Wedding Timeline for Photography

The most asked about topic at consultations is the wedding day timeline. It’s really great that couples are thinking about it early because it has quite an impact on your wedding photos. However, they usually bring it up in relation to figuring out how much coverage time they need to book. They don’t usually think about how they can use it to schedule photos at the best time of day. So I encourage you to consider the quality of light when you’re booking a time for your ceremony (if outdoors). Unfortunately, this decision is usually made prior to a relationship with a photographer so we’re not always there to help you. Don’t sweat it though! There’s always a way to make the wedding timeline work for you.

Keep in mind that this article and any advice given to you by a photographer is just that, advice. Of course, you don’t have to follow what’s recommended to the letter or at all if you’re a rebel. Your wedding day should be what you want it to be. This may mean just wanting candid photos from the day and spending little time or no time on formal photos. You shouldn’t be afraid to go against the grain! I have just created this article to give you an idea of how long each section of photos typically takes and how to build a timeline around those times.

Getting Ready

When it comes to the getting ready section of the day I recommend between 30 and 60 mins. For men getting ready, 30 – 45 minutes is usually perfect for them to do everything needed and hang out for a bit. On the other hand, a bride’s getting ready may need more time if the photographer is arriving at the tail end of the makeup process. However, if the photographer is to arrive when the bride is to get into her dress and she’s not interested in detail photos of her attire then 30 – 45 minutes will work. Keep in mind if you want additional photos taken during this time like a first look with a parent or bridal portraits this will require additional time. Ask yourself what you would like covered to help you figure out how much time you need for this section of the day.

How to figure out how much time you need for getting ready:

• Do I just want the getting ready and whatever happens candidly photographed only? Schedule 30 minutes
• Do I want detail photos of my outfit? If so, add 10 min
• Do I want to create bride/groom portraits? If so, add 10 min
• Do I want to have time to relax with my girls/guys and the candids that accompany that? If so, add 10 min
• Do I want to get some group photos with my party? If so, add 10 min
• Do I want photos with my family before we leave? (Formals or first look) If so, add 10 min
• Do I want photos of the tail end of the makeup process? If so, add 10 min
  

  First Look

  The first look is a very quick part of the day and you can take this time to share any words or moments before the ceremony. You don’t need to schedule more than 15 minutes for this. To add, you can also utilize this section of the day and add more time for couple photos if needed. The first look can be followed by the full photo time, partial photo time or go straight into the ceremony.

Family Photos

Family photos can either be the quickest photos of the day or the most drawn out. This comes down to organization, communication, and cooperation. I always recommend scheduling enough time for all the photos you want, communicating the details with those who are included and asking them to be in complete cooperation and where they need to be. It’s a pain when Uncle Dave sneaks away for a drink when he’s needed for a photo!

I suggest 3 minutes per grouping. This is a good estimate but if all of your groupings are made up of 2 people things may go a little faster. However, it’s always safe to cushion in time in case there’s lateness earlier in the day. If you’re doing larger groups where the gathering of many people is required (up to 10 people) you want to schedule 5 min each. The amount of time scheduled for family photos by clients with average size families is 30 – 60 minutes.

• How many groupings do I have?
• How big are the groups? Could I condense smaller groups together to save time?
• Do I want a group photo with all the guests?

Example Family List

• You + parents
• You + parents + siblings
• You + your siblings
• Your spouse + their parents
• Your spouse + their parents + their siblings
• Your spouse + their siblings
• You + your spouse + your parents + your siblings
• You + your spouse + your parents
• You + your spouse + their parents + their siblings
• You + your spouse + their parents
• You + your spouse + your grandparents
• You + your spouse + their grandparents

Total time needed for these: 36 minutes

Wedding Party Photos

Wedding party photos take between 30 and 45 minutes. Depending on if you want multiple poses and have a larger party you will want to go with at least 45 minutes. If you want a more laid back approach and don’t hold those photos as a top priority you can commit 30 mins. Additionally, if you have a small wedding party of 2-4 people even less amount of time, like 15 minutes, is needed. Keep in mind that individual photos with you and each of your guys/girls happen at this time as well.

