One of the most important things for you to plan on your wedding day is your timeline. You can pick out the perfect dress, have the most delicious cake, and have the most romantic first dance. But, if you fail to have a detailed wedding day photography timeline, then you will feel scattered, stressed and even miss out on capturing some beautiful moments.

I don’t want that for you! You deserve to have a calm and magical day, with every memory captured through my lens! That is why I am giving you an insider look into what your wedding day photography timeline should look like. I have shot at countless weddings and am going to share with you tops tips for your wedding day timeline from an expert!

Account For The Unexpected

The most crucial part of your wedding day photography timeline is accounting for the unexpected. You never know what is going to happen, and by planning time in between each item on your agenda you will have the amount of wiggle room needed just in case. For example, wouldn’t you hate to cut your time talking with your grandmother short? Just as she is telling you the most romantic story from her wedding day you have to rush off to the next event. These are precious moments that you don’t want to miss! So plan for some time for what is unplanned in your day.

Bride & Groom Photos

Plan plenty of time for bride and groom photos! I personally love having your bridals on your wedding day. It provides a good amount of time for you to relax together and escape the chaos of the party. I advise that you plan about an hour and a half into your wedding day photography timeline for your bride and groom images. This will give you time to have a first look together and be able to capture both candid and posed photos!

Another great way to fill your wedding day photography timeline is to have multiple opportunities for bride and groom photos. For example, you can a first look before the ceremony, then right after the ceremony you can have additional portraits done. Then before your reception as the sun is setting take some time for more photos! By planning multiple times to have portraits taken you will have a gallery full of variety from the different lighting of the day!

Relax

Let’s be real, weddings can be stressful and that’s the last thing I want for you! That’s one of the reasons why I encourage First Looks. They allow you to spend most of the day together, take care of the most important photos early in the day, and be able to relax and enjoy the wedding day more fully. I also always suggest that my bride and groom plan for some down time, when there are no special events happening and no photos of them taken, to completely unwind. You could have a special private moment before the ceremony, enjoy the cocktail hour with friends and family after your ceremony, or get away to explore the venue for a while during your reception. Whatever you choose to do, make time for it in your wedding day photography timeline!

Account for Travel

Account for travel time! When planning out your wedding photography timeline, you cannot forget that you may have to be traveling from one location to another.  Maybe your ceremony is at church and you’re driving a half hour to your reception venue.

Plan the time you expect to spend moving from one place to another, but also consider traffic patterns and other delays you may encounter. You could have your ceremony and reception at the same location, but even then you will have to account for the time it will take you to move from your bridal sweet to the ceremony, and so on.

Sample Wedding Photography Timeline

I wanted to give you a sample of what your day may look like with a wedding photography timeline. This will give you an idea of what to plan! If you want the full version of this timeline, you can get it through my Ultimate Wedding Guide, which is totally free!

This is a sample wedding timeline meant to give you an idea on how to manage time on your big day. I recommend that you modify your timeline depending on the specific details of your wedding day and what is important to you!

Wedding detail photos: 1 Hour

Bride and Bridesmaids Getting Ready Photos: 1 Hour

Groom and Groomsmen Getting Ready Photos: 1 Hour 

Bride & Groom First Look: 15 Mins

Bride & Groom Portraits: 45 Mins – 1 Hour

Bridal Party Photos: 30 – 45 Mins

Immediate Family Photos 30 Mins

Ceremony Space Decor and Detail Photos: 30 Mins

Wedding Ceremony: 30 – 45 Mins

Husband & Wife Sunset Portraits: 30 Mins

Reception Details & Cocktail Hour: 30 Mins

Wedding Reception: 3+ Hours

Grand Exit: 20 Mins

Your wedding day will be one of a kind and absolutely stunning! Just remember to plan well and everything will simply fall into place. If you like the tips and images you see here, then reach out to me! I would love to get to know you and help capture your wedding day for all of it’s beauty!