Wedding Photography Timeline Guide

If you’re in the process of booking you wedding photographer, you may be wondering…what all goes into planning your wedding photography timeline? Well, one thing I can tell you for certain…it all depends!

The first thing I ask my couples is about what photos they want. For example; do you want to do a first look? Detail shots? Do you have a large wedding party and/or families that will require more time for group photos? How much of the dance party do you want documented?

My next recommendation is to pad the timeline. I like to go in anticipating that everything will take longer than I might expect. That way, if things go according to plan, we have more room to chill, get more couple’s photos and feel reassured that everything is going as it is expected.

One thing to keep in mind here…everything I’m laying out in this wedding photography timeline is optional and modular. If you have ideas of something you want to do differently, I welcome you to do so. Just communicate it with your photographer and your planner so everyone can be on the same page to make sure everything happens in a timely manner behind the scenes so that you can be hands off and enjoy your day.

So, lets play along and pretend that you want all of the things! An 8 hour wedding is USUALLY enough time to pack it all in, but there are some considerations to make when planning your wedding photography timeline, particularly when it comes to family photos and a dance party.

The Wedding Day

Lets play pretend for a minute. For an 8 hour wedding, lets say you decide you want your photography timeline to begin at 1pm.

1:00-2:00 Getting Ready and Detail Photos

This will be great for those bridesmaids shots, the bride getting her hair done, the bridesmaids doting on the bride, etc etc. Not to mention details of the gown, accessories, florals, jewelry. This is also an opportunity for your photographer to get detail shots of the venue before everyone arrives.

2:00-2:30 First look

While a first look is optional, I personally think that it gives the couple a beautiful moment of privacy before the ceremony. Need a quiet moment before all of the wedding guests clamor to you? The first look is kind of perfect for that, so revel in it! You can also do a private vow reading if you’re not the type of people to shout your love from the rooftops. Optional recommendation: do a first look with your family members. This allows you to jump right into family group photos without “spoiling” the surprise of the bride’s debut.

2:30-3:30 Family & Bridal party photos

Now that you’ve done your first look its time for family photos! These are arguably the most posed you’ll need to be all day and CAN be a bit monotonous with the “everyone smile and look into the camera” and the never ending combinations of family members, BUT I’ve figured out a few tricks to make it go by a bit smoother:

• Designate one person in the bridal party to be in charge of the family photo list. Your photographer likely doesn’t know what these people look like or who they are, so having someone close to you with this list allows someone (who isn’t the couple) to wrangle everyone in. As the photographer, I would work with this designated person to ensure that we get every shot!
• If you can…TRY and keep the amount of family photos to a minimum. Like, immediate family minimum (not talking about the grandparents and that aunt you’re super super close with). I know I know, some people have big families and you want to get every combination of each family which can work out fine, but, more often than not, I have seen this eat up SO much more time than necessary and the end result is a bride and groom utterly exhausted before their ceremony even begins. If you want to allot more time for family photos…GREAT, I would just recommend preparing to extend the duration of your wedding photography timeline coverage.
• Ensure that everyone that is planning on getting their photo taken is prepared by adhering to these simple suggestions:
  • Nothing in pockets. That means, wallets, phones, keys. You’d be amazed at what a camera can pick up and how distracting some of these items are when bulging out of form fitting suits.
  • Tell everyone to leave their smart watches at home. Today is not the day to be tracking your steps. They still count even if you’re not counting them.

3:00-4:00 Guests arrive, optional pre ceremony cocktail hour

This time is great for a buffer if any of the previous photos on the timeline are running behind. But if you’re not, take these moments to breathe, relax, or do some photos of just the two of you. Your photographer or a second shooter should be bouncing back and forth between photographing the couple and the guests arriving. Another option is to sign the marriage certificate with your officiant BEFORE the ceremony. That way, you can dip right into the post vow cocktail hour with all your loved ones.

4:00-4:30 Ceremony

It’s time to get officially MARRIED! This is the moment we’ve all been waiting for. There are so many ways to doing a wedding ceremony and personalizing it to who you are as a couple and honoring those who have helped you grow along the way.

NON-NEGOTIABLE PHOTOGRAPHER HOT TAKE- Do not allow phones at the ceremony. They have the potential to ruin the photos of such a crucial and special part of your wedding day. Nowadays, more and more couples are opting in for what’s called an “unplugged” ceremony and making veiled and hilarious threats to anyone who busts out their phone, but sadly some people just will not listen. There’s always that one friend of the family who has their phone out in the middle of the isle when the bride walks down, effectively blocking the photographer from getting the shot. So to prevent his, I recommend at the start of the ceremony, your officiant make the case (nay, DEMAND!) for no phones and assure everyone that the photographer is getting paid to take photos and that they will get to see beautiful professional photos in due time.

You can also have a nicely crafted sign at the perimeter of your ceremony space to let people know that cell phones are not permitted, like this one:

4:30-6:00 Sign Marriage certificate, guests head to cocktail hour, option to do more couple portraits

If you haven’t already signed your marriage certificate, nows the time to do so! We’ll find a private spot for the two of you, your two witnesses and the officiant to finalize everything and do a celebratory toast while were at it!

6:00-7:30 Dinner & Toasts

It’s toast time! Depending on how many people you have that are giving toasts, I recommend keeping it down to 2 minutes per person. You’ll notice I’ve allotted thirty minutes for this time and that’s because this is a great time to buffer if you’re running behind, and frankly, toasts can sometimes take much longer than anticipated.

Another phone gripe- If someone is preparing a toast…please encourage them to write it down on a piece of paper and NOT in their notes app on their phone. I can’t reiterate enough how much these rectangular devices take away from the quality of the photographs.

7:30-8:00 Cake Cutting & First Dances

8:00-9:00 DANCE PARTY!!

We have reached the end and arguably the funnest part of your wedding photography timeline! Now’s the time where everyone lets loose and shines with all their moves. The DJ is the real MVP here and trust me when I say the playlist MATTERS. Now, this might be a hot button issue for some couples, but I think that your “cliche” wedding songs like The Electric Slide, Cupid Shuffle, etc are so great for getting everyone involved. I’ve seen these songs be avoided per the couples request and, honestly, it takes so much more effort and time to get everyone dancing when they’re NOT played. So, my advice, just embrace the cliche and get everyone on the dance floor no matter what!

And there you have it! A very standard example of a wedding photography timeline. While everything mentioned in this outline is optional and customizable, the main things to consider are padding the timeline, ensuring the bridal party is prepared, and embracing the day as it unfolds.

Be sure to check out my Ultimate Wedding Photo Shot List blog for all of the shots you need to fit into your wedding photography timeline! Contact me for any questions or to book today!