Couple Photos

Couple photos are amongst the top priority photos for couples so they tend to get a larger time slot. However, time dedicated to these photos can also totally be left to the discretion of the couple. Maybe they’re a little camera shy or would rather get back to the party and get candid photos of themselves having a good time. Alternatively, the couple may really want to create a good amount of artistic images featuring themselves. Therefore, they spend more time, allowing their photographers creativity to freely flow. Time allotted for the bride and groom photos can be anywhere between 20 and 60 minutes. Don’t forget to compensate for travel time if you need to get to a different location. For a couple that wants the full experience with their photographer, I would recommend 45 minutes. If you’re at a location like a forest that requires walking around and has lots of options add another 15 minutes. If you opt for the short and sweet photo session keep in mind that you will not end up with the same amount of images as a 45 or 60-minute session.

A Creative Take on Photo Timing

Obviously, every couple wants to experience most of their wedding day. Photographers sometimes forget that it’s not always all about getting the pretty bride and groom photos. For most people, it’s about spending time with all your loved ones who are together this one time. Traditionally, however, formal photo time takes place during cocktail hour which is the easiest time to socialize with everyone! If couples want the photo time and to attend cocktail hour they delay the start time of the cocktail by 1.5 – 2 hours. If you don’t want to miss cocktail but also want the day to remain as continuous as possible a first look is recommended. But what if you don’t want to spend up to 2 hours straight taking photos? You can break up bride and groom portrait time while also shooting in a variety of lighting conditions. For example, you can shoot 15 minutes worth after the ceremony, 15 minutes at sunset, and 15 minutes at blue hour (moody blue sky after the sun has gone down). This is great for the groom/bride who finds photos strenuous, too. Additionally, you can add more time during the getting readies to capture some of the wedding party and family photos. This will allow for a lesser delay between the ceremony and cocktail hour. This is also an amazing help if you scheduled out your day before chatting with a photographer about time of day and it’s effect on light quality. Breaking up the time through the day means the ability to shoot in that better light later on even if it’s only for a short while.

Ceremony

This time completely depends on the type of ceremony you are planning. You may be having a non-religious ceremony that only runs for about 15 – 30 minutes or a full church mass that may be up to 2 hours long. Consult your officiant about the time needed and work it into your timeline.

Reception Details

Are photos of the reception decor important to you? If so you will need to schedule a 15-minute window of time for your photographer to do so before guests are allowed into the space. The venue should also be scheduled to be completely finished at this time with the candles lit!

Reception

The amount of time needed for your reception happenings really comes down to how long your venue/caterer needs to serve dinner. In my experience, this process usually runs longer or starts late. Make sure you plan for this. I believe that 2 hours is a safe bet. This section of the day includes speeches, dances, cake cutting and any other traditions you have planned.

Sunset Photos

If you have committed to a time for your ceremony that doesn’t quite allow for the best hours of the day for photos I would recommend scheduling time to sneak out during sunset. Getting some time for photos about 30 – 60 minutes before the sundown time on your date would be fantastic and well worth it. For example, if you take a look at my engagement portfolio, every session is captured at golden hour. (One hour before sundown.) If you love the quality of light in these photos then you’ll want your images to be photographed at this time too.

Dancing

Let’s be honest some people love to dance and some do not. That’s totally ok! But the longer the night goes on only those same people will be the ones shaking it up on the dance floor. I can only take so many photos of the same group of people, you know? Also, the more time that goes by the more likely they had a few more drinks. That’s why I would recommend about 1 hour for dancing photos. However, if you love to party hard and don’t mind if people are starting to get crazy and red in the face, I can capture that! If dancing photos are important to you schedule more like an hour and a half. When you start getting past the two-hour mark it’s just too many photos of the same people grooving.

Travel Time

Keep in mind that you have to add the time it takes to travel between each different location. If not it could really eat into photo time. Remember, it’s always best to add some cushion time in case something runs late! When a part of the day runs late, it’s the photo time that makes up for it.

