Wedding Timelines
A wedding needs to be planned out in order to keep the day running smoothly. The idea behind a timeline is simple to ensure that you enjoy this special day and not have to be a DIY wedding planner the day of your event. It helps to keep your stress level at a minimum.
My approach is fairly basic. Layout how you’d like the day to go and then be flexible to last min changes. Here is a simple sample timeline that you can use to plan your wedding day, as far as photography. This timeline is based on what prefer a timeline to look like, as a wedding photographer to maximize coverage. Like most of my information this is basic and general and does not encompass all the cultural traditions, so please customize it.
Also notice there are no times, rarely do I find weddings/events run on time. I think it is important to list Ceremony and Dinner times, but other than that it is more important to just have a basic sequence of events, so everyone knows what’s supposed to happen next. The Ceremony is a critical time because you don’t want to leave your guest waiting. Dinner is important because it’s prepared to be ready at a certain time. Too often people organize their wedding to the minute and end up being stressed out that everything isn’t going exactly as planned.
Sample Photography Timeline
· Pre-Ceremony
o Location Shots
o Photograph the Bride
§ Photograph the Brides Details
· Dress
· Shoes
· Jewelry
· Invitation
· Garter
§ Bride Getting ready
· Hair/Makeup
· Dress
· Shoes
· Veil
· Jewelry
§ Bride and Bridesmaids
· Toasts
· Formals
· Gifts
o Photograph the Groom
§ Grooms Details
§ Groom getting ready
§ Groom with Groom’s men
o Pre-Ceremony Photo Session
§ First Look
· Bride walking toward the groom
· Grooms face waiting
· Bride and groom’s face when they see each other.
§ Formals
· Bride and Groom after first look
· Bridal Party
· Family
· Ceremony
o Pretty straight forward – Document the Wedding
· Cocktail Hour
o Formals
§ Family Formals
§ Bridal Party
§ Bride and groom
o All Guest enjoying Cocktail Hour
o Details of reception venue
· Reception
o Grand Entrance
§ Straight into first dance
o Intro Speech – Prayer, Bride & Groom’s Thank You Speech, or Brides Father thank you speech
o Dinner Served
o Maid of honor/ Best Man Speech during dinner
o After dinner open dance
o Garter/bouquet toss
o Cake Cut
o Couple Exit