How to Plan your Wedding Timeline

You’re starting to get into the thick of wedding planning- hooray! But be prepared, what starts off as exciting can quickly become stressful when vendors, family and friends start asking you about your wedding day timeline and details. Where to begin?!

Well, you’re not alone and we’re here to help! With over 350 weddings under our belt, we’ve compiled some of the most proven, popular and smooth-sailing wedding timelines that will help you coordinate your wedding day without a hitch!

From 4 to 10 hours, we’ve got you covered, and we’ve arranged these sample timelines in a way that will give you the most bang for your buck with your wedding photography! Best of all, you won’t feel rushed or stressed on your big day. Read on to begin the journey to a stress-free wedding!

This sweet couple had just the BEST reactions to seeing each other during their First Look at The American Club (Kohler, WI)!

Before you read further, you’ll need to know what a First Look is (it may or may not apply to your wedding)!

This is when we arrange a romantic and private meeting spot for you two to see each other before the ceremony. We capture your reactions to seeing each other, and it’s priceless!

The big advantages of doing a First Look are:

1) You get to see each other longer on your wedding day (the day flies by, so this is definitely a bonus!).
and
2) If you have a condensed wedding timeline, you’ll be able to attend your cocktail hour instead of doing all of your portraits during that time and missing out on the fun of mingling with your guests (it’s one of the main parts of your day where you can really spend time with everyone!).

However, if you have a lot of time between your ceremony and reception, you don’t really need to do a First Look… though you may still want to, especially if you’re a big-feelings kind of person (you may prefer to happy-sob together privately than in front of your guests, for example). Also, seeing each other beforehand can definitely bring you some peace and reduce anxiety if you don’t like being the center of attention.

We love sweet and fleeting moments like these during getting-ready photos! This Wedding Dog of Honor was all about the snuggles.

Ready to get into the nitty gritty? Awesome!

First, here are our general guidelines before we lay out some detailed sample timelines for you below:

Getting Ready Coverage (30-120 Minutes): Photographing some finishing touches of you all during getting-ready coverage is a really beautiful way to start the visual story of your wedding day. We can also capture details during this time like your attire, invitation suite, etc., and candid moments of you hanging out with your family and/or wedding party. We love the excitement and anticipation during this part of the day! However, if you’re on a tight budget this part of the day can be skipped.

First Look (15 Minutes, if applicable): The actual First Look takes about 5 minutes, but we’ll need some time to coordinate so you don’t accidentally run into each other in an elevator. 😉 Planning in this extra time also gives us a little cushion in case you’re running behind while getting ready.

Couple’s Portraits, Wedding Party, and Family Pictures (20-45 minutes per set): Don’t forget to add in extra time if your photo location requires a lot of walking or is in a busy public space.

Ceremony (15-60 Minutes): If you plan on doing a receiving line or row dismissal, be sure to add 30 minutes onto your timeline after the ceremony.

Dinner and Speeches (90-120 Minutes): Ask your caterer how long they anticipate dinner taking. Be sure to factor in time for guests to be seated, a grand march (if you’re doing one), cake cutting, etc.

Dancing (15-60 Minutes): Some couples just want their first dance and parent dances captured, while others really want to capture the whole party vibe of their wedding!

Super Cool Nighttime Photos (15 Minutes): This is a great way to cool off for a bit and reconnect with each other after an evening of mingling and dancing. Let’s sneak out for a few quick dramatic nighttime portraits! We get to say goodbye to you after a day of beautiful moments captured, and then you get to head back to the celebration!

Our most popular coverage length is 8 hours. Check out the options below and see which timeline could work best for you!

These lovebirds exchanged vows privately on the veranda of The Riviera Ballroom during the most picturesque snow shower (Lake Geneva, WI)!

4 Hours of Coverage (limited availability)

Four hours can work for you if:

1) You’re having an intimate elopement
or
2) You’re not into photos of you getting ready or your guests tearing up the dance floor.

You’ll see that we did some rearranging to still include your first dance and parent dances, however! Depending on how things flow, you can also still have photos of the speeches/toasts at your wedding.

• 4-Hour Sample Timelines - click here!

