Planning Your Wedding Photography Timeline

Mastering Your Wedding Day Photography Timeline: Expert Tips & Tricks

Planning your wedding day timeline can be an overwhelming task for any engaged couple, especially when it comes to the photography aspect. It can be challenging to determine how much time to allocate for different types of photos. This guide provides helpful advice on planning your timeline and ensuring you have enough time for all your important photos.

Most couples who book me as their wedding photographer choose packages ranging from 8 to 10 hours. This duration typically covers everything from the getting ready portion of the day through most, if not all, of the reception. However, every wedding is unique—some involve more travel, and every couple has different priorities for their photos. In some cases, fewer hours may be sufficient, while other times, more hours might be necessary.

Essential Tips

1. Schedule Buffer Time

One of the most important tips is to build in buffer time. When photographers have adequate time, they can be more creative and produce higher-quality images. Nearly every wedding has something that runs behind schedule, whether it's hair and makeup taking longer than expected or a shuttle of guests stuck in traffic. Expect the unexpected! If you're traveling between locations, remember that packing up, getting in and out of cars, and potential traffic delays all take time. To minimize stress on your wedding day, allow extra time for everything.

2. Keep Your Photographer in the Loop

Throughout your wedding planning process, keep your photographer informed about your potential timeline. Each photographer has their own style and requires different amounts of time for various photos. Before making any permanent decisions, such as choosing your ceremony time and sending out invitations, consult with your photographer. This ensures your timeline supports the photos you want captured.

3. Pay Attention to Sunset

Golden hour, the time just before sunset, provides beautiful lighting for photos. You can check sunset times for your location and date at timeanddate.com. I recommend scheduling bride and groom formals during golden hour but avoid planning family and wedding party photos right before sunset. If the day runs behind or it's overcast, you might lose daylight before finishing your outdoor pictures. Additionally, photographers need more light for larger group photos.

Note: Golden hour light lasts about 30-40 minutes. Not all venues will have optimal golden hour light due to surrounding hills, buildings, or tall trees.

4. Allow Your Photographer Time Between Events

Don't forget that photographers need a few minutes between events. We carry a lot of gear, need to change batteries, memory cards, and lenses, and often set up lights during the reception. Avoid scheduling family photos to end at 4:59 and your grand entrance at 5:00. Give your photographer a few minutes to move locations and prepare their equipment to ensure you get the best pictures.

By following these tips, you can create a well-planned timeline that allows for beautiful, stress-free wedding photography.

Getting Ready: 1.5 - 2 Hours

Plan Time for Detail Photos

The early part of the day is perfect for capturing all the little details. If you want photos of your dress, suit, tie, shoes, rings, jewelry, and invitations, plan for your photographer to spend about 30 minutes or more on these shots.

Allow for Candid Photos

Candid photos take time to happen naturally. I love capturing these genuine moments during the getting ready phase, but they don't happen instantly. Having your photographer there for a good amount of time ensures they'll be present to capture those happy moments as they naturally occur. Whether it's getting hair and makeup done or struggling to pin a boutonniere, some of my favorite photos happen during this part of the day. I recommend allowing about 1 hour for these candid shots.

Budget Time for Putting on the Dress

Putting on a wedding dress often takes longer than expected. I recommend budgeting 15-30 minutes depending on the complexity of your dress. Dresses with lots of buttons or a corset that needs lacing up will require more time.

If you’re not wearing a dress or having your hair and makeup done, you can get away with shorter coverage time. However, if candids are important to you, don't skimp too much on this coverage.

Keep the Wedding Party on Task

The getting ready phase is the part of the day that most often runs behind schedule, which can throw off the entire wedding day timeline. When hair and makeup run behind, it’s usually not the stylists' fault. Delays often happen when the next bridesmaid is unavailable, whether she's retrieving something from her hotel room, on the phone, or eating lunch. Ensure everyone getting services done that day is aware of the schedule and ready to go when it’s their turn.

Account for Off-Site Preparations

If you’re getting ready off-site, remember to allocate a few minutes for everyone to pack up their belongings and get to their cars before heading to the venue.

By planning your getting ready time carefully, you can ensure a smooth and enjoyable start to your wedding day, setting the tone for beautiful photos and a memorable celebration.

