I once had a bride tell me, “I don’t even know where to start with my timeline.” If that’s you, I I got you! You’ve probably never planned a wedding before, but I have planned and photograph so many that I have a good grasp on how long things take and the general order. This blog post will help you visualize and prepare your wedding day timeline! Thinking about your timeline early on in the game will help streamline the rest of your planning process as well, so let’s get into it!
This is how long each phase of an average wedding day generally takes, and a few things you should take into account when nailing down your timeline.
Getting Ready: Okay, estimate how much time you think you’ll need to get ready depending on the bride’s hair and makeup, and how many of the bridesmaids are getting their hair and makeup done as well (however long the bride and bridesmaids takes to get ready is usually plenty of time for the groom and groomsmen to get ready as well).
Got it?
Now - add a half hour at the beginning and the end, at least 😂 If you end up sitting around ready early, that’s awesome. You can chill or even get some additional portraits with the extra time! You would rather do that than be rushing if hair or makeup takes longer than expected.
Portraits:
Bride and Groom: I would recommend having at least 30 minutes blocked out for uninterupted bride and groom portrait time, whether it’s at the first look or later in the schedule. We might not even be taking photos the whole time - the goal is to take fun, beautiful, intimate portraits AND savor some alone time together away from the crazy of the day.
Wedding Party: Bridesmaid, Groomsmen, and full wedding party photos take about a half hour to run through! If these are a high priority to you and you want to get a little more creative, I would add 15 minutes to that.
Family: Because I’ll be working off of a list that we confirm before the wedding day and I work pretty quickly, family photos should only take 15-20 minutes (as long as everyone is present on time) so making sure everyone knows when and where they need to be will help us stick.
Sample Timelines
Here are a couple sample timelines of a typical wedding day if the ceremony was at 5pm! You can shift these times around your ceremony time.
*tip -sunset into consideration when picking your ceremony times (especially if you’re having an outdoor ceremony), as that will affect your portraits. Ask your photographer if you' need help figuring this part out!
Here is what a sample timeline with a first look would look like:
10:00am Start Getting Ready
12:00pm/1:00pm
2:15 Bride Get Dressed/Bridal Portraits
2:30 Leave for First Look
2:45 First Look
3:00 Bride and Groom Portraits
3:30 Wedding Party Portraits
4:00 Finish Photos/Return to Ceremony Venue
5:00 Ceremony
5:30/45 Family Portraits
6:00 Reception
<dinner, first dance, parent dances, toasts, dancing, cake cutting etc.>
9:00pm Send Off
Here is what a sample timeline without a first look would look like:
10:00/11:00am Start Getting Ready
12:00/1:00pm
2:30 Bride Get Dressed
3:00 Bride/Bridesmaid Portraits
3:30 Groom/Groomsmen Portraits
4:00 Finish Photos/Return to Ceremony Venue
5:00 Ceremony
5:30/45 Family Portraits
6:00 Cocktail Hour/Wedding Party Portraits
6:30 Bride and Groom Portraits
7:00 Reception
<dinner, first dance, parent dances, toasts, dancing, cake cutting etc.>
10:00 Send Off
