How to Nail Your Wedding Day Timeline

Every couple I work with wants their wedding day to be relaxed, informal and fun, and why wouldn’t you? It’s a day of celebration, of happiness, and of getting everyone together for an amazing wedding party!

Alongside the fun, couples also work with me because they want great wedding photography, and while professional wedding photographers make this look effortless, a load of time goes into creating incredible images behind-the-scenes. The most important aspect being planning and creating a wedding photography timeline.

So how much time do you need for your photos? And what does a timeline look like? Depending upon how long your photographer is with you on the day and what you want to cover, these timings may vary.

Preparation

Often referred to as bridal prep, but equally important for the guys, this is the start of the story-telling style I love to photograph. Where possible I’ll cover both halves of the couple, but here’s where a second photographer may come in really hand – after all, I can’t be in two places at once. Aim to ask your photographer to arrive to cover an hour of prep, ideally including a little make-up and hair time, finishing touches of dressing, and some fun moments with your respective party (bridesmaids or groomsmen).

I’ll aim to capture some quick individual portraits during this time too, so pick a room with good natural light and big windows to finish getting ready!

This is also a good time to get detail shots of dresses and shoes, if you feel they add to your story.

Ceremony Venue

If you’ve added a second shooter to your package, they’ll make their way to the ceremony venue ahead of the wedding parties and guests, to get some photos of the venue fully set up with no guests or suppliers in the area. Allow around 30 minutes for this, including the time the second shooter leaves their half of prep.

It’s occasionally possible for a single shooter to capture a few of these details, but timing can be difficult if the ceremony is at a different location to your preparations.

Wedding Ceremony

Remember to include your ceremony timings in any photography timeline. The aim during the ceremony is to capture the couple’s arrival, guests’ reactions, and of course the key points of the ceremony – ring exchanges, first kiss, etc.

It’s worth allowing time in your schedule for a delayed start to the ceremony. Hair, make-up, finishing touches and travel, can all create a delay.

Ceremony Exit – the Confetti Shot

I love a confetti shot. You probably guessed if you checked out my Instagram. Do this straight after your ceremony, as you leave the ceremony venue. I would recommend avoiding giving out drinks as guests exit, as the confusion between throwing confetti and a drink can result in a wet couple and sticky petals!

Provide plenty of confetti – much more than you think you’ll need – and sneak off into a side room as you exit your ceremony room. I’ll organise your guests outside and give you the nod to go. The rest is magic. Allow around 15-20 minutes in your timeline for people to exit and get organised.

Couples Sessions

It’s time for you to take a break from the crowd. Depending upon when your ceremony and reception are planned, this could be between the two or during the evening once your guests are entertained. Golden hour/sunset sessions are beautiful if you’re in the countryside, near a lake, or can watch the sun. If you’re opting for an urban setting, anytime during the evening, or the time just after sunset – called Blue hour – is equally amazing.

Allow around 30 minutes for a couples session, or plan for two 20-minute sessions, one before your reception and one somewhere after the first dance. Ideally, I’ll have scouted out a few locations in advance and we’ll be able to quickly cover some great fun portraits of you pretty quickly. This is purely the two of you and your photographer time, so we leave the family and friends to enjoy their drinks and entertainment and you get a moment to breathe.

Family Formals / Group Shots

The time taken for family formals depends entirely upon the number of people involved and the number of photos you’d like. These can be at your ceremony venue or reception venue, or somewhere in between. I recommend having a nominated member of your party to help corral your family for photos, and suggest planning for about 5 minutes per grouping. It’s also worth having a think about where you might want these photos taking in advance so I can check out the lighting and composition beforehand and have some alternate ideas available.

Big group shots of all the guests – honestly, they’re not my favourite thing. Inevitably there’s always sunglasses, closed eyes, or a distracted guest looking at a nearby squirrel (even in the urban settings). I’d suggest avoiding large group shots unless you have something amazing in mind and can provide someone to assist with setting them up. Allow 15 minutes for a single large group shot, due to the complexity of getting everyone together!

Reception Venue & Details

Another of the second shooter advantages. If you have a second shooter added to your package, they’ll capture the reception venue room and all the little details while there are no guests, staff or suppliers there. They can usually do this during formal portrait time, unless they’re required to assist with set up. Allow around 15-30 minutes to capture this before the guests are invited to sit.

Couples Session – Sneak Out

During your reception, pop some time on your plan to sneak out for a couple of night shots – or if you’re a mid-summer wedding, these could be your sunset shots. We’ll need around 20 minutes, as I absolutely understand you don’t want to miss your reception festivities! I love nighttime photography, and I’m certain you’ll love the photos you get from it.

The ideal time is just after your first dance once you’ve opened the dance floor to everyone, or whenever your guests have some entertainment to keep them busy.

The Rest of the Day

Other than when I’m eating, I tend to have my cameras with me and ready to catch the moments. I’ll spend most of your day taking candid, photojournalistic shots of you, your family and friends enjoying your day. These are the ones you don’t have to plan – aside from allowing plenty of time for your guests to enjoy themselves!

If you’ve any questions about my style of wedding photography or would like specific examples of wedding day timelines, just get in touch and I’ll do what I can to help out!