Updated January 17, 2025
Need Help Planning Your Wedding Timeline?
WE’VE GOT YOU!
Check out the sample wedding coverage timeline below! After capturing over 200 weddings, we’ve fine-tuned how we approach every celebration to ensure all your biggest, sweetest, and most unforgettable moments are perfectly captured. Our sample timeline not only allows us to preserve everything you've dreamed of, but it also gives couples the chance to actually enjoy their wedding day—no rushing, no stress, just plenty of time to soak it all in.
But First—Here's How We Approach Your Wedding Day
A well-thought-out timeline is the key to a wedding day that feels joyful, relaxed, and absolutely unforgettable! We always recommend using sunset as your anchor before you even set your ceremony time.
Why sunset? It’s pure magic! Your couple’s golden hour session—anytime within the hour before sunset—is, in our opinion, the most dreamy and romantic part of your day. The soft, glowing light creates breathtaking moments that will make your portraits and wedding film feel timeless. Whether your golden hour session happens during cocktail hour or as a sneak-away moment during dinner or dancing, planning around this window sets the stage for a seamless and intentional day.
Once you’ve anchored your timeline to sunset, you can start building the rest of your day! Work backward to schedule your cocktail hour, ceremony, and earlier moments like getting ready. Then, plan forward to include reception events like speeches, first dances, and cake cutting. This approach ensures every part of your day gets the attention it deserves while leaving plenty of time to enjoy the moments as they unfold.
By the way, this does mean that earlier sunset times—like those in winter, early spring, or late fall—often lead to earlier weddings, and that’s perfectly okay! Every season comes with its own unique timeline, and we’ll help guide you through it to create a day that feels relaxed and beautifully captured. Whether your wedding starts earlier or later, telling the full story of your celebration is always our top priority.
To make this happen, we recommend starting coverage four hours before your ceremony if you’re planning a first look, or three hours before the ceremony if you’re not. This allows plenty of time to capture getting ready moments, first looks, and pre-ceremony portraits. For weddings taking place across multiple locations, don’t forget to account for travel time between venues. We require a minimum of 8 hours of coverage, but we highly recommend 10 hours for most weddings. The additional time allows us to capture all the details—like extended dancing or a grand exit—while maintaining flexibility for unexpected delays. Including buffer time between key events ensures you can enjoy every moment without worrying about adjustments along the way.
We can’t wait to help make your day everything you’ve dreamed of—and more! To give you an idea of how your day might look, we've put together a sample wedding day timeline below. We're also happy to help tailor a timeline to your unique day.
Wedding Day Tips
Setting the Tone for a Smooth Start
The morning of your wedding is filled with excitement, anticipation, and a flurry of activity. With so much happening, it’s easy for little things to slip through the cracks. But here’s the good news: a bit of planning and organization can make the earlier part of your day feel calm, fun, and picture-perfect.
To help you kick things off without a hitch, I’ve put together five quick and practical tips that will make your morning run smoothly while setting the tone for an amazing wedding day:
1. Declutter the Getting-Ready Room: A cluttered space can quickly distract from beautiful getting-ready photos. Make sure the bridal suite is decluttered before we arrive. Ask your bridal party to store their bags, clothes, and other belongings in a separate area so the room looks clean and photo-ready. A tidy space helps keep the focus on you and your special moments.
2. Hair & Makeup Timing: In our experience with over 200 weddings, hair and makeup always takes longer than expected. To stay on schedule, all hair and makeup for the entire bridal party, the bride, and the moms should be finished no later than 30-45 minutes after we start coverage. This allows us to capture candid photos with the bride, bridal party, and moms in their robes or PJs before everyone gets dressed—and it’s really important that this time is not pushed back.
To avoid delays, schedule all hair and makeup to be completely done by the time our coverage begins. Realistically, it won’t actually be finished when we arrive, so we’ll start with photos of the final touchups—this timing ensures everything flows perfectly. On the rare occasion everyone’s hair and makeup is finished on time, mock hair and makeup shots, creating a fun and polished behind-the-scenes vibe. Either way, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.
Make sure to discuss this timeline with your potential hair and makeup artist before hiring them to confirm they can meet these timing needs. If necessary, consider hiring a larger team or starting earlier in the morning to keep everything running smoothly. This will set the tone for a stress-free start to your day!
3. Details, Details: Immediately after capturing the bride’s final hair and makeup touchups, I go right into photographing bridal details. This includes your dress beautifully hung somewhere special and a stunning flat lay of all your details. To make this seamless, gather everything together in one spot—like a box or bag—and have your dress steamed and ready to go. Here’s what to include:
- Veil
- Shoes
- Rings (engagement and both wedding bands)
- Jewelry (earrings, necklace, bracelet, etc.)
- Vows
- Invitation suite (with envelopes, RSVP cards, etc.)
- Garter
- Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue
- Perfume bottle
- Any sentimental or meaningful items you want photographed
Having all of this ready ensures we can capture beautiful, cohesive detail shots without interrupting your morning flow.
