Let's be honest, planning a wedding timeline can be a lot of work, and then sticking to that timeline can be even more of a challenge sometimes. That's why it's SO important to really spend time nailing down your day of timeline and scheduling all important moments (and including buffer time!). If you have a wedding planner, that's amazing, put us in touch :) If you don't have a planner, here's a guide to what a standard wedding timeline looks like. As your photographer, I also offer custom timeline consultation to help you plan your day. Staying on schedule is crucial to ensure your day runs smoothly and stress-free and everyone knows when and where they are supposed to be and we get all shots! Here's my guide for how to set a successful wedding timeline.
Your photography timeline depends on the number of hours you book. Typically, 8 hour wedding day coverage is pretty standard give or take a couple hours depending upon your needs. A shorter day with 6 hours means you won't have any getting ready coverage, a longer day of 10 hours usually includes the private last dance and grand exit. A standard photography timeline includes the following: Venue/ Detail shots, Groom & Groomsmen prep and portraits, Bride & Bridesmaids prep and portraits, First Look, Ceremony, Bridal Party Portraits, Family Portraits, Couple Portraits, Reception (grand entrance, speeches, first dance, parent dances, cake cutting, bouquet toss, etc.), Open Dancing, Private Last Dance, Grand Exit.
This is a sample 8 hour photography timeline for single location wedding with a ceremony at 4pm.
1:30 - 1:55pm — Detail pictures (ring, flowers, venue etc.)
2:00 - 2:15 — Groom and Groomsmen getting ready 2:15 - 2:35 — Groom and Groomsmen portraits 2:40 - 3:00 — Bride and Bridesmaids getting ready 3:00 - 3:30 — Dress zip up, Father/Bridesmaids first looks, Bride and Bridesmaid portraits 4:00 - 4:30 — Ceremony 5:00 - 6:00 — Cocktail hour
5:00 - 5:30 — Bridal Party and Family pictures after ceremony
5:30 - 6:00 — Couple photos 6:00 - 9:00 — Reception
6:05 — Grand Entrance
6:10 — First Dance
6:15 — Welcome Speech
6:20 - 6:30 — Toasts
6:30 - 7:00 — Dinner
7:10 - 7:20 — Parent Dances
7:20 - 8:00 — Open Dancing
8:00 — Cake Cutting
8:10 — Bouquet Toss
8:15 - 9:15 — Open Dancing
9:20 - 9:30 — Grand Exit
9:30 — Photographer departs
Here is a sample 8 hour photography timeline for single location wedding with First Look and a ceremony at 5:30pm.
1:00 - 1:30pm — Detail pictures (ring, dress, flowers, venue etc.)
1:35 - 1:55 — Groom and Groomsmen getting ready
1:55 - 2:15 — Groom and Groomsmen portraits
2:20 - 2:40 — Bride and Bridesmaids getting ready
2:40 - 3:15 — Dress zip up, Father/Bridesmaids first looks, Bride and Bridesmaid portraits
3:30 - 4:10 — First Look & Romantics
4:15 - 5:00 — Bridal Party and immediate family photos
5:30 - 6:00 — Ceremony
6:00 - 7:00 — Cocktail hour
6:00 - 6:15 - Extended Family photos
6:15 - 6:30 — Additional Couple photos
7:00 - 9:00 — Reception
7:00 — Grand Entrance
7:05 — First Dance
7:10 — Welcome Speech
7:15 - 7:25 — Toasts
7:30 - 8:00 — Dinner
8:00 - 8:10 — Parent Dances
8:10 - 8:45— Open Dancing
8:45 — Cake Cutting
8:50 — Bouquet Toss
8:50 — Group photo into Open Dancing
9:00 — Photographer departs, reception continues for 1-2 hours
You wedding day timeline depends on many moving parts. Major factors are travel times between locations (ceremony, portraits, reception), set times (such as ceremony, first look, reception), and special components of the reception (speeches, dances, cake cutting, bouquet toss, grand exit).
IMPORTANT THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN CREATING YOUR TIMELINE:
ADD BUFFER TIME
First things first, everything is not going to stick perfectly to schedule, which is why it's CRUCIAL to add buffer time in between and before key moments. This will massively help alleviate stress and will allow you to enjoy your day and not run late.
