One of the biggest hurdles of planning your wedding day will undoubtedly be the TIMELINE. Yup! Not many brides realize this before they actually experience it, but the timeline is the absolute most important part of the planning…and very often the most difficult to accomplish! The FIRST thing we would advise you when beginning to work out your timline is that it really needs to be centered around your photography! And we’re not just saying that because we’re photographers, I promise!! Think about it; your photographers are the only people you hired who are responsible for being at the right place at the right time every single minute throughout the entire day…and that can be VERY hard to do! So we have put together a list that will help you create your timline quickly and also ensure that your photographer will have time to capture ALL of the shots that you really really need!

First off, here are a few things to keep in mind when building your timline:

1. Include any travel time to and from ceremony and reception locations
2. Save your photographer time by having all of your details in ONE SPOT when he/she arrives!
3. Provide enough time for your photographer to capture the reception details UNTOUCHED
4. If you have a large bridal party, work in extra getting ready time or have more than one hair stylist!
5. Allow extra getting-ready time in general! There are ALWAYS things that take longer than expected
6. Steam your dress BEFORE your big day…the less you have to do on your wedding day, the better!
7. Allow PLENTY of time for your portraits! Your photographer will LOVE you if you include 30-40 minutes for the First Look and portraits and another 20 minutes for bridal party portraits!
8. Arrange for all of your family to be in the same place at the same time for family formals! We encourage our brides to make a list so that this portions goes smoothly and doesn’t take precious time away from the rest of the day!
9. Share your timeline with your wedding coordinator and/or planner…more than once! They need to be very familiar with it!
10. Relax. Don’t let the pressure of the day cause you to miss out on enjoying the biggest day of your life!
    
    This can sound like a lot…but don’t let it overwhelm you! Honestly, the better your timeline is, the less you have to think about on your wedding day and if your photographer, planner, coordinator…and everyone else, for that matter…is on the SAME PAGE (your timeline page), then you’ll have nothing to worry about!
    
    To make it even easier for you to make a KILLER timeline, we’ve included an example timeline below that you can copy and paste and then adjust to fit your unique day! (Be sure to begin by setting your actual ceremony time and then work from there!)

EXAMPLE PHOTOGRAPHY TIMELINE
Ceremony 6pm (ideal for 8pm sunset or later)

2:30-3:15 Bridal Details
(bride gets ready and we shoot details!)
3:15-3:45 Bridal Prep
(we capture the bride and groom getting ready here)
4:00 First Look
(doing a first look means more time for portraits!)
4:15-4:45 Portraits
(we will do most of your bride and groom portraits here)
4:50-5:20 Bridal Party Portraits
5:30-6:00 Bride In Hiding
(at this time we’ll shoot the untouched reception details!)
5:30-5:50 Reception Details
6:00-6:30 Ceremony
6:40-7:10 Family Portraits
7:15-7:30 “Just Married” Portraits
(some extra portraits of you, just married, near sunset)
7:30 Reception Begins
10:30 Exit

Take this timeline and make it your own!! We hope this comes in handy and helps you plan for your big day! Let us know what you think or if you have any questions in the comments!

Download our simple graphic below!