Creating the perfect wedding photography timeline can be one of the many challenges in wedding planning that you may come across and have no idea where to start. So many of my brides ask me this exact question: How can I make the perfect wedding day timeline with photography in mind? Well, in this blog post I am going to answer that exact questions that almost every bride asks me at some point during the wedding planning process. I will go over the step by step guide on how to create your own custom and personalized wedding photography timeline. Along with giving you real life samples of my own wedding photography timelines for you to use as an outline for your wedding day timeline.

The importance of a well-planned wedding photography timeline

So why do you even need a photography timeline? What is it’s purpose? And what happens if you don’t have one? Well, to answer these questions, we first need to look at the reason you are having a wedding in the first place. Is it not to celebrate and share your love story with all your loved ones? In order to enjoy the true purpose of your wedding day, you want to make sure your wedding day will run smoothly and also ensure you can soak up each and every special moment with the ones you love. Without a well organized wedding photography timeline your day can very easily run you. Which will lead to less time spent with loved ones and more time fighting the clock.

In this post I will show you some tips and trick I use as a wedding photographer to ensure my couples have a perfect wedding photography timeline. One that not only includes all the important events that they want captured but also allows them to not feel rushed or as if they can’t enjoy each and every moment of their wedding day.

Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Your Wedding Photography Timeline:

Start with the Ceremony Time

It’s important to start with your ceremony. This is a time that will move unmovable once it is set with your officiant so it is a great starting place for your timeline. Some things to consider when picking your ceremony time. The time of day, lighting, location, distance from venue, ect… These are all important factors to note when deciding. I almost always suggest having a later ceremony. The light is usually better in late afternoon/evening, and you can truly take your time getting ready on the morning of your wedding. The most common time I see most of my couples choosing lately has been between 4:00pm-5:00pm. The light is starting to soften making for some great photo opportunities, and the weather in mid summer is starting to cool from the afternoon heat.

Preparation and Getting Ready

Next you need to consider your hair and make-up timeline. The very best way to do this is to consult your hair and make-up artist about how long they need to complete this task. Also be sure to mention how many people will be having their hair and make-up done the morning of the wedding so they can properly estimate the time it will take. Be sure to not add on any last minute people as this will most definitely throw off your timeline. Keeping an open line of communication with ALL of your vendors is so crucial to a successful wedding day. I would also recommend adding about 30 mins of buffer time for hair and make-up just in case things get delayed. The most common area of delay of timelines getting behind happen first thing in the morning during the getting ready process. So this is an area to make sure you and your team are as organized as possible.

The First Look

When it comes to the perfect wedding photography timeline, I STRONGLY recommend having a first look before your ceremony. I have an entire blog post detailing the pros and cons and why you should do a first look on your wedding day. By having a first look you are not only helping your wedding photography timeline run more smoothly, but you are also ensuring the your guests are not waiting about for 3 hours NOT spending time with you. Your wedding day should be about the people who are surrounding you and by having a first look you are solidifying that fact. Have a read through my blog about the first look and strongly consider one for your wedding day. I will include a timeline sample that has a first look as well as one without a first look for you to use either way.

Pre-Ceremony Photos

If you decide to have a first look you can achieve majority of all your portrait photos before your ceremony even takes place. This is great for timeline purposes on so many levels. Typically you want anywhere from 2.5-3 hours allowed for all your portraits on your wedding day. It would be beneficial to confirm with your wedding photographer on how much time they need for each different part of the day. I don’t like my bride and groom to be caught up away from their guests all day and so I pride myself in being relatively quick in the portrait process on the wedding day. The reason I am able to do this is simply due to the fact that I put a lot of work into the engagement session that allows me to know which poses will look best on my couples long before I even show up on the wedding day. This also allows my couples to be comfortable in front of the camera and know exactly what they are doing so we can get right into it. Some photographer may have a different process so it is important to communicate that with them.

Ceremony & Reception Details

Allowing your wedding photographer about 15-30 mins to capture all the details and décor from your ceremony and reception will be such a beautiful touch to your wedding photo gallery. You have spent thousands of dollars on your florals, table settings, and all your wedding décor. The only memory you will have is the photos your photographer takes and the memories in your mind. That is why those photos are so important. As a wedding photographer and a past bride myself, I know all to well how quickly those memories fade and I am so grateful that I have so many photos of all the hard work and tears that went into the décor on my wedding day. This is something that doesn’t take long but will require access before any quests can come in and start moving things around. Typically if this can be done before the ceremony or any quests arrive. That would be ideal.

Cocktail Hour and Group Photos

If you decide on a first look you should be able to attend the last little bit of your cocktail hour if you would like. Or even just have some alone time with your new spouse. Either way, I always like to capture a little bit of the fun that happens during cocktail hour. People are mingling and visiting and it’s a great time to grab some group shots of your guest enjoying the day.