Sample Timelines

So now that you know how much time you want to dedicate to each section of the day we can know put together a timeline. I have assumed that you are having a summer wedding and chose the random date of July 20th. (Check out a sun calculator to understand where the sun will be at certain times on your day.) This means that the sun goes down at 9:00 pm resulting in the best light falling between 6:00 – 9:00 pm. The worst time of day for this date would be 1:30 pm when the sun is directly overhead and at it’s hottest. Thankfully, with this timeline, we have avoided any outdoor photos at that time. I have created 3 sample timelines for you to check out below. The examples I have provided is a timeline with a first look, one without a first look and the last places cocktail hour before the ceremony.

With First Look

• 1:30 – 2:00 pm – Getting Ready 30
• 2:10 – 2:55 pm – Getting Ready 45
• 2:55 – 3:10 pm – First look 15
• 3:10 – 3:55 pm – Family Photos 45
• 3:55 – 4:25 pm – Wedding Party 30
• 4:25 – 4:45 pm – Couple Photos 20
• 5:00 – 5:30 pm – Ceremony 30
• 5:30 – 6:30 pm – Cocktail Hour 60
• 6:15 – 6:30 pm – Reception Details 15
• 6:30 pm – Guests enter
• 6:45 pm – Dances
• 7:00 – 9:00 pm – Dinner + Speeches 120
• 8:35 – 9:00 pm – Sunset Photos 25
• 9:15 pm Dance floor opens 75
• 9:10 pm Cake Cutting
• 10:30 pm – Photographer End Time

Without a First Look

• 1:20 – 1:50 pm – Getting Ready 30
• 2:00 – 2:45 pm – Getting Ready 45
• 3:00 – 3:30 pm – Ceremony 30
• 3:30 – 4:15 pm – Family Photos 45
• 4:15 – 4:45 pm – Wedding Party 30
• 4:45 – 5:05 pm – Couple Photos 20
• 5:15 – 6:15 pm – Cocktail Hour 60
• 6:00 – 6:15 pm – Reception Details 15
• 6:15 pm – Guests enter
• 6:30 pm – Dances
• 7:00 – 9:00 pm – Dinner + Speeches 120
• 8:35 – 9:00 pm – Sunset Photos 25
• 9:15 pm Dance floor opens 65
• 9:10 pm Cake Cutting
• 10:20 pm – Photographer End Time

An Untraditional Example

This timeline is to help you get your creative juices following and away from the traditional timeline if, in fact, a non-traditional approach is better for you.

• 2:15 – 2:45 pm – Getting Ready 30
• 2:55 – 3:35 pm – Getting Ready 45
• 3:45 – 4:00 pm – First Look 15
• 4:00 – 4:45 pm – Family Photos 45
• 4:45 – 5:15 pm – Wedding Party 30
• 5:15 – 6:15 pm – Cocktail Hour
• 6:30 – 7:00 pm – Ceremony 30
• 7:00 – 7:15 pm – Couple Photos 15
• 7:00 pm – Guests enter
• 7:20 pm – Entrance
• 7:30 – 9:30 pm – Dinner + Speeches
• 8:15 – 8:30 pm – Sunset Photos 15
• 9:15 – 9:30 pm –  Blue Hour 15
• 9:45 pm – Dances
• 10:00 pm – Dance floor opens 75
• 11:15 pm – Photographer End Time

I want to reiterate that the amount of time suggested for each section of the day is just that, suggestions. Each photographer will also have their own recommended amounts of time they need for each photo session. However, if you would rather just have candid moments of you and your spouse experiencing the wedding day you don’t have to do formal photos at all. Don’t want to do wedding party photos? Scrap it! Maybe you just want to spend less time taking photos, that’s ok too! Just keep in mind that your photographer can’t create the same amount of photos in less time. Additionally, this is most likely your first time planning a wedding, it’s easy to get caught up in the “should dos”. At the end of the day, do what is truly important to you, not what’s expected.

Well, that brings this very long but hopefully helpful article about the wedding timeline for photography to a close.

There’s much more wedding planning articles to check out if you like!

Happy planning!