Wedding Day Timeline Samples for Brides + Wedding Photographers

Planning your wedding can be stressful but having a wedding day timeline will make your actual wedding day much less stressful! The most crucial part of your timeline is that you want to make sure there is only ONE timeline being used on your wedding day. You would be surprised how many times I have shown up to a wedding and everyone has a different timeline. The photographer has one, the coordinator has a different one, the venue has another version, and the DJ has his own. That creates a nightmare on your wedding day. You will run late and your day will feel chaotic because no one is on the same page. So! Make sure that all of your timelines match! Typically, most vendors are on the same page as far as how much time is needed for everything so that shouldn’t be a problem.

Typically 8 weeks prior to your wedding day I send out a pre- wedding questionnaire that helps me to make sure that I, as your photographer, know EVERY THING that is important to YOU on your wedding day. It’s easy for the details to get lost in the “we do this all the time” and the “This is how we do it” of all the vendors ensuring that they do what they need to.

HOWEVER, I believe that every wedding has it’s own personality and that each bride deserve to have their OWN custom timeline to make sure that everything that THEY want photographed, that there is time to do so! Once we meet together and create your custom timeline I email it to my Brides along with the Bridal and Groom details checklist to have ready for us. I then can email it to the rest of the vendors or usually my brides share it with them.

HERE ARE TWO SAMPLE WEDDING DAY TIMELINES I COMMONLY USE. 

WEDDING DAY TIMELINE W/ FIRST LOOK

* THIS TIMELINE IS BASED ON A TRADITIONAL 8 HOUR TIMELINE WITH ALL EVENTS OCCURRING AT ONE LOCATION WITH PHOTOGRAPHY IN MIND*

2:00 – 2:45 Bridal Details / Groom Details

2:50 – 3:20 Bridal Prep / Groom Prep 

3:30 FIRST LOOK

3:40 – 4:10 Bride & Groom Portraits 

4:20 – 4:50 Briday Party Portraits 

5:00 – 5:30 Tuck Away Bride  

5:00 – 5:20 Ceremony/ Reception Details 

5:30 CEREMONY 

5:45 – 6:15 Family Portraits 

5:45 – 6:45 Happy Hour 

6:20 – 6:40 “Just Married” Portraits 

7:00 Reception Begins / Grand Entrance

(Reception Events to be captured prior to your photographers exit). 

9:45 Mock Exit

10:00 End of Photography Coverage

WEDDING DAY TIMELINE W/OUT FIRST LOOK

* THIS TIMELINE IS BASED ON A TRADITIONAL 8 HOUR TIMELINE WITH ALL EVENTS OCCURRING AT ONE LOCATION WITH PHOTOGRAPHY IN MIND*

2:00 – 2:45 Bridal Details / Groom Details

2:50 – 3:20 Bridal Prep / Groom Prep 

3:30 – 4:20 Bridal Portraits / Bridesmaid / Groom/smen Portraits 

4:30 Tuck Away Bride

4:30 – 4:50 Ceremony / Reception Details 

5:00 CEREMONY (3 hours prior to sunset)

5:30 – 6:00 Family Portraits 

6:00 – 6:30 Full Bridal Party Portriats 

6:30 – 7:00 Bride & Groom Portraits 

7:00 Reception Begins / Grand Entrance

(Reception Events to be filled in prior to your photographers exit). 

9:45 Mock Exit

10:00 Photography Coverage Ends

SOME THINGS TO BE AWARE OF WHEN YOU’RE PLANNING YOUR TIMELINE:

1. Travel time to and from the ceremony and reception locations if seperate can add up to an hour ov coverage to your timeline 
2. Timeline w/out a first look is okay! However, keep in mind that it does feel much more photo heavy and it does mean that family and brida party can’t relax for most of the day.
3. Allow your photographer time to capture the reception details UNTOUCHED
4. Plan to have all of your family in one place for family portraits and communicate that with them
5. Go over your final timeline with your coordinator… and be sure it matches everyone’s timeline. Or only build one and share that with everyone. 
6. If you have a TON of bridesmaids… have more than one or two hairstylists and schedule your hair and make up to be done 15 min. prior to your photographer arriving.
7. Don’t wait till the morning of the wedding to steam your dress / bridesmaid dresses! Ah!
8. Allow extra getting ready time… there will always be something that takes longer than expected!…. ie: the buttons on your dress!
9. Save your photographer time by having ALL of your details in one place when he/she arrives!
10. Relax. You can’t change what you can’t control on your wedding day.

If you’re one of MY brides, your wedding timeline is much more detailed than the example listed here. I want my brides to know exactly what I’m photographing and at what times. However, the main times of your day look like this timeline.