Reception Timeline

When putting together your reception timeline, you should decide on how you would like things to flow. Picture this: You have your grand entrance as husband and wife, everyone is standing and clapping as you come in. You move directly to the dance floor and kick everything off with your first dance and husband and wife! Then you move to the head table and sit down as your emcee runs through the program for the night. This is a great flow and allows important items to be checked off the list within the first 15 mins of your reception. Once your emcee has introduced everyone and gone through any housekeeping notes for the evening, they can then announce dinner to begin. After everyone has eaten(about an hour) you can move into speeches, and then make your way back to the dancefloor for your specialty dances(father-daughter/mother-son) and then your DJ can kick off the party from there.

Golden Hour Photos

This special time of of course planned around the sunset for that specific day. You can easily look up “sunset time on [insert wedding date]” and it will tell you the exact time the sun will set that night. However, it’s important to note that once the sun sets, photos are done. So we will need to begin shooting about 30 mins BEFORE the sun actually sets in order to capture that golden hour of light that everyone love. As your photographer, I will always have one eye on the sky and be keeping an eye on the time so we can ensure we go out at the right time.

Evening Events and Entertainment

Once sunset photos are over, it’s time to party! There is not a lot that your photographer has to do during this time in terms of timeline. Your DJ may have some games or some ideas on how to have a very interactive dance party crew at your wedding. Always check in with them and keep communication open for what they need from you and their timeline of events as well. It is good to have a photographer who can be proactive and work with your planner and your DJ to keep things moving along. We should not expect you to be worrying about how long things are taking, nor should that be of any concern when you are trying to enjoy your wedding reception. However, if things do get behind it can mean your photographer needing to stay late to capture key events, which in turn can mean extra money needs to be paid which is NOT what any bride needs to be worrying about on her wedding day. Having vendors that have your best interest at heart is so important and you can trust us to keep things moving along.

Final Send-Off

These are becoming less and less common these days, however they are still a fun way to cap off your wedding day gallery. I like to call these “controlled exits” as you are not actually leaving your wedding for the night but instead it is more staged for photography(and fun) purposes. I have seen people do sparklers, bubbles, biodegradable confetti and even glow sticks for these send offs. They typically happen about 30 mins before your photographer leaves for the night so there is lots of time to set it all up. It is important to only bring out your bridal party and maybe your immediate family for these as that way you will still have some guests on the dance floor, but also it is very difficult to manage 100+ guests who have had a lot to drink already. Let’s not ask them to play with fire!

Tips for Staying on Schedule

The importance of having a day of coordinator or planner

I cannot recommend this enough to brides! There is a reason it gets it’s own section in this timeline post. Having a day of coordinator or a wedding planner to ensure your entire wedding day runs smoothly is such a gift! I remember having my mom, my sister and a close friend running around ALL day putting out little fires so I didn’t have to worry. I am so blessed with amazing family that WANTED to help me with this. However, as much as they offered their help, I look back and can’t help but wish my poor Mom would have just sat back and enjoyed my wedding day with me.

Wedding planners offer SO many flexible packages that most brides haven’t even heard of! One of those being a day of coordinator. This is someone whose job is to coordinate your wedding day that you have already planned and put together. From set-up to take-downs, managing vendors, helping with venue related concerns, and you guess it, TIMELINE MANAGEMENT! These beautiful angels will help make sure every single part of your day is managed down to the minute so you can sit back and enjoy each and every moment.

I have worked with so many amazing wedding coordinators but my absolutely favourite is Megan Comoli with Opal & Oak Events. She truly does go above and beyond for her couples to ensure they have the best experience possible. She does everything from full wedding planning & design, partial planning, to day of coordination. Be sure to reach out to her and she will be able to answer all your wedding questions and help you plan your dream wedding day!

Sample Wedding Day Timeline

*Please note these timelines are specifically for venues with NO travel to multiple locations. It is important to discuss with your wedding photographer the specifics of your wedding photography timeline in order to create something tailored to your wedding day. These are the most common and generic wedding photography timelines that I use most often.*

Here are my samples for the Perfect Wedding Day Timeline:

10 hours with a first look *Most Common*

• 12:00pm – Photographer Arrives/Bridal Details
• 12:45pm – Photographer Captures Groom Details
• 1:15pm – Bridal Prep(Bride in her Dress)
• 2:00pm – Frist Look & Bride and Groom Portraits
• 2:45pm – Bridal Party Portraits
• 3:30pm – Bride in Hiding *Photographer capture Reception/Ceremony Details*
• 4:00pm – Ceremony
• 4:40pm – Family Portraits
• 5:00pm – Cocktail Hour
• 5:15pm – Just Married Portraits
• 6:00pm – Enter Reception/First Dance
• 6:30pm – Dinner is Served
• 7:30pm – Speeches
• 8:00pm – Cake Cut
• 8:15pm – Special Dances(Father/Daughter & Mother/Son)
• 8:30pm – Party Dancing Begins
• 8:45pm – Sunset Photos(This time will vary depending on the time of year)
• 9:15pm – Bouquet Toss
• 9:30pm – Controlled Exit *if applicable*
• 10:00pm – Photographers Leave

