How to Create the Perfect Wedding Timeline

One of the biggest challenges my couples face is how to create the perfect wedding day timeline. The most common questions I get from clients include what time their ceremony should be, what time they should be done with hair and makeup, how long to allow for each section of the day, the list goes on. Every wedding day is unique which is why I work with each and every one of my couples to create the perfect timeline custom for their wedding day. Today I’ll share my best tips for creating the perfect wedding day timeline.

Where to Start

I usually start each timeline by figuring out the ceremony time. A good start time for your ceremony is about 3 hours before sunset. This way we’ll have plenty of light afterwards for photos.

Next, I figure out the start and end time for photography. On a typical wedding day I’ll arrive about 2-3 hours before the ceremony. Of course, this also depends on how many hours of coverage I’m hired for that day and what’s most important to the couple that day. The average wedding day is consists of 8 hours of photography coverage.

From there, I’ll fill in the rest. When I chat with my couples to create their wedding timeline, these are some questions I ask to help fill in the missing parts:

• Are you doing a first look?
• Are you doing a first look with your bridesmaids, parent, child, etc?
• Are there any special traditions or events you’re including on your wedding day?
• Do you have a start time for your reception?

How Long Everything Takes

Getting Ready – The getting ready portion of the day includes detail photos, photos getting your hair and makeup done, and photos before you get dressed if you have matching PJs or robes with your bridesmaids. I usually allow an hour to an hour and a half for this part of the day.

First Look – First looks themselves usually happen very quickly in about 5-15 minutes. The perk about doing a first look is that you’ll be able to get majority of your photos done before the ceremony so you’re able to enjoy your cocktail hour afterwards. If you’re doing a first look, I typically schedule an hour into your timeline for the first look, bride/groom portraits, and wedding party photos.

Ceremony – The ceremony is usually 20-30 minutes. Depending on what type of ceremony you’re having, it could even be as short as 10-15 minutes. I always schedule 30 minutes for the ceremony even if we know it will be shorter. This way we have buffer time in case we run behind schedule!

Family Photos – I always do family photos right after the ceremony, this way everyone needed for photos is relatively in the same place before wandering into cocktail hour. Family photos can become the most chaotic part of the day, so there’s a couple things I do to make sure they go as smooth as possible. We’ll work together to create a list of all your groupings for family photos. I always encourage couples to keep this list around 10 groups. When things go smoothly, we can get family photos done in 20 minutes!

Wedding Party Photos – There are a couple ways I like to schedule time for wedding party photos and it all depends on if you have a first look or not.

If you do have a first look, I like to do all wedding party photos after the first look and before your ceremony. This includes bride and bridesmaids all together and individually, groom and groomsmen all together and individually, and the entire wedding party together. This needs about 30 minutes.

If you don’t have a first look, I still like to get as much done before the ceremony as possible. We’ll do bride and bridesmaids photos and groom and groomsmen photos separately before the ceremony and the entire wedding party together after the ceremony. If I have a second photographer with me, I can shoot bridesmaid photos while they shoot groomsmen photos.

Bride and Groom Portraits – After all family and wedding party photos are done, it’s time for newlywed photos! I like to have at least 30 minutes set aside for this. If possible, 45 minutes – an hour is even better. It all depends how many photos you want! Having a first look allows for more photo opportunity together.

Sunset Photos – If your timeline allows, I always recommend making time to go out for sunset photos. We can do these pretty quickly in about 15 minutes. You’ll want to make sure you schedule this time 15 minutes before the actual sunset time, once the sun starts setting it gets dark fast!

Reception – This is the part of the day that is entirely up to you! Once we enter the reception, everything is happening in one space so it’s easier for me to just capture things as they happen. This includes introductions, toasts, cake cutting, dancing, etc. It’s okay if this part of the day doesn’t stick to a perfect timeline.

Example Timelines

Timeline with First Look – Sunset 5pm

12:00 Photographer arrive, starts with detail photos

12:30 Bride get’s final touches on hair and makeup for photos followed pajama photos with bridesmaids

1:30 First look followed by bride/groom portraits

2:00 Wedding party photos

3:00 Ceremony

3:30 Family portraits

4:00 Bride and groom portraits

5:00 Reception begins, wedding party introductions, first dance

5:30 Dinner is served

6:00 Toasts

7:00 Dance floor opens

8:00 Photographer departs

Timeline without First Look – Sunset 5pm

12:00 Photographer arrive, starts with detail photos

12:30 Bride get’s final touches on hair and makeup for photos followed pajama photos with bridesmaids

1:30 Bride/bridesmaid photos

2:00 Groom/groomsmen photos

3:00 Ceremony

3:30 Family portraits

4:00 Wedding party photos

4:20 Bride and groom photos

5:00 Reception begins, wedding party introductions, first dance

5:30 Dinner is served

6:00 Toasts

7:00 Dance floor opens

8:00 Photographer departs

One of the biggest perks of doing a first look is having more time for photos together and being able to spend more time together, click here to read about if doing a first look is right for you!

Timeline Tips

• Add buffer time! Things move super quickly on wedding days and it can be hard to stay on time to the exact minute.

• Keep the sunset time in mind! The main thing you need for photos is LIGHT. If you’re having a later ceremony, you might want to consider having a first look so we can get photos done beforehand.

• Make sure to add enough time between each event for walking/traveling if they are in different spots.

• Know that things will get off schedule and that’s okay! I don’t think I’ve ever had a wedding stay exactly on time but everything always worked out in the end.

Love this guide and want to see a full wedding gallery? Check out Samantha and Devon’s Wedding at Crosskey Vineyards.

Need help planning your engagement session? Check out my guide on the best Virginia engagement session locations!