First Look and Couples Portraits: 30 - 60 Minutes

Your couples portraits are the photos most likely to end up framed and hanging in your home, making them some of the most important shots of your wedding day. These should typically get priority in your timeline. Planning 30 minutes for these usually yields plenty of great photos, but I love when we get a full hour for these portraits. This extra time is especially useful if you’re using multiple locations or if your venue has lots of beautiful spots to explore. Additional time also allows for both photography and videography, ensuring you get the best of both worlds.

Consider a First Look

I highly recommend doing a First Look to create a more relaxed wedding day timeline. Seeing each other before the ceremony means you can complete many of the formal photos early, rather than missing your entire cocktail hour for pictures. Ideally, I like to have a minimum of 30 minutes for each of the major groups of photos (wedding couple, wedding party, and family). Trying to fit all of these into just a one-hour cocktail hour can limit the variety of photos I can deliver.

However, if you prefer sticking with tradition and not seeing each other until the ceremony, that's perfectly fine too! In this case, I still recommend getting as many photos done before the ceremony as possible, such as separate wedding party and family photos, to save time later. Extending the cocktail hour is another great option to provide more flexibility.

Plan for Sunset Photos During the Reception

For many weddings, sunset will occur during the reception. This is another excellent opportunity to sneak away for a few more minutes of portraits in the beautiful golden hour light.

By prioritizing your couples portraits and considering a First Look, you can ensure a more relaxed and enjoyable wedding day, with plenty of time for all the important photos.

Wedding Party: 30 - 45 Minutes

For wedding party photos, I typically recommend planning for 30 minutes. If you have just one attendant on each side, you can definitely complete these photos more quickly. However, for the most common wedding party sizes I see (3-7 attendants on either side), 30 minutes is usually perfect. If you have a larger wedding party, it’s wise to add a few extra minutes. It can take longer to organize a big group and get everyone looking at the camera simultaneously.

Note: Wedding party photos can be taken either before the ceremony or after the family formals. However, it’s best to schedule them before the ceremony so that your wedding party can enjoy the cocktail hour without interruptions.

By planning appropriately for your wedding party photos, you can ensure a smooth and enjoyable experience for everyone involved.

Ceremony Area Details & Decor: 15 Minutes

I always aim to capture photos of the ceremony area before any guests arrive. If these detail shots are important to you, ensure your photographer has enough time to get them before the guests are seated.

Ceremony: 15 - 60 Minutes

The duration of your ceremony is entirely up to you and your officiant! During this time, your photographer will be a fly on the wall, capturing the events as they unfold.

Take a Break Beforehand

If you’re taking photos before the ceremony, I recommend wrapping up 30 minutes before it starts. This gives you time to hide away as guests arrive and allows you to relax and freshen up before walking down the aisle.

Shorter Ceremonies = Fewer Photos

I always share this advice regarding ceremony length. If you’re planning a short ceremony, be aware that you won’t receive as many ceremony photos. A 20-minute ceremony often strikes the perfect balance, providing plenty of photos without making you feel like all eyes are on you for too long.

Practice with Your Officiant

If your officiant is a friend or family member who isn’t an experienced wedding officiant, practice the ceremony out loud with them multiple times to gauge the timing. Professional officiants typically get the timing right, but first-time officiants often conduct much shorter ceremonies than expected.

By planning accordingly for your ceremony and ensuring enough time for detail shots, you can create a relaxed and enjoyable experience that results in beautiful, memorable photos.

Family Photos: 30 - 60 Minutes

For most weddings, 30 minutes is ideal for family photos, but this depends on the size of your family. I budget about 2 minutes per photo, so if you want to keep family photos to 30 minutes, plan for around 15 photo combinations. I usually recommend focusing on immediate family members (parents, siblings, grandparents) and saving extended family groupings for the reception.

Consider Pre-Ceremony Family Photos

Most couples schedule family photos during the cocktail hour immediately following the ceremony. However, if your family members can arrive early, it’s beneficial to take these photos pre-ceremony so everyone can fully enjoy the cocktail hour.

