Crafting your wedding timeline is something that can make or break your photography experience.
If you’re imagining romantic sunset portraits, but your fall ceremony doesn’t start until 7pm and you opt out of doing a first look, you’ll be doing all your portraits indoors.
Similarly, if you plan for wedding party portraits at noon, and your hair and makeup are scheduled to be finished at 11:30, you’ll be rushed to travel, hop into your wedding clothes, and find the flowers in 30 minutes. Not to mention…noon is not the ideal time for outdoor photos!
Below, we will outline an ideal wedding day, using a 6:00 p.m. ceremony time with a first look and portraits beforehand.
Remember that all wedding days are different, and your timeline may differ from this one due to travel times and unique situations.
We are happy to help you create a wedding timeline that works best for your beautiful wedding day!
Details
Every bride & groom loves having those beautiful shots of their wedding details. It’s an important part of the story, and we love having time to shoot the dresses, tuxes, shoes, jewelry, invitations, and other important details. While we’re shooting the details, we’re also capturing some shots of the wedding party interacting as they're getting ready.
Getting Dressed
After the details have been photographed, it’s time for the couple to each don their wedding attire. This is a big moment! For brides, we usually want the mother of the bride and all bridesmaids to be already dressed so that everyone looks nice in the "putting on the dress" photos. We'll start shooting the guys once everyone has their pants on (ha!), and get photos of y'all helping with ties, cuff links, and jackets. We'll pull each of you aside for a few quick portraits in the dressing room, if possible.
First Look
This is one of our favorite parts of the wedding day! We will find the perfect spot for our couple’s first look prior to them getting ready. Don’t stress about that one bit! We will make sure the location is as private and secluded as possible.
Portraits
After you take your time with the first look, we will begin taking a few romantic portraits of you two while the initial excitement is still present. Remember, the light determines where we shoot, so we often simply cannot decide on portrait locations until the day-of. As we shoot these pictures, the wedding party will start making their way to us for wedding party photos.
Wedding Party
Now it’s time for wedding party pictures! We pad the day with extra time, just in case. However, one way to make sure we stay on schedule for bridal party portraits is to have someone put the boutonnieres on the guys before they arrive for portraits, and to make sure the girls have their bouquets ready to go.
Take A Breath!
After wedding party portraits are complete, the crew will go into hiding so that early guests don’t sneak a peek! Drink some water, hit the loo, check your hair, and get ready for the big moment to begin!
Details
If the reception is in the same location as the ceremony, we will use this time to shoot the reception decor untouched. If the ceremony and reception are in different locations, we recommend having a cocktail hour outside of the main reception area so that we can grab some great shots of your reception before the night begins.
Ceremony
It’s time to get married!! Most ceremonies are about 30 minutes long. If your ceremony is longer or shorter, we can make adjustments to the timeline. Cherish these moments! Your ceremony will pass by so quickly!
Family
We recommend doing family formals immediately following the ceremony so that all family members will be present and ready to go. We’ll need about 15 to 30 minutes for these photos, depending on the size of your family and number of different combos you want to do). We're a big fan of outdoor, natural family portraits, but we can shoot these inside your venue if you would prefer.
"Just Married"
The best time of day for portraits in the late spring, summer and early fall is about 7:00 p.m. because the sun is glowy and golden. We love having a few extra minutes with you guys to take a few “just married” portraits right after family formals.
Reception!
This is when your wedding party lines up for introductions and the party begins! By this part of the day, our timeline isn’t as strict. We let the DJ take over the timeline, and we begin focusing on photographing the reception events as they unfold.
Epic Night Shots
We prefer to cover the full wedding day so that we can be present for the main events of the reception and about an hour of dancing. If you’re interested in having your exit photographed, you can either add additional coverage, or you can plan a faux exit with just your wedding party. We have had great success with this, and the party never stops!
Details
Every bride & groom loves having those beautiful shots of their wedding details. It’s an important part of the story, and we love having time to shoot the dresses, tuxes, shoes, jewelry, invitations, and other important details. While we’re shooting the details, we’re also capturing some shots of the wedding party interacting as they're getting ready.
Getting Dressed
After the details have been photographed, it’s time for the couple to each don their wedding attire. This is a big moment! For brides, we usually want the mother of the bride and all bridesmaids to be already dressed so that everyone looks nice in the "putting on the dress" photos. We'll start shooting the guys once everyone has their pants on (ha!), and get photos of y'all helping with ties, cuff links, and jackets. We'll pull each of you aside for a few quick portraits in the dressing room, if possible.
First Look
This is one of our favorite parts of the wedding day! We will find the perfect spot for our couple’s first look prior to them getting ready. Don’t stress about that one bit! We will make sure the location is as private and secluded as possible.
Portraits
After you take your time with the first look, we will begin taking a few romantic portraits of you two while the initial excitement is still present. Remember, the light determines where we shoot, so we often simply cannot decide on portrait locations until the day-of. As we shoot these pictures, the wedding party will start making their way to us for wedding party photos.
Wedding Party
Now it’s time for wedding party pictures! We pad the day with extra time, just in case. However, one way to make sure we stay on schedule for bridal party portraits is to have someone put the boutonnieres on the guys before they arrive for portraits, and to make sure the girls have their bouquets ready to go.
Take a Breath!
After wedding party portraits are complete, the crew will go into hiding so that early guests don’t sneak a peek! Drink some water, hit the loo, check your hair, and get ready for the big moment to begin!
Details
If the reception is in the same location as the ceremony, we will use this time to shoot the reception decor untouched. If the ceremony and reception are in different locations, we recommend having a cocktail hour outside of the main reception area so that we can grab some great shots of your reception before the night begins.
Ceremony
It’s time to get married!! Most ceremonies are about 30 minutes long. If your ceremony is longer or shorter, we can make adjustments to the timeline. Cherish these moments! Your ceremony will pass by so quickly!
Family
We recommend doing family formals immediately following the ceremony so that all family members will be present and ready to go. We’ll need about 15 to 30 minutes for these photos, depending on the size of your family and number of different combos you want to do). We're a big fan of outdoor, natural family portraits, but we can shoot these inside your venue if you would prefer.
"Just Married"
The best time of day for portraits in the late spring, summer and early fall is about 7:00 p.m. because the sun is glowy and golden. We love having a few extra minutes with you guys to take a few “just married” portraits right after family formals.
Reception!
This is when your wedding party lines up for introductions and the party begins! By this part of the day, our timeline isn’t as strict. We let the DJ take over the timeline, and we begin focusing on photographing the reception events as they unfold.
Epic Night Shots
We prefer to cover the full wedding day so that we can be present for the main events of the reception and about an hour of dancing. If you’re interested in having your exit photographed, you can either add additional coverage, or you can plan a faux exit with just your wedding party. We have had great success with this, and the party never stops!
So there you go! That’s a sample timeline and walkthrough of a wedding day with a first look.
Your wedding will be wonderfully unique, so it may not follow the timeline exactly. Here are some approximate timeframes to work with as you’re planning your wedding day:
Details & Getting Ready: 60-90 minutes
First Look & Portraits: 30-45 minutes
Wedding Party: 20-30 minutes
Family Portraits: 20-30 minutes
Extra Portrait Time: As much as you’ll give us!
And remember, you don’t have to do this alone! We are happy to help craft your wedding day timeline!
