I’m assuming that like all other couples, you want your wedding day to be perfect. One of the most effective ways to have a laid back wedding day is to have a solid timeline for the day.
A good wedding day timeline will give you the time you need to enjoy the day, get all the photos you want, and not feel like you spent the whole day rushing around barely getting to spend time with your friends and family.
After shooting over 400 weddings and seeing all kinds of different schedules, I created one that is my ‘go-to’ timeline for every wedding. Things don’t always work out where we can use this timeline exactly because of logistics or time restrictions at the venue. However, this timeline is always a great place to start.
My average package is 10 hours long. I’m passionate about telling the complete story of the day and this timeline allows me to be at the wedding from getting ready to the exit. Almost every wedding seems to run behind schedule for one reason or another so it has just enough buffer time built in without wasting any time or having too much down time.
I’ve found that 1.5 hours or less of the getting ready portion of the day is plenty. Nobody needs 100 photos of getting hair and makeup done, but having an hour to get a few shots of hair/makeup and all of the details like the dress, shoes, and jewelry is plenty.
I also like to end the portrait section of the day an hour to 45 minutes before the ceremony because that is usually when guests start arriving but more importantly, it gives you a chance to catch your breath and relax before the wedding goes into high gear.
Here is the core of the timeline:
2:30pm - Bridal Portraits
3:00pm - First Look and photos of Bride and Groom
3:45pm - Bridal Party Photos
4:30pm - Immediate Family Photos
5:00pm - Finished with all Pre-ceremony Photos
6:00pm - Ceremony
There are a few things to mention here.
It always helps to give people an earlier time than I actually plan on shooting them because it means they will actually be there when I’m ready for them.
If the bridal party knows they need to be ready by 3:45pm I can definitely start shooting them at 4pm. The same goes with the immediate family too. I like to knock out as many family photos as possible before the ceremony. We usually wait until after the ceremony for the large extended family photos so they don’t have to get to the wedding early.
With a 10 hour package here is what the full timeline would look like:
1:00pm - Getting ready photos
2:30pm - Bridal Portraits
3:00pm - First Look and photos of Bride and Groom
3:45pm - Bridal Party Photos
4:30pm - Immediate Family Photos
5:00pm - Finished with all Pre-ceremony Photos
6:00pm - Ceremony
6:30pm - Ceremony Ends + Extended family photos
7:00pm - Reception
11:00pm - Grand Exit
11:30pm - Justin goes to Taco Bell for a double decker, bean burrito, and chips N cheese. Don’t judge.
I hope this helps you as you start to think about your amazing wedding day. If you have any specific questions or thoughts just shoot me an email and I’d be happy to answer them for you.
