Wedding planning tips: How to start your wedding day timeline

Planning a wedding timeline can feel SO overwhelming, especially when the day is far off and you might not have all of the details! Never fear: I’m here to help you! One of the awesome things that I do for you when you book me is full timeline consultation leading up to the wedding day. Not only does this help me as your photographer, but it helps you and makes sure we’re all on the same page!

But even before we meet up for coffee or drinks to talk over the timeline, there are a few things that you can consider to start the process! Keep in mind, these are just general suggestions based on what I have seen as a photographer. If you are working with a planner, they might have different suggestions, but this is a great place to start if you are just starting the planning process!

First things first: know the limits of your venue!

Always start off by figuring out if there are time limits at your venue. Did you book it for half the day? Do you get it for the whole day? Knowing how long you have your venue for is a great first step so that we can figure out when certain things have to happen, like portraits, your ceremony, and your exit.

Location, location, location!

The second most important thing to consider is locations! If the whole day from start to finish is at one venue, this step is super easy. But sometimes, getting ready locations aren’t the same as ceremony locations, and then some weddings have another reception location! If you have a wedding with multiple locations (especially true for church ceremonies) you will need to factor this in.

How long will it take to drive from one location to another? Are we going to add some padding in case there is traffic? Is it hard to find (aka, is someone going to get lost?) Make sure you think about that when starting out for your timeline, because it will affect certain vendors (like me) as well as your guests. 

Ceremony time and length, and the vision you have!

A lot of people like to start off with the time of the ceremony, and go from there. After all, this is the main event! A few things to consider when planning when to have your ceremony:

Again, your venue timing. If you have the venue for 6 hours, and you want to party hard for most of that, you might want to have your ceremony earlier so that we can get to the party!

Lighting. I would of course love to have your wedding in that beautiful, golden hour light the whole day if possible! But, this isn’t realistic. And it might not match the vision you have! If you are thinking you want pretty twinkle lights to be prevalent at your ceremony, we might want to go a little after sunset in the "blue hour". But if you want your portraits to be done with the golden hour glow, and your ceremony is going to be about 30 minutes, we need to factor that in. Lighting considerations are something I am HAPPY to advise you on based on your specific situations! Also ask your venue; they've hosted lots of events there, and probably know when lighting looks good. 

Think about this situation: Are you getting married in the winter? And you don’t want to do a first look? But you want your portraits outside with natural light? And you want your ceremony to be at 4 pm? That might be a bit of a problem, so we would want to adjust your ceremony time!

Of course the length of the ceremony is important too. Some ceremonies are much longer than others, and you’ll want to take that into consideration when you start putting your timeline together.

Decide on a first look.

If you didn’t already read my blog post about deciding if a first look is right for you, check it out here. I go over why I think it’s a good idea to do one! One benefit is the flexibility it puts into your timeline. This allows us to get all wedding party portraits done before the ceremony. We can also knock out family formals if you’d like, and get a bulk (or all) of your newlywed portraits done. Whether or not you do one is totally up to you guys, but it is important to make that decision because it will factor into your timeline and the rest of the day!

Getting ready time!

How long is it going to take to get your hair and makeup done? And is this happening at the venue or not? This can really put a snag in even the most well thought out timeline! Communication with the hair and makeup artist will help us smooth this out. I would always recommend a little bit of a buffer in this part of your timeline, if at all possible. 

This is also important solely from a photography standpoint, because this is usually the time that I roll up. Do you want pictures of you and your wedding party in the robes, getting their makeup and hair done? Or would you prefer the getting ready portraits where everyone is a little more put together, and we're putting on your dress and jewelry? What about your detail shots? Something to consider when you start to think about how long you'd like your photography coverage to be! If you want pictures of everyone in the robes, and you have lots of cool details for me to photograph, you should consider adding a little more time for me to be there. 

Receiving lines and family formals.

Are you going to do a receiving line? This is a great way to see everyone, but it definitely takes a while depending on how many guests you have! This should 100% be factored into your timeline, because if we still have to get through all of your other portraits and get to the reception in an hour, it can get a little rushed. (Ya girl can handle it, but why rush ourselves if we don't have to?) Basically, if you want to do a receiving line, AWESOME! But let's make sure we plan for that time.

Family formals can definitely take a big chunk of time depending on what you and your boo want, and how big your family is. In the questionnaire I have you fill out in your process with me, we will detail the family photos you’d like so that we can FLY through them. I strongly recommend keeping it as simple as possible, because each individual grouping adds 2-3 minutes to this chunk of time. And we always have time at the reception!

Do you need to schedule yourself a break?

Are you going to need a break from smiling and hugging and socializing at some point? Worried you might not get a chance to eat because you’ll be too busy socializing and dancing with your friends and family? Spoiler alert: this is allowed, and we can totally make it happen. Lets build in a little break time into the timeline, whether that's a pit stop between venues or simply hiding out after your formal portraits are done and chilling.

One thing I do try to do is end all portraits and photos about half an hour before your ceremony, just so you have a chance to relax and take a couple of deep breathes, and spend some time with your wedding party or your boo if you opted for a first look. I also try to sneak you guys outside at some point for a night shot! This gives you a breather from a hot dance floor and a change to catch you breath. 

Do you want to do a fancy exit for pictures?

This can be an actual exit, or we can fake an exit to get the shot too. It just depends on what you might want to do. Sparklers? Awesome! Bubbles? Why not! But, we should factor this into your timeline. Exits definitely require some coordination with me, the DJ, the guests: think having 50 people line up and then lighting 50 sparklers quick enough to get good pictures!

Also something to consider with an exit is how late people will stay. Some guests might want to leave a little early, especially if they have far to drive, so some couples opt for a faux exit done well before they actually leave.

This can still sound super overwhelming, but I GOT YOU! I am happy to talk through all of these details so that we can get a timeline put together that is realistic and makes sense for what your vision is for your wedding day. Planning a wedding is hard, I get it! I want to help make that process easier, which is why I am always wanting to be a resource to you as you start this journey! Reach out to me here if you’re ready to make your wedding day easier!