • Groom Getting Ready + Groomsmen Formals: 30-60 mins
  • First Look: 15-30 mins
  • Family Formals: 20-30 mins
  • Bridal Party Formals: 20-30 mins
  • Detail Shots of Reception (Before guests enter or are seated): 10 mins
  • Bride & Groom Formals: 30 mins
  • Golden Hour Portraits: 20-30 mins


As part of all of my packages, I am going to help you create a custom photography timeline for your perfect day. If you have a planner, I will work with them to ensure everything lines up. We utilize questionaries to help prioritize and plan for your day. You will receive the questionnaire via email then we will use the answers to help put together a formal shot list.


golden hour.

If you are wanting golden hour photos (I mean, why wouldn’t you!?) then please keep in mind what time sunset is for your wedding day. The best portrait light for golden hour starts 30 minutes before sunset. This time will have to be set apart from bridal party portraits and family formals.

If your reception is currently during that time period, I’m more than happy to sneak you outside while everyone is dancing & mingling for some golden portraits.


hair & makeup.

You should receive an estimated completion time from your hair & makeup artists. I always ask my clients to give a little wiggle room- an extra 20-30 minutes in case things run behind a bit. Hair & makeup should be complete about an hour after I arrive wherever the bride is getting ready. This allows me to have time to do details while also getting some photos of you getting the final touches done.


travel time between locations.

If you are going to be in more than one location on your wedding day- whether it be your getting ready location, reception, ceremony, etc.- please let me know so that I can allow for travel time when creating your timeline. Please remember than any travel time cuts into your photo time.


sample timeline.

Here is a sample a timeline. Every timeline I create is different, custom tailored to my clients.

  • 2:00 - Photographers arrive and begin photographing bride’s details (dress, shoes, bouquet, jewelry/rings, stationery, etc.) and final touches of getting ready.
  • 3:00 - Hair/Makeup done and bride gets into dress.
  • 3:15 - Bridal portraits & bridesmaid formals.
  • 3:45 - Groom details and guy’s getting ready shots.
  • 4:00 - Groom portraits & groomsmen formals.
  • 4:30 - First Look - Some Bride & Groom portraits as well.
  • 5:00 - Everyone tucked away and ready for ceremony.
  • 5:30 - Ceremony
  • 6:00 - Family formal portraits
  • 6:30 - Bridal party formals
  • 7:00 - Bride & Groom formals (coinciding with golden hour)
  • 7:30 - Reception entrance & formal introductions.
  • 9:45 - Last Dance
  • 9:50 - Sparkler Exit
  • 10:00 - Photography ends.


Our best tips

For a dreamy wedding day.

trust us.

I know trusting someone with the photos of the most important day in the world is a giant leap of faith. We understand. However, after tons of research (because I know you did a ton of it) you hired us based on any number of things. Editing style, reviews, recommendations, personality, portrait style, professionalism, and who knows what else! My point is, you choose us, so kick back and let us take care of things. Rest assured that our team is going capture your wedding story to the best of our abilities. We're going to pick the best portrait locations, capture the widest laughs, and make sure you have a story that will help you relive your special day every time you look at your photos.


timeline or location changes.

If you have any last minute timeline or locations changes, please please please give us a heads up! We want to make sure to capture everything possible, and the best way for us to do that is to know what’s going on.


unplugged ceremony.

It’s not just a trend! We looooove unplugged ceremonies. There’s nothing worse than capturing that first kiss as a married couple, and Uncle Bob’s giant iPad gets in the shot. We always recommend to all my couples to have an unplugged ceremony. If you’re worried that no one will read your sign, ask your officiant to announce it before the bridal party comes down the aisle. It goes a long way, and you’ll be thankful for it later when you receive your photos.


prepare your details.

We love detail shots! You’ve spent so much time planning all those little details, and they deserve to be documented as a part of your story! To make sure that you get everything, we ask all my clients to have their details prepared for us upon arrival. We will always grab detail photos first, and then some getting ready photos after that. Details are those photos you see of your dress hanging up, and the pretty flat lay photos of your jewelry, stationery, flowers, etc.

For the Bride:

  • Dress, veil/hair piece, rings (all three), shoes, jewelry, perfume, invitation suite (including ribbon, wax seals, etc.), bouquet and/or extra floral stems.
  • Include anything that may be special or sentimental

For the Groom:

  • Tie/bowtie, pocket square, shoes, watch, cuff links, ring, cologne, boutonniere 
  • Include anything that may be special or sentimental


the dress.

Please have the wedding dress and the bridesmaid dresses ready when I get there for their detail shots. This includes being out of their jackets and on pretty hangers. Please include any flower girl dresses as well.

One of my favorite getting ready photos is getting that dress on! However, I will not take a single photo until the dress is on you and ready to be buttoned and/or tied. I take great care to give my clients their privacy during this time. What I will do is ask you to stand in a particular spot. Probably one by a window or a clean section of the room, just so I can get the best photos.

Excited about the first look with your girls? Just make sure that all your bridesmaids are ready before you get into your dress. 

You probably already have your special someone picked out who will help you get your dress on. Perhaps put your shoes on for you as well? Whether that’s your mother, maid of honor, or whoever- I ask that they are ready and dressed before you are. This way they are ready to go when it’s time for your photos.


bride/groom letters and/or gifts.

If you and/or your partner will be opening a gift or reading a letter, please let us know! We want to make sure it is scheduled in after you’ve already gotten dressed and ready. That way you look your best in the photos.

SHARE LOVE

JGP referral program

We’re so excited to offer our beloved JGP brides a way to share their experience! Our exclusive referral program rewards you for sharing what you love!
When you refer a friend, you two will receive a free milestone session! A truly perfect way to celebrate sweet anniversaries and new additions!

YOUR WEDDING EXPERIENCE


As a small business, we deeply depend on our couples to talk about their experience. We truly love hearing from you and would love to share your review with future JGP couples!


Below we've given you a space (and some prompts) to share about your JGP wedding experience. We look forward to hearing from you two!

We would love to hear from you.

-What made us stand out from other photographers? -How did we exceed your expectations? -Why would you recommend Jillian Grace Photography to others? -Is there anything else you'd like to comment on or share about your experience with JGP? Thank you!