The key part of making sure your wedding day goes off without a hitch is to set up the perfect wedding day timeline! Of course, there is no way to predict how the day will go down to the last minute, but it’s important to have a plan!

It’s always necessary to factor in travel times between getting ready locations, as well as if the ceremony and reception are being held at different venues. Another pro tip is to make sure you’ve planned for enough photo coverage! If you have a shorter timeframe, decide if you’d like more time spent photographing you getting ready or the reception, and then shift the timeline accordingly.

here are a couple timeline examples!

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sample timeline with first look (9 hours)

12:00 Photography coverage starts

1:00 Bride gets into her dress [30 minutes]

1:30 First look [15 minutes]

1:45 Bride + Groom portraits [45 minutes]

2:30 Bridesmaids [30 minutes]

3:00 Full Wedding party [30 minutes]

3:30 Groomsmen [30 minutes]

4:00 Done with pre-ceremony photos

[1 hour of downtime – we will prep for the ceremony during this time]

5:00 Ceremony [30 minutes]

5:30 Ceremony ends 

[10 minutes of downtime] 

5:40 Family photos [30 minutes]

6:10 Done with family photos

6:30 Bride + Groom, wedding party enter reception, Dinner [1 hour]

7:30 Dinner ends, formal events begin [1 hour]

8:30 Formal events end, dance floor opens to guests [30 minutes]

9:00 Photography coverage ends

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sample timeline without first look (9 hours)

12:30 Photography coverage starts

2:30 Bride gets into her dress [30 minutes]

3:00 Bridesmaids [30 minutes]

3:30 Groomsmen [30 minutes]

4:00 Done with pre-ceremony photos

[1 hour of downtime – we will prep for the ceremony during this time]

5:00 Ceremony [30 minutes]

5:30 Ceremony ends, family photos [30 minutes]

6:00 Full wedding party [15 minutes]

6:15 Bride + Groom [30 minutes]

6:45 Bride + Groom, wedding party enter reception, Dinner [1 hour]

7:45 Formal events end, dance floor opens to guests [30 minutes]

9:30 Photography coverage ends 

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I hope this serves as a helpful tool when creating a timeline for your wedding day! As the big day gets closer, I always plan to chat with my couples so we can go more in depth and plan out each detail in the timeline.