A Jordanian wedding, hour by hour: a photography timelineA Jordanian wedding, hour by hour: a photography timeline

Before the wedding day

The jaha — when the groom's family asks the bride's family for her hand — and the engagement party are often weeks before the wedding. The katb kitab, the religious contract with the sheikh, can be at home, in a mosque or as part of the jaha. Each is short, and each has a few moments that cannot be repeated: the words of the elders, the cup of coffee, the signature, the ring.

The henna night is usually a day or two before the wedding. Many families keep it women-only; plan a female crew for it.

The wedding day

A typical evening wedding, planned back from the time of the hall:

• Morning to early afternoon — the salon: hair, make-up, the dress, the details
• Afternoon — the groom getting ready, then the groom's home with his family
• Late afternoon — the bride's home: her family, the father's moment, the groom arriving
• The hour before sunset — portraits of the couple, outside if the venue allows
• Evening — the zaffeh into the hall, the first dance, the cake, family groups
• Night — the party, the dabke, the live edit on the screen, the exit

Three things that save the most time

Give the photographer a list of the family groups you want, with one person from each family who knows everyone. Leave twenty minutes between the bride's home and the hall for portraits. And tell the hall when the photographer needs the lights up for the family photographs.