Wedding timeline. That may be an unknown phrase to many but I promise it is one of the best things you can do for your wedding day! It’s extremely important to have a wedding timeline because it’s going to help keep your day running on schedule, running smoothly, and alleviate stress from you which is huge! I have attended more weddings than the average person so I have a really great idea of what works with a wedding timeline. So let’s dive into making a wedding timeline and important things to think about when creating it. 

Firstly, I really want to talk more about the importance of a wedding timeline. If you’re naturally a Type A person you may already be thinking about a timeline but I know for many people, it’s not even on their radar! That’s ok because that’s where this blog will come in handy.  Don’t be intimidated by a wedding timeline. They aren’t as scary as they may sound and they are truly going to help keep your wedding day on track. 

The best way to get all of the amazing Pinterest-worthy photos that you’ll love? A wedding timeline. The reason is because it’s going to let everyone in your bridal party, your parents, grandparents, in-laws, vendors, and even the venue know where they need to be and when! So for example, let’s say you really want those cute photos of you and your girls dressed in robes before you put on your wedding dress. That’s totally do-able with a timeline! But if you didn’t have a timeline and your hair and makeup was an hour behind and your Maid of Honor left to go get food because she didn’t know where she was supposed to be…it may not be possible to get those photos. 

The same thing goes for all of the major photos you’ll want on your wedding day. The first look with dad, first look with your partner, family formals, and bridal party photos all are important photos you may want on your wedding day. With a wedding timeline, we can let each person where they need to be and when. For example, dad will know to be at the venue at 1 pm, family members will know they need to arrive by 2:30 pm for photos, and the groomsmen will know to be dressed and on time by 3:30 for their photos. It’s going to make your day so much smoother when everyone has a timeline to follow. It’ll help you avoid a ton of texts or calls from people asking where to be and you can just focus on enjoying your day! 

Creating a Wedding Timeline

My best tip for creating your wedding timeline is to visualize your wedding day and start making a list of the events you want to be captured. For example, start making a list like this: 

• Girls getting ready 
• Special photo with mom
• First look with dad 
• First look with partner 
• Photos of us in front of the venue 
• Photos of us at the beach 
• Bridal party photos 
• Ceremony 
• Family photos 
• Sunset photos 
• Cutting the cake 
• First dances 
• Sparkler exit 

This is going to be a great base to start with! It’s really the start of a timeline. You’re mapping out items throughout the day that you want to have photographed. The next step is going to be assigning a time to each of them. This is where I can help! I know how much time is needed for a first look, sunset photos, etc. You can of course make a rough draft. The best place to start is figuring out your ceremony time and then sunset time. Those are things you can’t change. You know when the ceremony is and when the sun will set. As a result, you can start filling in the other times. 

Here’s an example: 

• Girls getting ready 
• Special photo with mom
• First look with dad 
• First look with partner 
• Photos of us in front of the venue 
• Photos of us at the beach 
• 2:30-3:30 pm Bridal party photos 
• 4-4:30 pm Ceremony 
• 4:45-5:45 pm Family photos 
• 8 pm Sunset photos 
• Cutting the cake 
• First dances 
• Sparkler exit 

Finally, you can start filling in the times! Don’t hesitate to ask me if you need more or less time for a certain part of the day. Once you are able to go through and have the full timeline complete, we can look over it together to finalize it. Then, I suggest giving the timeline to your partner, Maid of Honor, Best Man, parents, and vendors. That way key people will have access to the timeline and can help answer questions from people. 

As a matter of fact, if you have any questions about a timeline, I am happy to help! I truly believe it’s the key to a stress-free wedding day! Which will allow us to capture all of the photos you are hoping for.