Your Wedding Day Timeline: Everything You Need to Know
The key to ensuring that your wedding day runs smoothly is to create a detailed, hour-by-hour wedding day timeline! Breaking down your entire wedding day into an organized timeline helps to keep everything on track when your big day finally arrives! Timelines help reduce stress for the bride and groom, and help the guests, family, and vendors have an idea of what to expect.
I am going to share two example timelines to help give you some directions that will help you to create your own wedding timeline! One includes a first look/private vow exchange which many couples love, while the other is more traditional & waits until the ceremony!
Be sure to stick around for the end of the blog post to read my best tips for planning your wedding day timeline!
TIMELINE #1 (First look/Private Vow Exchange)
11:00AM-2:00PM – Hair and Makeup
1:30PM – Photographer arrives and starts with detail shots
2:00PM-2:15PM – Toast with the girls
2:15PM-2:45PM – Get into dress/ Bridal Portraits
2:45PM-3:00PM – Get into Tux/ Groom Portraits
3:00PM-3:15PM – Toast with the boys
3:15PM-3:30PM – First Look
3:30PM-4:15PM – Bridal Party Photos/Family Photos
4:30PM-5:00PM – Ceremony
5:00PM-6:00PM Cocktail Hour
6:00PM – Dinner Served
6:30PM – Toasts
6:45PM-7:00PM – First Dance & Parent Dances
7:00PM-7:30PM – Dance with Guests/Open Dance Floor
7:30PM-7:45PM – Cake Cutting
7:45PM-8:00PM – Garter Toss/Bouquet Toss
8:00PM-8:30PM – Golden Hour Photos
*9:00PM sunset time*
9:15PM-9:30PM – Mock Sparkler Exit
TIMELINE #2 (First Look During the Ceremony)
11:00AM-2:00PM – Hair and Makeup
1:30PM – Photographer arrives and starts with detail shots
1:00PM-2:15PM -Toast with the girls
2:15PM-2:30PM – Get into dress/ Bridal Portraits
2:30PM-2:45PM – Get into Tux/ Groom Portraits
2:45PM-3:00PM – Toast with the boys
3:00PM-3:15PM Tuck away before Ceremony
3:30PM-4:00PM – Ceremony
4:00PM-5:00PM – Cocktail Hour/Bridal Party/Family Photos
5:00PM – Dinner Served
5:30PM – Toasts
5:45PM-6:00PM – First Dance & Parent Dances
6:00PM-6:45PM – Dance with Guests/Open Dance Floor
6:45PM-7:00PM – Cake Cutting
6:15PM-6:30PM – Garter Toss/Bouquet Toss
7:30PM-8:00PM – Dance with Guests/Open Dance Floor
8:00PM-8:30PM – Golden Hour Photos
*9:00 sunset time*
9:15PM-9:30PM – Mock Sparkler Exit
Talk with Your Vendors & Wedding Planner
Before you plan out your wedding timeline, check out example timelines and talk with your vendors/planner to get a general idea of how long each activity takes! Always give yourself plenty of time for each activity, I promise you will thank yourself for scheduling a bit of wiggle room! If you’re feeling overwhelmed with planning your timeline reach out to your vendors for help.
A day of coordinator is extremely helpful and I highly recommend that every couple hire one for their wedding day. They will eliminate a ton of stress and keep things on track!
Give Yourself Plenty of Time
Be sure to start by giving yourself plenty of time to get ready, it always takes longer than you might think. Plus you don’t want to feel rushed at all. The bigger the bridal party the more time you will need to get ready!
If your ceremony and reception are taking place at two different venues, you should give yourself lots of time to avoids travel mishaps. The last thing you want is to be late to your own wedding!
When it comes to family and bridal party photos it’s best to give yourself a generous amount of time and give your photographer a shot list in the order you would like to go in. This will keeps things going quickly! I recommend starting with the large group shots, getting some photos with grandparents and kiddos out of the way first, and then working your way down to immediate family members.
Plan for Best Lighting!
When planning your timeline, it is important to ask your photographer when is the best lighting and what time should you plan for things like an outdoor ceremony & golden hour photos! Lighting is a key factor in capturing a beautiful photo.
A Stress-Free Wedding Day
You and your future spouse deserve to sit back, relax, and enjoy your wedding day together. You should be able to reminisce on your wedding day and only feel the immense amount of love you were surround by, and not what you wish you would have done differently. That’s why I highly recommend creating a wedding day timeline catered to your dream day!
Let’s Create Timeless Memories Together!
As your photographer, my main goal is to create memories that make it feel like you are able to relive those intimate moments with your lover over and over again. If we sound like the perfect fit, fill out my contact form and let’s start planning your adventures together!
Be sure to follow me on Instagram and stay tuned for what I am working on next @ultraviolet_moments.
