Let's state the obvious, I'm not a wedding planner, I'm a wedding photographer.

That being said, I have helped many couples help create their wedding day timeline for the main reason that they, for some reason, were left to figure it out themselves.

My goal as a person who planned their own wedding and helped create timelines for other weddings is to give you a basic lay out and things you must keep in mind when making the skeleton for your wedding day events.

At the end ill have a wedding timeline sample that you can start with.

So let's get to it, yeah?

1. Start with your Ceremony Time

This is the centerpiece of your day, so let's lock that in first and work around it.

Morning time: If you decide you want to have an early morning ceremony then naturally you will need to start your hair and make up early.

Afternoon/Evening: For a later ceremony you will have more wiggle room. Most weddings I've been to, including my own, were around this time.

One thing you NEED to keep in mind is the lighting. I had a destination wedding so we did everything outside. Most ceremonies are indoors so when I mention lighting, it's for the photography part to take some photos in nice scenery.

2. Work Backward

This is to plan for getting ready time. A few weddings I've done not only had someone doing the bride and her party's hair and make up but some grooms had their own barber there to get there straight. Whichever way you go you must keep in mind that getting ready takes longer than you think. Hair then make up then putting on your dress or suit then hair and make up again.

Pro Tip: Make sure to book your hair and makeup artist early so you're not stuck squeezing into a tight schedule and ask them how much time it will take to do each persons hair and makeup to calculate it in your timeline.

Keep in mind, your photographer wants to take detail shots of the dress and shoes and other special items.

3. Don't Forget Travel Time

For this, think Location. Is your ceremony in the same location as the reception? And what's the distance from that to the place the bride will be getting ready? How about the groom? Will he be getting ready in the same house/hotel/building or will he be in another location entirely?

If you're bouncing between locations then have all of the travel times calculated on google maps.

Example: wedding day is on a Saturday and there is a 2 pm ceremony - plug into google maps the getting ready location at 2pm on a Saturday to know the travel time between locations for that specific time. Keep in mind any special events that may or may not be happening like if your ceremony location is near a stadium.

The reality: traffic, parking, guests running behind

If you have a 10-mile drive then plan for a 20-30 min drive, just in case.

On your special day the last thing we want is stress so just add buffer time.

Pro Tip: We all have some people in our lives that show up to a 12pm lunch at 1:15pm. If you want, tell your guests to be at the reception area at 1:00PM and start the reception 30 minutes later.

4. Plan for a First Look or Special Reveal

Some do and some don't. Yes they are unique but first looks are fairly new so don't feel like you need to have one.

First looks are emotional and a very intimate moment, they can help calm your nerves and my brides have done with mostly with a parent, if not both, or the bridesmaids.

Give yourself about 15-20 minutes for the first look and a little extra time for portraits while the emotions are fresh.

If you're not doing a first look then you can still plan couple portraits after the ceremony.

5. Make Time for Photos

Please, please, please don't forget the photos. This is such a huge part of your wedding day so set aside enough time.

Here's a general idea:

• Couple portraits: 30-45 minutes
• Bridal party: 30 minutes
• Family photos: 30 minutes

Golden hour photos: If you have your heart set on golden hour photos, then talk to your photographer about when and where to fit them in.

6. Set a Reception Start Time that Flows

Decide whether your reception will start after the ceremony or if there will be a little gap. If there is a gap then make sure your guests have something to do while they wait for the wedding events to resume.

Things to consider:

• Travel time
• Freshening up time
• Gathering up the bridal party time (they care about you but sometimes they run to cocktail hour)
• Photo time (with or without bridal party)

7. Map Out key Reception Moments

Some couples have a really fancy entrance that they want the entire bridal party to do. Either as a group, as a pair, or one at a time. Whichever you choose, make sure to account for the following:

• Grand entrance: up to 10 minutes
• First dance: 5-10 minutes
• Parent dances: 10 minutes
• Dinner and toasts: 60-90 minutes
• Cake cutting/ bouquet toss, garter toss: 20-30 minutes

Don't rush these fun moments, enjoy them!

8. Give Yourself Some Breathing Room

If travel time isn't a thing between events then remember to add some breathing room. Not everything will go as scheduled and that's totally fine, regardless of what is said to you on the day of your wedding. (unless you're planning a fancy entrance on a boat that has a specific depart time)

Add 10-15 minutes here and there to keep things flexible incase something runs late.

9. Share Your Timeline with Your Team

Once you've nailed down the timeline, I want you to send it to the wedding coordinator first. Ask them to go over the timeline so they know your plan and to give suggestions on where it might need adjusting. Then I want you to send the finalized form to the vendors, and your bridal party. Everyone must be on the same page.

Some go as far as printing a few copies. one for the groom and his room, one for the bride and another for the day of coordinator.

10. End with a Bang

Types of send offs:

• Sparkler
• Confetti Cannon
• Bird Seed or Rice Throwing
• Bubble Gun
• Flower Petals
• Glow Sticks
• Ribbon Wands
• Lantern Release
• Streamers or Willy String
• Balloon
• Vintage or Luxury car Getaway
• Fireworks
• Smoke Bomb

Whichever one you decide, make sure to consider the time of day, lighting and weather. I think all of these are real fun and a great way to end the night.

Make a plan with your photographer. They will need to be the one to initiate the send off you choose to ensure they get the shot.

P.S Make sure its ok with the venue owner first.

8-10 Hour Wedding Timeline

Morning Preparation

• 7:00 AM - Hair and makeup begin for the bride and bridal party.
• 9:00 AM - Photographer arrives; detail shots (rings, dress, shows, invitation, bouquet etc).
• 10:00 AM - Groom and groomsmen begin getting ready.
• 10:30 AM - Bride gets into her dress. Final hair/makeup touchups

First Look & Portraits

• 11:00 AM - First look with the groom (or a parent/bridal party if preferred).
• 11:30 AM - Couple and bridal party portraits.

Ceremony

• 12:30 PM - Guests begin arriving.
• 1:00 PM - Ceremony begins
• 1:30 PM - Ceremony ends; group photos with family and bridal party.

Travel to Reception

• Transition to the reception venue (if in a separate location).

Cocktail Hour

• 2:30 PM - Guests enjoy cocktail hour and mingle while couple takes additional portraits.
• 3:30 PM - Newlyweds arrives at reception.

Reception

• 3:45 PM - Grand entrance and first dance.
• 4:00 PM - Parent dances and welcome speech.
• 4:15 PM - Dinner is served.
• 5:00 PM - Speeches and toasts.
• 5:30 PM - Cake cutting and dessert service.

Evening fun

• 6:00 PM - Bouquet and garter toss.
• 6:15 PM - Open dance floor
• 7:45 PM - Final dances and farewell
• 8:00 PM - Guests depart; timeline concludes.