Have a List

Most wedding photographers agree that preparing a list beforehand of the family photos you want is extremely helpful. If I can call names from a list, we can move much faster than if people jump in randomly for photos.

Keep Everyone Organized

The other big factor in family photo time is how cooperative your families are and if they’re in the right place at the right time. Ensure your family members know exactly when and where these pictures are happening so you don’t waste time wrangling them away from the cocktail hour.

Cocktail Hour: 1 - 1.5 Hours

During cocktail hour, your guests are busy eating and drinking, so it's not always the best time for photos. I try to balance capturing candids from afar and asking groups to smile for the camera without being intrusive.

Consider Adding Time or a Second Photographer

At some weddings, I’m not photographing cocktail hour at all because we’re taking formal photos during that time. If cocktail hour photos are important to you, consider booking a package with a second photographer or getting all your formal photos done before the ceremony.

Allow Time for Reception Detail Pictures

If you want detail photos of your reception space (centerpieces, place settings, a room shot before guests arrive), I usually take these in the last 20-30 minutes of cocktail hour. This is when the room should be mostly set up but not yet filled with guests. If we’re taking formal photos throughout cocktail hour, I won’t be able to get these detail shots. Choosing a package with a second photographer or having an extended 1.5-hour cocktail hour will provide that extra time.

By planning your family photos and cocktail hour thoughtfully, you can ensure a smooth and enjoyable experience that allows for capturing all the important moments of your wedding day.

Golden Hour Bride & Groom Photo Session: 20 - 30 Minutes

The best time for this photo session is 20 to 30 minutes before sunset. For example, if sunset is at 6 PM, we can take photos from 5:40 to 6:10 PM. Keep in mind that if it's partly cloudy, the sky often glows beautifully right after sunset, providing even more stunning photo opportunities.

Reception: 3+ Hours

Your reception timeline is typically dictated by your venue, caterer, and DJ, with your photographer capturing the action as it unfolds. Here are some key considerations for photography during your reception:

Timing for Toasts

Avoid scheduling toasts during dinner. Whether you choose to do them before or after dinner, ensure they don't coincide with meal time. This allows for candid laughter or emotional photos that aren't disrupted by guests eating.

Feeding Your Photographer

Ensure your photographer eats dinner at the same time as you. Coordinating with your caterer to serve the vendor meals simultaneously with yours prevents any frantic moments where the photographer might miss important events like parent dances or toasts.

Plan Special Events Early

If your photographer won't be present until the end of the reception, schedule key events like cake cutting and bouquet toss early in the evening. This ensures all important moments are documented before they leave.

Dancing Photos

If dance floor photos are important to you, ensure your photographer is present for a good amount of dancing time. It usually takes guests a while to warm up and start dancing, so capturing a couple of hours of this can provide some great moments without needing coverage for the entire night.

Exit: 15 Minutes

Plan for the Exit

Allocate 15 minutes for your exit. If your photography coverage ends at 11:00 PM, plan for the DJ to announce your sparkler, bubble, or glow stick exit at 10:45 PM. It takes a few minutes to gather all your guests and get them outside, so planning ahead is crucial.

Consider a Mock Exit

Mock exits are more common than you might think. If your reception continues until 11:00 PM but your photographer leaves at 10:00 PM, you can stage a fake exit before they leave to capture those special photos. This can break up the dance floor, but an alternative is to stage the mock exit with just your wedding party or immediate family, keeping the dance floor intact for your guests.

Sample Wedding Photography Timeline

Here is a sample 8-hour wedding photography timeline:

1:00 Details

1:30 Getting ready

2:30 Putting on dress

3:00 First Look, Bride/Groom

3:30 Wedding party photos

4:00 Ceremony area details

4:30 Ceremony

5:00 Family photos/Start of cocktail hour

6:00 Start of reception

6:10 Grand entrance

6:15 First dance

6:20 Toasts

6:30 Dinner served

7:30 Sunset photos

7:45 Open dancing

8:45 Sparkler exit

9:00 End of coverage

Consult Your Photographer

When in doubt, talk to your photographer! They can provide the best advice tailored to their particular style, helping you plan your wedding day with your photos in mind. Keep them in the loop early in your planning process to fully benefit from their expertise.