10 hours without a first look

• 12:00pm – Photographer Arrives/Bridal Details
• 1:00pm – Photographer Capture Groom Details
• 1:45pm – Bridal Prep(Bride in her Dress)
• 2:30pm – Bride in Hiding *Photographer capture Reception/Ceremony Details*
• 3:00pm – Ceremony
• 3:40pm – Family Portraits *Start time may vary depending on ceremony length*
• 4:15pm – Bride and Groom Portraits
• 5:00pm – Cocktail Hour
• 5:15pm – Bridal Party Portraits
• 6:00pm – Enter Reception/First Dance
• 6:30pm – Dinner is Served
• 7:30pm – Speeches
• 8:00pm – Cake Cut
• 8:15pm – Special Dances(Father/Daughter & Mother/Son)
• 8:30pm – Party Dancing Begins
• 8:45pm – Sunset Photos(This time will vary depending on the time of year)
• 9:15pm – Bouquet Toss
• 9:30pm – Controlled Exit *if applicable*
• 10:00pm – Photographers Leave

8 hours with a first look

• 12:00pm – Photographer Arrives/Bridal Details
• 12:45pm – Photographer Capture Groom Details
• 1:15pm – Bridal Prep(Bride in her Dress)
• 2:00pm – Frist Look & Bride and Groom Portraits
• 2:45pm – Bridal Party Portraits
• 3:30pm – Bride in Hiding *Photographer capture Reception/Ceremony Details*
• 4:00pm – Ceremony
• 4:30pm – Cocktail Hour
• 4:40pm – Family Portraits
• 5:15pm – Just Married Portraits
• 5:30pm – Enter Reception/First Dance
• 5:45pm – Dinner is Served
• 6:30pm – Speeches
• 7:00pm – Cake Cut/Bouquet Toss
• 7:15pm – Special Dances(Father/Daughter & Mother/Son)
• 7:30pm – Party Dancing Begins
• 7:45pm – Cake Cut/Bouquet Toss
• 8:00pm – Photographer Leaves

*Depending on the time of year, sunset photos may not be an option in most 8 hour days. Timeline events also tend to be a little more rushed. This is why majority of brides choose a 10 hour wedding photography timeline*

8 hours without a first look

• 12:00pm – Photographer Arrives/Bridal Details
• 12:45pm – Photographer Capture Groom Details
• 1:15pm – Bridal Prep(Bride in her Dress)
• 2:00pm – Bride in Hiding *Photographer capture Reception/Ceremony Details*
• 2:30pm – Ceremony
• 3:10pm – Family Portraits
• 3:50pm – Bride & Groom Portraits
• 4:15pm – Cocktail Hour
• 4:30pm – Bridal Party Portraits
• 5:15pm – Enter Reception/First Dance
• 5:30pm – Dinner is Served
• 6:30pm – Speeches
• 7:00pm – Special Dances(Father/Daughter & Mother/Son)
• 7:15pm – Party Dancing Begins
• 7:30pm – Cake Cut/Bouquet Toss
• 8:00pm – Photographer Leaves

*Depending on the time of year, sunset photos may not be an option in most 8 hour days. Timeline events also tend to be a little more rushed. This is why majority of brides choose a 10 hour wedding photography timeline*

Average times set aside for each different part of the wedding day:

If you are wanting to create your own custom timeline from scratch you can do so by using these times as a guide for how long it typically takes to photograph each portion of a wedding day. Keep in mind that these times may vary depending on your wedding photographer. So it is always good to reach out and ensure you’re on the same page.

• Bridal Details/Getting Ready Photos: 1.5-2 hrs
• Groom getting ready: 30 mins(+ travel time if not in same location)
• First Look/Bride and Groom Portraits: 45 mins-1 hr
• Bridal Party Portraits: 45 mins
• Ceremony: 30 mins
• Family Portraits: 30 Mins
• Just Married Portraits: 15-20 mins
• Dinner: 1 hr
• Speeches: 25 mins
• Cake Cut: 5 mins
• Special Dances: 5 mins/song
• Sunset Portraits: 15-20 mins
• Dancing/Party: 1 hr
• Sparkler/Bubble Exit: Final 30 mins of photographers schedule hours(Not available with 8 hour timelines)

If you have made it this far, you are going to have a dream wedding photography timeline! These tips and tricks are for brides JUST LIKE YOU who want your dream wedding to be a day you can enjoy. I hope you found these helpful and will consider using them for your own wedding day very soon!

As always, don’t hesitate to reach out with any wedding timeline questions below!