Creating Your Wedding Day Timeline

One of the…

…most important parts of planning that can make or break wedding day is your schedule. When you’ve never planned a wedding before, it can be hard to know how to best structure your day, and how much time to allow for events. That’s where we come in! A timeline can either create or eliminate stress. Below, we’ll share our top tips, as well as a sample timeline and specifics to consider.

Don’t Skip These Steps

1). Add buffer time! This is a big one. It can be tempting to try to cram the schedule. Getting dressed immediately after hair and makeup finishes, or doing a first look immediately before leaving for the ceremony location aren’t the best ideas. This is fine on a normal day, but wedding day is different. To create an environment that is best for photos and is low stress, estimate slightly longer time frames. We have never shot a wedding where some part of the day didn’t inevitably run a little late. Even our own wedding day ran a bit late. It just happens when you’re trying to coordinate the logistics of so many people. This is okay! The best thing to do is to set yourself up with realistic expectations, so when that something does run late, you’re prepared. Add that extra 15 minutes.

2). Add buffer time! Yup, it’s on our list twice because it’s that important.

3). Pay attention to how light changes depending on the time of day. Midday is the worst time for photos, especially for a ceremony. The sun is directly overhead, which causes harsh shadows. We enjoy the chance to use harsh shadows to create unusual portraits. But no one wants ceremony photos where everyone is squinting and has raccoon eyes. Mid morning, mid afternoon, and golden hour are when the light is most even for photos. Golden hour starts about one hour before sunset and continues til just before the sun drops below the horizon. Because the sun is so low, it tends to create beautiful backlighting and makes everything look a bit golden. This is our absolute favorite time to do romantic portraits. If you want to capitalize on the best light, it’s important to time your day appropriately.

4). Choose a photographer who knows how to be efficient with time. The industry standard for “full day coverage” ranges from eight-twelve hours. When you’re working with a professional, they’re going to know how to maximize eight or even four hours. With thoughtful planning of the timeline, and a wedding pro who has great time management skills, all the details and important events of a full wedding day can be captured comfortably within eight hours.

Want to know more? Download our comprehensive guide to planning your wedding day timeline here!