4. Flower Power: Coordinate with your florist to have the bouquets delivered to the bride’s getting-ready room by the time coverage begins. This ensures we can include the florals in your detail flat lays and have them ready for additional photos later. A few extra blooms are perfect for styling flat lays and adding a cohesive touch. If you have boutonnières or corsages, make sure they’re sent to the correct rooms for the bridal party and groomsmen. Be sure to discuss this during your initial consultation before hiring your florist to ensure they're able and willing to accommodate this timing—planning ahead will make everything run more smoothly!
5. Groom Prep: Groom prep typically begins during the second hour of coverage, so it’s important to have the boutonnières delivered to the groomsmen’s room by the time we start coverage with the bride and drone footage during the first hour. This ensures the groomsmen and dads are already dressed with their boutonnières pinned when we start capturing groom prep.
When we arrive for groom prep, it’s best to have the groom partially dressed—shirt and pants on, but no jacket or tie—while his crew and dads are fully suited up. This allows us to jump right into candid and posed shots as the groom finishes getting ready.
Before we move into these moments, we’ll start with a flat lay of the groom’s details. These include:
- Shoes
- Tie
- Cufflinks
- Vows
- Watch
- Cologne
- His ring (if not already captured with the bride’s details)
- Any sentimental or meaningful items you want photographed
This thoughtful approach ensures we capture both the important details and the authentic, fun interactions between the groom and his crew. Having everyone ready on time allows us to complete all the necessary groom prep coverage during the second hour, keeping the entire day on schedule and avoiding delays caused by waiting for groomsmen to finish getting dressed.
By following these tips, you’ll set the stage for a smooth, stress-free start to your wedding day. From thoughtful preparation to keeping everything on schedule, these small steps make a big difference in creating a fun and relaxing atmosphere—and ensuring we can capture every meaningful moment and detail beautifully.
Pinterest Boards: Bring on the Inspo!
Want to share your wedding vision with us? We’d love to see it! Feel free to invite us to your wedding Pinterest board as a collaborator or make the board public so we can get the full scoop on your style. You can check out some of our inspiration on our Pinterest profile! Here are a few tips for making the most of Pinterest magic without getting lost in a sea of pins:
1. Organize Like a Pro
If your board has tons of images, help us out by organizing it into sections: Bridal Prep, Groom Prep, Couple’s Portraits, Wedding Party, etc. This way, we’re not scrolling through hundreds of pins in the middle of your wedding day, and we can get right down to capturing the magic!
2. Quality Over Quantity
Each Pinterest “re-creation” takes about 3 to 5 minutes to set up and capture. So, make sure there’s time in your timeline for the most important shots and trim down any extra images. If it’s not a must-have, let it go! (The fewer photos we’re recreating, the more time we have to capture all those real, spontaneous moments that make your day unique!)
Following these tips will help keep things fun and easy, and we’ll be ready to bring your dream board to life without sacrificing any of the in-the-moment magic of your wedding day!
Making Family Portraits Fun (Or at Least Faster!)
Family portraits can sometimes feel like wrangling cats at a wedding, but they don’t have to! With a few tips and a bit of planning, we can make the whole process go smoother, so you can get back to the fun stuff (hello, cocktail hour!) in no time.
1. Make a Family Portraits List
Before the big day, create a list of must-have family portraits! This will keep you in control of the timeline and ensure no one important gets missed. Think of it as your VIP lineup!
2. Name + Relationship = Smooth Sailing
On your list, include each family member’s name and relationship to you. This helps us call out Uncle Bob or Grandma quickly instead of saying, “Hey, you!” It speeds things up and keeps the group moving!
3. Keep it Short & Sweet
Family portraits take around 3 to 5 minutes per shot. Count up your list and make sure you’ve got the time—if it’s too long, combine groups where you can. Aim for no more than 5 to 9 family portraits (that’s 15 to 45 minutes) if you want time to hit up cocktail hour. Or, you can extend cocktail hour—your choice!
4. The Art of the Double Announcement
To keep family members from wandering off, ask your officiant to make an announcement after the ceremony for family to stay put for photos. Then, have your DJ repeat it because, let’s be real—no one listens the first time! This way, we don’t lose anyone to the lure of hors d’oeuvres.
5. Enlist a ‘Family Portraits Coordinator’
Last but absolutely not least—find that one person in your crew who’s got a loud voice, a take-charge vibe, and isn’t afraid to bark a few orders! Give them the family list and ask them to help rally everyone. Their job? Keep everyone around, call out names, and make sure the next group is ready while I’m snapping the previous shot. This one tip alone can save tons of time and get you back to the party faster!
With these steps in place, family portraits will be smooth sailing, and you’ll be back celebrating with a drink in hand before you know it!
Wrapping Up Your Perfect Day
Let's create a stress-free, memorable wedding day.
From creating the perfect timeline to planning the little details, every step you take helps your wedding day flow seamlessly and keeps the focus on what matters most—celebrating your love with the people who mean the most to you.
If you’re ready to dive into the details and make sure every moment of your day is perfectly planned, let’s chat! Click below to book your planning call, and we’ll create a wedding day experience you’ll love from start to finish.