Recommended wedding photography timeline ideas
Need help with your wedding day timeline?
No one likes being rushed on their wedding day and no photographer likes to photograph a stressed bride. This is why I insist on working with my clients about three months out from their wedding.
In this article, I’ll share a typical wedding timeline based on a traditional wedding day with a 3pm ceremony.
While I understand how overwhelming the wedding planning process can be - I remember I was stressed out during my wedding back in 2010 - getting your timeline sorted can mean light and day for your wedding day experience … and I want you to be able to chill and have the best time!
Groom Coverage (45-60 mins)
The first 20 minutes is all about the details and I always ask my grooms to have the following items gathered and set aside:
Suit
Cufflinks
Cologne
Shoes
Wedding rings
Any (unopened!) gifts/letters from the bride.
I generally don’t ask all the groomsmen to get ready (because it’s usually ages before they need to leave for the ceremony anyway). That being said, I do want to get some shots so I ask the groom and best man to get dressed for me. “Consider it a practice run!” I beckon so I can capture the groom looking his best.
“What, no portraits?!” I hear you cry. Not necessarily…
I take photos of the groom and groomsmen when I get to the ceremony.
Bride coverage (1.5-2hours)
I dedicate the first 30-45 minutes to the bride’s details. I usually ask the bride to leave one room tidy, which I usually use to take photos of all her details and her getting dressed into her wedding dress. Her details include:
Wedding dress
Flowers
Shoes
Engagement ring
Perfume
Invitations
Jewellery
Any (unopened) gifts/letters the groom gave her.
Once I’m done with the details, I cross my fingers that the hair and makeup artists have finished their final touches. Enter excited photographer stage left, who takes the opportunity to document candids of the bride and her bridesmaids. Also, I love coordinated pajamas or robes!
I spend the last hour photographing the bride getting dressed, which can take 15-20 minutes for a lace-up gown to ensure the lacing is even. I then photograph the bride putting on her earrings and other jewellery, shoes, perfume and veil.
With the remaining time, I take some portraits of the bride, some portraits with her bridesmaids and family.
Pre-ceremony (20-30mins)
Before the ceremony, I photograph the ceremony or environmental details to tell the story. These photographs include guests arriving and greeting the groom, portraits of the groom and groomsmen especially as it all starts to feel real for the groom!
The ceremony (30-45mins)
Even if your ceremony is shorter, be sure to leave about 45 mins in your timeline for two reasons:
it takes the pressure of the bride if she’s running late
it allows time after the ceremony for friends and family to offer their congratulations (and for me to capture a bunch of candid photos with natural, emotional reactions).
Group photos and family formals (30 mins)
The big group photo is the one photo that you will have all your guests in at once - a must-have! I often liaise with the celebrant to announce this towards the end of the ceremony. Once I’ve captured the group, I lead into family photos. By this stage, I should have a list of family members to call out so we can work through portraits as smoothly as possible. Generally, this takes about 20-30 minutes (depending).
Creative bridal portraits (60-90 mins)
The location for the bridal shoot is something I work with my bride and groom to determine in advance of the wedding day. Then I location scout before the big day to ensure I am fully prepared to capture the very best images of your day.
I generally shoot this portion in 2 parts:
Fun photos with the bridal party, bride, and groom so everyone is relaxed and enjoying themselves.
Just the bride and groom for some more intimate, romantic photos, which also gives them time to talk about the ceremony and the day so far.
Pre-reception (30 mins)
I always allow pre-reception time mainly for travel from the bridal portrait location to the reception venue. The bride, groom and bridal party can use this time to relax and freshen up before the big party. This time also allows me to take photos of the reception (without people) and capture reception details. Unless I capture these photos because by the next day, there’ll be nothing left of the reception except those memories.
Wedding reception (30 mins)
Time to party, relax with your friends and family, eat cake, dance and celebrate with all of your loved ones, now as newlyweds. I focus on capturing candid photos of guests having a good time. I also capture your entrance, the speeches, cake-cutting, and the first dance.
Speaking of dancing, I love getting shots of crazy dance floor antics.
Ideally, I hang around to capture the grand exit, which could be a sparkler shot, for example.
