How do you even begin to start planning your most special day? There are so many moving parts, getting access to the wedding venue, all of your bridesmaids, the groom and his groomsmen, family members on both sides, photographer, videographer, florist, cake delivery and set up, catering…the list goes on and on. So many details to organize…I know it’s a lot.

I’m here to help make some sense of it all and help guide you in getting your day set up with a little planning so you can have the most relaxed and enjoyable day possible!

The way I’m going to walk you through this process is to start at the ceremony start time and work your way backwards to the beginning of the day first, that way you don’t have to re-adjust anything you’ve already set.

How long do you have access to the wedding venue on the day of the wedding? Is the reception in the same location as the wedding ceremony? The amount of time you have the venue booked for will be the foundation for where to start your planning process. If you have 8 hours and the venue dictates the start and end time then this is what you work with. If you get the venue from 9am to midnight (or close to that) then you really have a lot of flexibility for how you want your day to look. This is totally up to you and your partner as to how you want your day to feel, both for you and for your guests. These are all things that can affect your timeline.

From there take a look at what time of day you prefer to have the ceremony itself. Most people schedule their ceremony for late afternoon or early evening. This works for many people because you don’t have to get up as early. (Especially if you’ve had a groomsmen / bridal party the evening before that runs into the early morning hours!) You have more time to get hair and makeup done and don’t have to rush as much. Reception dinner time works for a lot of people as well, so meal time after the ceremony is a no brainer.

Once you have decided on your ceremony start time you will want to allow for the possibility of a late start. So many things come up that will push the ceremony start time by at least 10-15 minutes so please be mentally prepared for this inevitability. Having said that most ceremonies take around 20 minutes. This will depend on if you have anyone singing or playing a special song, or doing a special reading, or even showing a slide show or video.

I also recommend to be done with photography at least 30 minutes prior to the ceremony time to just allow the wedding party to relax for a few minutes prior to the start of the ceremony and allow for some buffer in case things run a few minutes behind.

That way you get to decompress for a little bit and aren’t frazzled right before the big moment of walking down the aisle or waiting for your partner to walk down the aisle. We don’t want anyone to pass out at that crucial moment!

Then still moving backwards in your day you’ll probably be doing photos of the wedding party prior to the ceremony. You’ll want to allow at least thirty minutes to do photos with the entire wedding party. Usually that’s gonna be slightly longer for the bride and bridesmaid images than for the groomsmen but you never know!

Wedding party pictures

If you choose to do your first look this should come before the wedding party images and should be done just after the bride finishes dressing. This means that the groom will also be fully dressed and ready for the ceremony by the same time as the bride. (Or both brides/grooms be ready at the same time.)

I recommend doing getting into the dress shots, bridal portraits, then bride and bridesmaids while groom and groomsmen finish dressing. Then when bride and bridesmaids are done it will be the groom and groomsmen’s turn.

Then first look can take place. Many times the groomsmen and bridesmaids will be present and watch as well. Generally speaking first looks take around 10-15 minutes.

First Look

You’ll also want to consider whether or not you want to do a first look before the ceremony. This can be for the wedding couple usually but if I have also done first looks with the bride and her ushers, bride and her father and there are also first looks for bride and bridesmaids.

I do strongly suggest you consider having a first look for you and your significant other. This frees up precious time after the ceremony that allows you to get to the reception quicker so you are spending more time with friends and family and enjoying your evening more!

I would still encourage you to allow at least 15 minutes for a quick sunset portrait session as these are some of the most beautiful images. They are warm and just impart such a romantic and connected feel to your wedding day.

No First Look

Some couples still want the traditional wedding without the first look and I support this as well! (Always do what you feel is best for you!) If you want to have your groom see you for the first time as you walk down the aisle you can always have a few moments together before the ceremony without actually seeing each other!

