I’m gonna start with the obvious: Just like every wedding is unique, so are the photographers who photograph them.

What I might consider to be a ‘perfect’ timeline, another photographer or wedding planner might balk at.  Some couples have large wedding parties, while others don’t.  Some will have big, huge families, and others will not.  Some might want a strict documentary approach to their wedding photographs – in which case, we might forego a timeline altogether.

In a perfect world, there would be no wedding day timelines

I go back and forth with whether timelines are actually necessary.  Some of my favorite weddings were completely unscripted and we flew by the seat of our pants.  But as much as I love working that way, I know most people do not – and these timelines aren’t really for me – they’re for my couples!  Most of whom are somehwat planners-by-nature and feel better knowing what their day is going to look like.

Sidebar// The best ‘no timeline’ experience I ever had was at Beth & Chad’s wedding in Moab, UT.  There was no timeline for pretty much the whole weekend – I was just there, helping bridesmaids decorate, hanging out, drawing on chalkboards, arranging details to my liking and photographing everything along the way.  There’s nothing more fun than leisurely rocking out while you get to work over the course of a couple of days 🙂

Swoon.  (and thank you for the unbeatable experience, Beth & Chad!)

But alas, timelines do have their place and purpose at most weddings.  Without them, family formals, wedding party photos, first looks – they’d all be at risk of being missed.

But I digress… let’s get to the good stuff!

Q: How much time should we ‘set aside’ for photos?

A: Not all couples are interested in having formal photos, and that’s okay!  But if you’re a part of the majority who do want them, I’d recommend setting aside at LEAST two hours for family, the wedding party, and for bride and groom photos.

Traditional timeline (10 hours) + first look

For couples who want that extra time together and opt for a first look (more about why they rock can be read here), but still want to adhere to some typical wedding traditions, this is how a typical timeline might look:

11:00 – Getting ready (hair, make up) + details

12:00 – Lunch / arrive at ceremony location

12:30 – Bride getting dressed + Bridal portraits

12:50 – Groom portraits

1:00 – First look + bride and groom photos

2:00 – Wedding party photos

2:30 – Family photos (If you have large families, maybe add another 15-30 minutes)

3:00 – Photo break, relax before the ceremony

4:00 – Ceremony, followed by receiving line

4:45 – Grand exit / send off

5:30 – Cocktail hour / photographer sets up / reception details

6:30 – Reception entrance

7:00 – Cake Cutting

7:15 – Eating

7:45 – Toasts

8:15 – First dances

9:oo – Bouquet/Garter

^ but how did we get all of that?  We start with the ceremony time and move backwards.  We want to be done with all photos about an hour before.  That gives us a little buffer time if we run over or run out of time for something earlier in the day.  It also gives the couple a break from photos, time to be off their feet, use the restroom, etc.

Everything else is a happy estimate.  Wedding party photos generally take about half an hour (unless you plan on more than one location).  Same goes for family photos – especially if they’re going to be on-location, and everyone shows up on time 🙂  If you have 25+ family groupings, someone runs late, or we have an additional location to account for, it will probably take longer.  If you send a super long list of the family photos you want, I’ll adjust the timeline to match your expectations.

Reception timelines vary – but they usually include cake cutting, toasts, etc. either before or during the meal.  Only once have I seen the first dances take place before anything else (and it was a really neat way to kick off the reception!).  If you’d like recommendations or want to try something different, let’s talk about it!  And be sure to involve your DJ/entertainment for the evening ahead of time so they can help facilitate the plan.

Q: I planned to start getting ready at 8:30 am, but this timeline says 11 am.  Should we push it back?

A: Nope!  Depending on how many people will be receiving hair & make up services, an hour would be far too short for the appointments.  I generally show up near the end of the services to take a few in-the-moment photos to help piece together your story.  Even if your hair and make up is finished, we can still get touch up photos, and photos of you starting the day with some of your closest friends and family 🙂

Super traditional timeline – no first look

11:00 – Getting ready (hair, make up) + details

12:00 – Lunch / arrive at ceremony location

12:00 – Details

1:00 – Bride getting into dress + Bride portraits

2:00 – Bride & Bridesmaids

2:30 – Groom portraits + Groom & Groomsmen

3:00 – Photo break / hide the bride

4:00 – Ceremony

4:45 – Grand exit / send off

5:00 – Family photos

5:30 – Full Wedding Party Photos

5:30 – Cocktail hour

6:00 – Bride and groom photos

6:45 – Reception details / Photographer sets up

7:00 – Grand entrance

7:15 – Cake Cutting

7:30 – Eating

8:00 – Toasts

8:30 – First dances

9:oo – Bouquet/Garter

^ You’ll notice there’s less time for bride & groom photos, as well as a larger gap of time between the ceremony and the start of the reception. Something to keep in mind if you plan to skip lunch (which I don’t recommend).

Some additional variables to consider when creating your timeline:

• Drive time between locations
• Additional stops between ceremony & reception, if any
• Keeping formal groupings to a realistic number (I usually suggest 5 minutes per grouping less than 8 people, 10 minutes per grouping with more than 8).  There’s a little wiggle room in these estimates, but it’s almost always needed.

And that’s it!

Most timelines require a little tweaking, but still, they seem to have pretty similar patterns.  Make sure you send your finazlized timeline to the wedding party members (or at least the maid of honor and best man) and your family a few days prior to the wedding.  If you need help creating your very own timeline, shoot me a message about 1-2 months before your wedding!  I’d love to help.

(and if by chance you’re a future bride of mine and you prefer to wing it/go without a timeline, please let me know so we can work out some reasonable expectations before hand.  I’m happy to improvise, but not at the expense of making you incredibly happy with your photographs). <3

All good things,

Chelsea