With many of our brides currently in the process of planning their big day, we thought it would be helpful to share our ideal wedding timeline. The two most important factors (for us) that go into a great wedding day timeline are having enough time to photograph our lovely couples and having the right lighting. As we’ve said before, one of our favorite parts of the wedding day is photographing our brides and grooms…just the two of them, whether it’s seeing each other for the first time (if they decide to do a first look) or the time between the ceremony and reception when they are so excited to finally be husband and wife! And what makes that time even more awesome is having great lighting (the best lighting for photographs is within 2 hours of sunrise or sunset)! While we know it can be extremely difficult to make that happen (especially in the summer), we put together a couple ideal wedding day timelines to help you guys out! (These are based on a 6:00 or 6:30 sunset time)

If you are not doing a first look: (we always ask for at least an hour and a half for pictures – this includes family formals, bride and groom portraits, and pictures of the bridal party)

Getting Ready 10:00-3:00
Ceremony 3:00
Family Formals 3:45
Bride and Groom 4:15
Cocktail Hour 4:30
Bridal Party 5:00
Reception 5:30

If you are doing a first look: (this allows you to go straight from the ceremony to the cocktail hour to enjoy that extra time with your guests)

Getting Ready 10:00 – 3:00
First look 3:00
Bridal Party 3:45
Ceremony 4:30
Family Formals 5:00
Cocktail Hour 5:30
Reception 6:00

If these timelines don’t work for you guys on your wedding day, have no fear! We have many other ways that we can work around the lighting, whether it’s finding shade or sneaking the bride and groom out of the reception for 15 minutes to get some great sunset shots…either way, we’ll make it work!

Also, here are two other little tips to consider when planning your timeline…

Allow for more time than you’d think for getting ready. The time spent getting ready with your bridesmaids on the morning of your wedding is so special and helps you to start off your day feeling relaxed…you definitely don’t want to feel rushed!

Also, try to minimize the amount of family formal pictures. I usually tell my couples that each family portrait takes about 3 minutes to set up and photograph, so you want to keep them at a minimum to allow time for the special, romantic pictures of you two as a newly married couple (the ones that you will actually be hanging on your walls)!

As your big day approaches, we’ll be here to help you create the absolute best wedding day timeline for you!