The Wedding Day Timeline
Until I started wedding photography, I had no idea that a wedding day timeline was. Seriously! I’m not trying to alarm, but there are 100 different things to consider when you’re building your wedding day itinerary. From getting ready with your girls in the morning to running through a tunnel of sparklers with your new hubby.
Chandra Keel Events (A Phoenix-based expert wedding planner) says “a well-crafted timeline is one of the few essentials that can impact practically every aspect of your wedding day. When done properly, your wedding day is infinitely better and your vendors are able to do their job at their best."
Sample Timeline:
*this is just a sample timeline and probably won’t fit your event perfectly
8:00am—Hair and Makeup (photographer arrives - Starts getting ready photos or the bride)
10:00am- Photographer starts getting pictures of the groom
12:00 pm- Photographer gets detail shots 2:00pm—Wedding party photos start at hotel 4:00pm—First look 4:00–6:00pm— Vendors arrive for setup – two hours before ceremony (depends on the amount of decor being installed) 5:30pm—Guests arrive for wedding/Pre-ceremony music starts 5:45pm – Wedding Party line-up 6:00pm—Ceremony start 6:15pm—Ceremony ends 6:15pm—Cocktail hour starts - Bride and groom 7:15pm—Move guests into dinner Introduction of Wedding Party Introduction of Bride & Groom 7:30pm—First dance Welcome 7:45pm—Dinner served 8:45 pm – Cake Cutting/Toasts Special Parent Dances (Father-Daughter & Mother-Son/Fraternity or Sorority Songs) 9:00pm—General dancing music starts 10:00pm—Garter/Bouquet Toss 10:15pm – Dancing 11:00pm – Car arrives/Exit 11:00pm—Breakdown (typically 1 hour load out)
So I have created a simple timeline that allows you to plan your wedding and share it with the wedding planner/day of planner, photographer, DJ, and servers.
Plan for an hour of formal pictures right after the ceremony. This is when cocktail hour is going on. Photos typically start with immediate family only. (Ex: Parents, siblings, and grandparents) Then moving onto the bridal parties. Ending with Just the bride and groom.
Click HERE to download the FREE wedding timeline
