Unless you’re in the wedding industry like us, or have been a maid of honor a few times, it can often seem very overwhelming when it comes to planning a wedding. Hair, make-up, flowers, pictures, video, music, catering, cakes, and the list goes on and on… what are you to do? There are all of these things to plan, but also a timeline to be made. Who shows up when? How much time do you need for this and that? If you don’t have the answers to these questions, don’t panic! We’re here to provide you with assistance and a baseline for where to begin.
You are going to put together a flawless wedding day itinerary that makes your wedding day stress free and lets your family, bridal party, and vendors know where they need to be and when. We have been involved in countless weddings, we have helped brides and other vendors schedule out their perfect day, and we have the experience to help you plan out the most perfect day.
Here are a couple things to keep in mind:
> Remember, depending on the length of your ceremony and if you have travel time between venue locations, you may need to make small adjustments to this template we’ve provided of a wedding day timeline to make this it work for you.
> Traditionally, ceremonies start at half past an hour, and it’s a good idea to make your grand entrance to your reception between 6:00 pm and 7:00 pm because your guests will be hungry and ready for the reception too!
> Sunset times vary throughout the year, so you may need to take your sunset photos before your reception or even before your ceremony depending on the sunset time. Talk with your photographer to get those scheduled accordingly.
> This timeline template is designed for at least 10 hours of wedding day photo and video coverage, which is an adequate timeframe to capture the entire story of your day. We recommend our All Day photo & video packages for most couples.
Your wedding day timeline
10:00 am – Photographers & Videographers arrive and start shooting details and venue while the Bride and her Bridesmaids have their hair and makeup done
12:00 pm – Bride getting ready (Everyone’s hair and make-up should be finished at this point. Mother of the Bride should be dressed and completely ready.)
- 10 minutes – Robe photos (Bridesmaids should get dressed after these photos.)
1:00 pm – Groom getting ready (Groom’s parents and Best Man should be dressed and present for these photos.)
10 minutes – Groom getting dressed with help of his Best Man and dad (Pants and dress shirt should already be on.)
5 minutes – Mom pins boutonniere
10 minutes – Photos of the Groom with his parents
5 minutes – Groom portraits
1:30 pm – Walk to First Look location
1:45 pm – First Look followed by Bride and Groom photos
2:15 pm – Bridal Party photos
15 minutes – Bride and Bridesmaids
15 minutes – Full Bridal Party
15 minutes – Groom and Groomsmen
3:00 pm – Formal family photos
3:45 pm – Hide Bride while Photographers photograph venue and guests arriving
4:30 pm – Ceremony begins
5:00 pm – Ceremony ends and guests are dismissed to cocktail hour
5:15 pm – Bride and Groom “just married” photos
5:30 pm – Bride and Groom freshen up while Photographers photograph cocktail hour (If you’d like, you’re of course more than welcome to join your guests for cocktail hour.)
6:00 pm – Guests take their seats
6:15 pm – Grand entrance to reception (Your DJ or venue coordinator will likely want to create your reception timeline to keep your party going!)
30 minutes before sunset – Sunset photos; If you’re planning a winter wedding, these photos will likely need to be taken before your reception. This should take between 15-20 minutes.
8:30 pm – Photographers & Videographers leave, and you party the night away as husband and wife!
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