  Elopement, with First Look:
  3:30 - 4:15 Getting ready coverage
  4:15 - 4:30 Travel to First Look/ceremony location
  4:30 - 4:45 First Look
  4:45 - 5:30 Couple’s portraits
  5:30 - 6:00 Relax before ceremony, photographer captures candid photos of guests arriving/mingling, ceremony details, etc.
  6:00 - 6:30 Ceremony
  6:30 - 7:00 Champagne toast + family portraits
  7:00 - 7:30 Sunset portraits of the newlyweds

  Elopement, no First Look:
  3:00 - 4:00 Getting ready coverage at venue
  4:00 - 4:30 Ceremony
  4:30 - 5:00 Champagne toast + family portraits
  5:00 - 6:00 Newlyweds’ portraits
  6:00 - 7:00 Mingling at the start of your dinner reception, toasts/speeches

  Ceremony + Reception at the Same Venue, with First Look:
  2:30 - 3:30 First Look, then couple’s + wedding party portraits
  3:30 - 4:00 Relax before ceremony, photographer captures candid photos of guests arriving/mingling, ceremony details, etc.
  4:00 - 4:30 Ceremony
  4:30 - 5:00 Family portraits (cocktail hour starts at 4:30 as well)
  5:00 - 5:45 Join guests at cocktail hour
  5:45 - 6:00 Guests are seated
  6:00 - 6:30 Grand march, cake cutting, first dance, parent dances

  Ceremony + Reception at the Same Venue, no First Look:
  2:00 - 3:00 Getting ready coverage
  3:00 - 3:30 Ceremony
  3:30 - 5:00 Cocktail hour (portraits happening at the same time, candid coverage of guests if you book two photographers)
  5:00 - 5:15 Guests are seated
  5:15 - 5:45 Grand march, cake cutting, first dance, parent dances
  5:45 - 6:00 Speeches/toasts

  Ceremony + Reception at Different Venues, no First Look:
  2:00 - 2:30 Ceremony
  2:30 - 3:00 Family portraits
  3:00 - 3:15 Travel to portrait location
  3:15 - 4:15 Newlyweds/wedding party portraits, then travel to reception
  4:00 - 5:00 Cocktail hour (newlyweds + wedding party join guests at 4:30, candid coverage of guests if you book two photographers)
  5:00 - 5:15 Guests are seated
  5:15 - 5:45 Grand march, cake cutting, first dance, parent dances
  5:45 - 6:00 Speeches/toasts

We’re all for the candid moments that happen in between the poses with your wedding party! Here the groom and his people are sharing a laugh and enjoying a beer at City Lights Brewing Co. before heading to the reception (Milwaukee, WI).

6 Hours of Coverage

Six hours can work well for weddings where the ceremony and reception are all at the same venue, whether or not you decide to do a First Look. It can also work for weddings that have two different venues.

These options usually shave off some coverage from getting-ready, dancing or cocktail hour, but you’ll still find that most of your day is covered.

• 6-Hour Sample Timelines - click here!

  Ceremony + Reception at the Same Venue, with First Look:
  12:30 - 1:15 Getting ready coverage
  1:15 - 1:30 First Look
  1:30 - 2:30 Couple’s + wedding party portraits
  2:30 - 3:00 Relax before ceremony, photographer captures candid photos of guests arriving/mingling, ceremony details, etc.
  3:00 - 3:30 Ceremony
  3:30 - 4:00 Family portraits (cocktail hour starts at 3:30 as well)
  4:00 - 4:45 Join guests at cocktail hour
  4:45 - 5:00 Guests are seated
  5:00 - 5:30 Grand march, cake cutting, first dance, parent dances
  6:00 - 6:30 Welcome speech, toasts, thank-you speech

  Ceremony + Reception at Same Venue, no First Look:
  3:00 - 4:00 Getting ready coverage
  4:00 - 4:30 Ceremony
  4:30 - 6:00 Cocktail hour (portraits happening, candid coverage of guests if you book two photographers)
  6:00 - 8:00 Dinner
  8:00 - 8:45 Dancing coverage
  8:45 - 9:00 Nighttime portraits

  Ceremony + Reception at Different Venues, no First Look:
  1:30 - 2:00 Finishing touches of getting ready moments at ceremony venue
  2:00 - 3:00 Ceremony
  3:15 - 3:45 Family portraits
  3:45 - 5:00 Newlyweds/wedding party portraits
  5:00- 6:00 Cocktail hour
  6:00 - 6:15 Guests are seated
  6:15 - 6:45 Grand march, cake cutting, first dance, parent dances
  6:45 - 7:15 Salads/first course
  7:15 - 7:30 Speeches/toasts

Cheers! Many of the best moments from your wedding day will be the spontaneous ones. We’ve developed a sixth sense to anticipate moments before they happen, and we love surprising you with candid photos you didn’t even realize we captured! This photo was taken at John Michael Kohler Arts Center as they got ready for their outdoor ceremony.

8 Hours of Coverage

Eight hours is the most popular timeline that we see, and this will give you a good amount of time for both getting-ready photos and dancing pictures so your wedding album will show a beginning, middle and end of your wedding story.