GETTING READY LOGISTICS
START EARLY! Trust me, things run late, and you don't want to run late and cut into your other important moments. Start actually getting ready with your bridal party far before your photo coverage starts. You want to be mostly ready by the time your photographer arrives so that you can jump right into the "getting-ready" photos.
Where are the groomsmen and bridesmaids getting ready in relation to one another? I strongly recommend having both sides of the bridal party getting ready near each other so it's easy for me to move between both parties. And ideally, get ready at or very near your venue! Travel time takes time. Decide if you want to have any special getting ready moments such as a First Look with your father or bridesmaids.
FIRST LOOK?
Decide early on if you want to have a First Look or Private Vow Reading. Because this happens before the ceremony, you'll want to start your day a earlier to give yourselves enough time to enjoy this special moment. First Looks are also fantastic for your timeline as you can take a lot of your important photos before the ceremony. With a First Look, you can take your Romantics, Bridal Party, and even immediate family photos all before the ceremony. It's also less stressful because you're less crunched for time when you do it early, and you can enjoy the rest of your day without worrying about if you have enough time to get a photo with grandma.
CEREMONIAL MOMENTS
Are there any important or unique moments during your ceremony? Are there readings or any special speakers? Any special shots you want? Wedding ceremonies vastly range in time. Non religious ceremonies can be around 20-30 minutes, while religious ceremonies tend to be a bit longer, especially if there is a mass, the ceremony can be more towards 1 hour. If this is the case, be sure to account for the necessary time in your timeline.
FAMILY PORTRAITS & BRIDAL PARY
Plan your family portraits and inform everyone in advance! Bridal party and family portraits happen directly after the ceremony and before your couple portraits. Having a lot of family combinations can quickly add up to a lot of time, especially if people are missing. Therefore I always recommend having a detailed shot list of all the family combinations you want, and be realistic about how long it will take. Also, remind everyone involved in photos to stay after the ceremony or go to the designated photo location!!! This is SO important and will keep you from wasting time searching for people. Ask your officiant to make an announcement sometime during the ceremony to remind family members that family portraits will happen directly after the ceremony. If you do have a first look, right afterwards is the perfect time to get your bridal party photos done and then immediate family photos - the more you can do before the ceremony, the less you'll need to do during cocktail hour.
POST CEREMONY COUPLE PORTRAITS LOCATION
Decide in advance where you want to take your post ceremony couple portraits Usually it's recommended to take these photos at your venue, so make sure there are some good photo locations. If you need to go off site - consider how close is the portrait location is to the ceremony reception venue and account for travel time in your timeline. Also account for any travel time between ceremony and reception venue if you have multiple locations. I will say, your day will be so much smoother if you can have your ceremony and reception at the same location/site to minimize travel.
IMPORTANT RECEPTION MOMENTS
Determine all the special moments you want to have at your reception including grand entrance, first dance, parent dances, dinner, speeches, cake cutting, bouquet toss, etc. and in what order they will happen during your reception. Set estimated times for each moment in your timeline. Also consider how many people you will have at your reception. The more people you have, the longer your reception might go on and you might need more time for full photography coverage.
PRIVATE LAST DANCE, GRAND EXIT, OR STAGED EXIT
Lastly, it's key to decide if you want to have a grand exit, and if you want the grand exit photographed. Or you can have a staged grand exit and go back to dancing! If you want to do a grand exit, usually it's better to book your photographer for 10 hours, otherwise you will have less getting ready coverage. I also really love private last dances at the end of the reception. This gives you and your partner a quiet moment alone to slow down and reflect of the amazing whirlwind of a day you just had. If you decide to do a proper grand exit, definitely add a private last dance right before.
FINAL REMINDERS
Make sure to leave yourself plenty of time to get ready and buffer time in between scheduled moments (especially on the front end)!! Things happen, and if you’re running late getting ready, don’t stress! I’m here to work with you :) just know that if we run out of time before the ceremony, those photos will need to happen after the ceremony and might cut into your portrait time. So please plan ahead and start early!
Remember that nothing goes exactly as planned, and that's ok, the goal is to have a good time! Bottom line, this is YOUR day to celebrate and enjoy. It's not a photoshoot, it's a celebration, don't get caught up trying to make the timeline perfect. Just plan in advance and then be in the moment actually enjoy the day of.
Was this timeline guide helpful for you? Still have questions or want more personalized timeline planning assistance? As your photographer, I'm here to help! Ready to book and get planning?
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