Family Formals

Another thing to consider is having family members arrive with plenty of time before the wedding to do wedding formals with family after the first look. This way, again you’ll save precious time after the ceremony for the fun parts! Depending on how many family you want to include this can take anywhere from 15 minutes to half an hour. I do recommend several things in regard to family photos. You’ll want to think about the different photos you want to get and have a specific person selected to be in charge of getting everyone together for the shots you want. Remember…the more groupings/photos you want the longer this will take. Some photographers limit the number of family grouping so be sure and talk about this with them. If you are running behind on schedule at this point you may have to ditch some of these shots to get back on schedule.

Getting Ready Photos

You may want some getting ready photos with you and your bridesmaids so you’ll need to time this so that you have your photographer arrive before you are finished with hair and make up. They’ll need to have time to photograph your detail shots like your dress, rings and other items as well as the getting ready shots.

Finally, let’s go back towards the end of the wedding day now that we have the most difficult timeframes worked out. Once your ceremony is over if you did not do a first look, then this is where you’ll first do your family group photos so your family can head to the reception when they are done with photos. Then you'll want to do your wedding party photos so they can also head to the reception when done and lastly it's time for your couples portraits!

If this is the route are going you’ll have to get all of these done in at least an hour, sometimes less. If you are doing this you’ll want to have a cocktail hour so your guests can grab a drink and some snacks while they wait for the wedding party grand entrance.

For fall weddings when sunset is around 5pm I do strongly recommend doing a first look so you have time for outdoor couples portraits.

Typically, family portraits can take 20-30 minutes, then you still have the full wedding party photos which can take 15-20 minutes, so you may end up with only 15 minutes of time for couples portraits if you didn't do a first look.

Sunset Portraits

Lastly, SUNSET PORTRAITS for the wedded couple!!!!!! (Many photographers will geek out over getting to do a short sunset portrait session! Think seriously about this one!! This gives you the most amazing portraits…I cannot recommend this enough!

If you have decided to do a first look then you could take 10 minutes or so and grab some couples shots while everyone gets over into the reception hall if you are having the reception at the same location. (If you have to travel to the reception hall this is a good time to grab couples shots before you leave for the reception.) You may want to go on to the reception and then pull away for 10-15 minutes for your sunset photos and then get right back to enjoying all of your festivities!

Once you have your schedule made be sure and share this with your wedding party so everyone knows when they need to arrive and when they need to be fully ready for photographs.

Generally speaking, many photographers are helpful when it comes to making your wedding day timeline. I love doing this with my wedding couples, it takes the stress out of your day and gives everyone peace of mind! If you want to start planning your wedding day click the button below and let’s get started!

Sample Timeline:

(June Wedding)

Sun sets around 8:30pm

2:00pm                             Getting ready photos and detail shots / Photographer arrives

3pm - 3:10                        Matching PJ's

3:15-3:25pm                     Getting Into Dress Shots

3:30pm-3:45pm                 First Look with Groom

3:30-3:45pm                     Couples Portraits

4:00pm – 4:15pm              Bride and Bridesmaid Photos

4:15-4:30pm                     Groom and Groomsmen Photos

4:30-4:45pm                     Wedding party photos

5:15pm                             Immediate Family photos

5:30pm                             Done with photos – decompressing

6pm                                   Wedding Ceremony

6:30 – 7:30pm                 Cocktail Hour (photos for wedding couple and wedding party/family if no first look)

7:35pm                             Wedding Couple Grand Entrance

7:45 – 8:15pm                 Dinner Served / Toasts to Wedding Couple

8:15 – 8:30pm                 Sunset Wedding Couple Portraits

Cake Cutting, Bouquet and garter toss

First Dance

Dance floor open

10pm Grand Exit

If you want a grand exit photographed, you’ll want to be sure and discuss with your photographer and make sure that you have them on site for that. You may have to add on coverage if you also want the getting ready shots.

Talk with your partner and make sure you’re both on the same page with priorities for the day so you can set the schedule with your coordinator or wedding planner (if you have one) and photographer.

I'd love to sit down and talk with you about planning your special day! Click the button below to get in touch with me and start the planning process!