Timeline Resource

As your big day draws closer, we wanted to pass along some suggestions for building your wedding's timeline! Our hope is that these pro-tips will put you at ease and set you guys up to get the best photos/video possible!

Bride Prep

We already mentioned in a previous email, but we like to arrive 1 hour to 90 minutes before the bride will be getting dressed! This gives us an appropriate amount of time to shoot wedding details such as the dress, the girls getting ready, and the card reading if applicable!

First Look

This is not for everyone, as some couples would rather see each other for the first time during the ceremony! However, we will say that having a first look before the ceremony is a great opportunity to get some quality photos and video! Doing a first look beforehand would mean being in a much more controlled environment, which enables our team to get the best angles of your reactions! Additionally, doing the first look would also allow us to take care of all bridal party photos before the ceremony, and would potentially allow you some more time to attend your cocktail hour!

Travel Time

If you're getting ready at different locations or having a church ceremony, definitely make sure you're considering travel time to each location and adding some extra wiggle room in case traffic becomes an issue!a

Family Photos + Bridal Party Photos

Usually we can knock these out in 20 min each, but let us know if your families or bridal party are larger so we can schedule in some additional time!

Lighting

The later in the day that we can schedule your photos in the day, the better! If possible avoid scheduling any outside photos from 12-2pm, as this is when the sun is the highest in the sky and can cause some pretty harsh shadows. The exact time will be dependent on the time of the year, but the light always looks the best in the final hour leading up to the sunset! That being said, we'd love to steal you and your fiancé away for 15 minutes during the reception to get some "golden hour" photos!

Here is an example of an ideal wedding timeline:

11:00am - Bride’s hair

12:30pm - Bride’s makeup

1:00pm - Photographer Arrives

2:00pm - Bride Gets Dressed

2:30pm - First Look

3:00pm - Girl's Portraits

3:30pm - Wedding Party Portraits

3:45pm - Immediate Family Photos

4:15pm - Bride Tucked Away

4:15pm - Guy's Portraits

5:00pm - Guests Begin Arriving

5:30pm - Ceremony

6:00pm - Cocktail Hour

6-6:45pm - Bride & Groom portraits

6:45pm - Sunset

6:55pm - Transition guests

7:00pm - Reception Introductions

7:05pm - First Dance

7:10pm - Welcome/Prayer

7:15pm - Dinner

7:55pm - Cake Cutting

8:00pm - Speeches

8:15pm - Father/Daughter Dance

8:20pm - Mother/Son Dance

8:25pm - Open Dance Floor

9:00pm - Photographer Departs

10:40pm - Last Dance

Now of course every wedding is different so we wouldn't expect yours to be perfectly identical to this template! As your putting yours together, please know that we are available to answer any questions that you may have!