Wedding days can get a little chaotic – there’s a lot to do, a lot to think about, and a lot going on! Making a timeline in advance is an important part of planning a wedding, because it’ll help you stay on track, keeps all the vendors on the same page, and is just a good overview of what’s happening on the big day. However, while a timeline is important, scheduling the day out minute by minute and creating a tight, completely inflexible schedule can be counterproductive, as it’ll just cause more stress! This guide will tell you how to make a wedding timeline, with tips for lighting, how long everything takes, and how to ensure everything is smooth and stress-free.

What Goes on a Wedding Timeline?

Here are a few items that you might expect to put on your wedding day timeline. However, keep in mind that every wedding is unique, so your timeline might not include all of this, or it might include some things that aren’t listed here. It’s all about what feels right to you, so don’t feel like you have to follow this exactly!

Breakfast

Don’t forget this important step! Whether or not you put it on the actual timeline is up to you, but it can be fun to plan a breakfast with family, with the wedding party, or with your partner as a way to start the day off right. It’s common for couples to forget to eat on their wedding day, so having a nice breakfast helps!

Getting Ready

If you’re getting hair and makeup done, talk to your hair and makeup artist about how long this will take. Two hours is pretty standard, and of course if any of the wedding party is getting theirs done too, you’ll need more time. Make sure to also schedule time to get dressed – for suits, 15 minutes is usually enough, but for dresses, I recommend planning 30. This ensures that there’s time for photos, and time to get everything buttoned and laced. 

I recommend staggering when you and your partner get dressed, too, unless you’re having a second photographer. If there’s one photographer, having one person get dressed first ensures that there are photos of both of you.

First Look

Some couples choose to do a first look before the ceremony. This is when you plan a moment to see each other in your wedding attire for the first time! Your photographer will help you set this up – one of you will stand facing away, while the other will come up behind them and tap them on the shoulder. It’s always a really sweet moment when the couple sees each other for the first time, and doing a first look instead of waiting for the ceremony gives you some time for yourselves, and lets you relax a little before the ceremony. A lot of couples find that just seeing each other can ease the nerves a ton.

If you want to save seeing each other for the first time for the ceremony, there are some alternatives to a first look that can be special too – like standing on opposite sides of an open door or on adjacent walls outside of a building so that you can hold hands and talk without actually seeing each other. 

The first look should take about 15-20 minutes.

Wedding Party Photos

Some couples do this before the ceremony, and some do it after the ceremony, so decide what feels right for you! If you aren’t doing a first look, you can also do each side of the wedding party before the ceremony, then do photos all together after. How much time you’ll need can depend on the size of the wedding party, but it usually takes around 20 minutes. 

Ceremony

The main event! The ceremony usually takes about 30 minutes, but can be longer if you incorporate religious, cultural, or family traditions. Talk to your officiant, and decide if there’s anything unique you want to include. If possible, scheduling the ceremony closer to sunset is better for lighting. Of course, this is a balance with how much daylight is left, but aiming for the ceremony to be later in the day with some time for couples photos around sunset is ideal.

Family Photos

You can do these before or after the ceremony – just make sure to let anyone who’s included in the family photos know what to expect and when to be ready! Creating a list for your photographer is super helpful. If you write a list of the shots you want, your photographer can read it out, and it’ll make the family photos go faster! How much time you need depends on how big your family is, but usually it’s around 20-30 minutes.

Cocktail Hour

Cocktail hour happens right after the ceremony, while the reception area is being set up. It usually happens at the same time that the couple is taking their photos, whether it’s family photos, wedding party, or some couple’s photos. Be sure to let your photographer know if you want to attend any part of your cocktail hour! We can arrange your day to make sure you are present for anything you want.

Couple’s Photos

It’s important to make sure that you schedule time to take couple’s photos! I love doing this at sunset – the lighting is gorgeous, and you can take some time away from the busyness of the day and spend some time together just the two of you. Typically we take some time away during cocktail hour to take these.

Reception

The reception is a lot of events in one, so do make sure to list each one on the timeline. Here are some common things that go on the wedding timeline during the reception – customize it however you like!

• Grand entrance
• Dinner
• Toasts/speeches
• Cake Cutting
• First dance
• Parent dances
• Bouquet toss
• Exit

Buffers and Travel Time

Don’t forget that if you’re traveling between locations, that should be on your timeline too! You should also plan for everything to take just a little bit longer than you expect it to, and add a little bit of buffer time to each step on the timeline. If you do that, you’ll be a lot less stressed, it won’t feel rushed, and you’ll have some time if anything runs long. It’s always better to have a little bit of extra time to relax than to not have enough time!

Making Your Perfect Wedding Timeline

When it comes to how to make a wedding timeline, make sure to consult with all of your vendors to make sure that there’s enough time scheduled for each part of the day. As a photographer, I’ll help you figure out how to plan around lighting and how to schedule time for photos, and on the day of, I’ll keep an eye on the timeline to make sure everything is running smoothly, and that you don’t have to worry about anything but getting married! If you’re ready to plan your wedding, contact me!