• 8-Hour Sample Timelines - click here!

  Ceremony + Reception at the Same Venue, with First Look:
  1:00 - 2:15 Getting ready coverage
  2:15 - 2:30 First Look
  2:30 - 3:30 Couple’s + wedding party portraits
  3:30 - 4:00 Relax before ceremony, photographer captures candid photos of guests arriving/mingling, ceremony details, etc.
  4:00 - 4:30 Ceremony
  4:30 - 5:00 Family portraits (cocktail hour starts at 4:30 as well)
  5:00 - 5:45 Join guests at cocktail hour
  5:45 - 6:00 Guests are seated
  6:00 - 8:00 Grand march, dinner, cake cutting, speeches/toasts
  8:00 - 8:45 Dancing coverage
  8:45 - 9:00 Nighttime portraits

  Ceremony + Reception at Different Venues, no First Look:
  12:45 - 2:00 Getting ready coverage
  2:00 - 3:00 Ceremony
  3:15 - 3:45 Family portraits
  3:45 - 5:00 Newlyweds/wedding party portraits
  5:00- 6:00 Cocktail hour
  6:00 - 6:15 Guests are seated
  6:15 - 8:15 Grand march, dinner, cake cutting, speeches/toasts
  8:15 - 8:45 First dance, parent dances, little bit of open-dancing coverage

Some couples add extra excitement and drama to their first dance with uplighting and pyrotechnics!

10 Hours of Coverage

If you want even more photos of you both getting ready and dance floor moments, ten hours will do the trick! This amount also works well for couples who are having their ceremony and reception at different venues and still want to do a First Look. 

• 10-Hour Sample Timelines - click here!

  Ceremony + Reception at Different Venues, no First Look:
  12:00 - 2:00 Getting ready coverage
  2:00 - 3:00 Ceremony
  3:15 - 3:45 Family portraits
  3:45 - 4:00 Travel to portrait location
  4:00 - 5:15 Newlyweds/wedding party portraits
  5:15 - 5:30 Travel to reception location
  5:30- 6:30 Cocktail hour
  6:30 - 6:45 Guests are seated
  6:45 - 8:45 Grand march, dinner, cake cutting, speeches/toasts
  8:45 - 9:45 Dancing coverage
  9:45 - 10:00 Nighttime portraits

  Ceremony + Reception at Different Venues, with First Look:
  11:00 - 12:15 Getting ready coverage
  12:15 - 12:30 First Look
  12:30 - 1:30 Couple + wedding party portraits
  1:30 - 2:00 Relax before ceremony, candid photos guest arriving/mingling + ceremony details
  2:00 - 3:00 Ceremony
  3:15 - 3:45 Family portraits
  3:45 - 4:00 Travel to portrait location
  4:00 - 4:45 Newlyweds/wedding party portraits
  4:45 - 5:00 Travel to reception location
  5:00- 6:00 Cocktail hour
  6:00 - 6:15 Guests are seated
  6:15 - 8:15 Grand march, dinner, cake cutting, speeches/toasts
  8:15 - 9:00 Dancing coverage

We’re always keeping our eyes open for creative opportunities with lighting and reflections!

You might wondering, “When do I need a second photographer?”

We offer both one and two photographer coverage, with one being our most popular. However, we recommend two photographers when you:
1) Will be doing your portraits during cocktail hour but you still want those great candid photos of guests having fun at your wedding.
2) Are having a very short ceremony (like less than 20 minutes) and would like additional angles and candids during that time.
3) Are getting ready at different locations that are far apart from each other.
4) Are having a really big wedding party and want an extra person to help wrangle them during portraits 😉
5) Know that our one-photographer coverage delivers LOTS of amazing candid photos (we love to take them!), but you just want even MORE because that’s totally your thing, and why not?!
6) Are having a ton of amazing wedding details (floral, tablescapes, etc.) and you want a dedicated photographer capturing them in their splendor.*
*If your timeline allows, with one-photographer coverage we normally photograph reception details for about 15 minutes during cocktail hour. But again, if you want even MORE detail photos, two photographers might be a better fit for you.

A romantic moment captured with some artistic backlighting during their nighttime portraits. Love sneaking out for a few dramatic bonus portraits at the end of your coverage!

Still feeling overwhelmed with wedding planning? Don’t worry, once we’re working together we’re here for the long haul and will alleviate any concerns you have. We have a wedding questionnaire that’s a great tool to get you started, and we’re happy to give input, answer questions or help you fine tune your timeline anytime before your big day. We’re your photographers, but also a helpful resource in making sure you have wedding of your dreams. Let’s start the conversation!