HOW to plan your wedding timeline - Common questions & estimated time frames

Your wedding day is a once-in-a-lifetime experience meant to be enjoyed and cherished, which is why I always recommend having a timeline that serves as a helpful guide—without being so rigid that it dictates every minute. A thoughtful timeline keeps you organized, calm, and on schedule.

Below, you’ll find suggested time allocations for each key moment, along with a general order of events to help guide your planning.

Are you planning your wedding day timeline & aren't sure where to start? Let's dive in! The curation of your timeline completely depends on your wedding day plans, your priorities, and the moments you don’t want to miss.

You deserve to have all of your must have & in between moments captured; each wedding is unique so don't try to fit yours into a premade box.

( Frequently your planner, coordinator & photographer will build this and concur with each other )

Here are a few key things to think about when starting to build your wedding day timeline :

• Do you have one wedding location or multiple? ( the biggest mistake is not accounting for the drive time and gathering of people between locations )

• Do you have a small wedding party or a large wedding party? ( a smaller group = quicker group photos )

• Are you doing immediate family or extended family for family portraits ( the more groupings, the more time this portion takes! On average an immediate family grouping can take 15 to 30 minutes and a extended grouping can take up to an hour )

• Do you plan to do a first look? ( having a first look means more time with your partner throughout the day + this means you can complete couples portraits & wedding party before the ceremony! This option can also allow you more time to attend cocktail hour to mingle with guests. BUT no worries if you are having a traditional aisle viewing, your timeline will just need to be structured differently & you may need an earlier ceremony start time depending on the season and time of year. ) CHECK OUT THIS BLOG POST - " Should you do first look?" https://www.bethanysannyphotoandfilm.com/post/should-you-do-a-first-look-on-your-wedding-day-a-question-asked-by-many

• Seasons can impact your wedding day timeline, the earlier the sun sets the earlier your ceremony start will need to be! ( when planning a earlier ceremony, plan for a earlier start time overall for the whole day! )

Lets go over what events of the day are actually taking place within a timeline & some common planning thoughts that you may overlook during the preparing of a timeline but they sneak up on wedding day!

DETAILS -

• Having all of the items that you want photographed gathered in a box and prepped ( unwrapped, no tags, cleaned & organized ) can make flat lay photos go quicker and seamless.

• For photos of your dress / suit, have it steamed and unbagged

• Plan for 35 to 45 minutes for these images

• Check out this blog for the things to include for detail photos - https://www.bethanysannyphotoandfilm.com/post/wedding-day-details-box-a-guide-for-all-of-the-items-you-as-a-couple-should-include

GETTING READY -

Pajama Photos:

• If you plan to include pajama photos, your wedding party will need to be in those pajamas on time, this also means a clear space within the getting ready suite to complete these or taking them in a different spot in the venue.

  • If you want a private moment to get your dress or suit on -- your wedding party will need to get dressed and vacate the space, this often takes quite a bit of time for everyone to get around and gather their needed items.

Getting in your dress / suit:

• When it's time to put your dress/suit on, the person " assisting " you in getting dressed needs to be fully ready before starting this!

  • If you want clutter free images, the space will need to have been picked up and organized ahead of time.

  • Allow time for putting on your undergarments & if your dress has a lot of buttons, prepare for extended time ( this is commonly overlooked when building timelines)

  • When putting in your veil - do you need assistance?

  • Plan for up to 30 minutes for these photos

FIRST LOOK -

• Plan for up to 25 minutes to complete your first look + vows with your partner!!

• Do you plan to have a first look with anyone other than your partner? ( plan for 5 to 10 minutes for each first look that is taking place )

• If you plan on doing vows during your first look, have your vow books with you ahead of time.

• Is there a specific area around the venue that you like best for this or another location? ( account for travel time )

WEDDING PARTY -

• During this time we will complete both sides of the wedding party ( example: bridesmaids + bride, each bridesmaid with bride , groomsmen + groom, each groomsmen + groom )

• Entire wedding party ( posed formals + fun group photos )

• Plan for up to 30 minutes.

COUPLES + SOLO PORTRAITS -

• Have your bouquet ready ( stems dried )

• Plan for up to 45 minutes for these images + 15 to 20 minutes later in the timeline if you are doing sunset images too!

CEREMONY -

• On average a ceremony takes anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes ( & up to an hour for religious ceremonies )

• To ensure a on time start time here's a few tips

  • When sending invites, ask guests to arrive 20 to 30 minutes ahead of start time. This allows them time to find their seat and be seated without lingering. ( if you plan to have a guest book upon ceremony entry, ask them to arrive up to 45 minutes ahead of time, guest books tend to create a line )

  • If you are having a outdoor ceremony during hot months, think about providing hand fans & umbrellas / parasols so that if you have guest arriving early they are comfortable during the wait.

  • Have your family and wedding party lining up 15 minutes before start time

  • After your ceremony exit, immediately go off by yourself to create a seamless transition into family photos ( if you are in the cocktail area, guests will be pulling you all directions )

FAMILY PHOTOS -

• Are you doing immediate family or extended family for family portraits ( the more groupings, the more time this portion takes! On average an immediate family grouping can take 15 to 30 minutes and a extended grouping can take up to an hour )

• Alert your families ahead of time who will need to be in photos & have the officiant make an announcement for them to stay at the ceremony site following the ceremony to complete these photos.

• Plan for photos request ( politely letting guests and other family members know that you will be taking photos during the reception with people and that this portion is for your formal photos )

• Keeping groupings of people simple will help save time

COCKTAIL HOUR -

• This is typically a time for tons of candid photos of you and your partner mingling with guests, enjoying signature beverages & capturing photos with guest groups before starting your reception!

• If you want to attend your cocktail hour, think of doing a first look or limiting photos after the ceremony!

RECEPTION -

• Receptions often flow well once the evening starts! A few things to think of:

• Dinner

  • Once you start dinner, it can take up to an hour for all guests to receive their plate or make their way through a line.

  • While you are eating, its also the best time for your media team to eat dinner and then rejoin the reception just before speeches.

• Speeches

  • Ask the bar to stop serving roughly 10 minutes before speeches and toasts and to resume serving afterwards - this limits the amount of foot traffic during these special moments and makes sure people can hear them.

  • Plan for up to 10 minutes per speech ( people get emotional and may need extra time to get through their speeches )

• Cake Cutting

  • Plan for 5 to 10 minutes for cake / dessert cutting, once youre finished you can move on and someone can be designated to cut and serve the cake

• Dances

  • Plan for 3 to 5 minutes for each special dance

• Dance Floor

  • The best way to have a fun dance floor is for you and your partner to be on the dance floor together, this also helps have those fun free spirited dance floor photos that are candid!

  • This portion of the night usually lasts for 45 minutes up to an hour and a half

  • Something to think of: are you having other interactive things such as a live painter or photo booth? ( this can take away from your dance floor experience as people will be spread between the spaces BUT can add to the overall experience of your wedding reception! )

• Wedding Exit

  • Exits usually are very quick, averaging up to 5 minutes of coverage ( gathering your guests outside or inside into lines and passing out sparklers, glow sticks, ribbons, bubbles etc... can take up to 15 to 20 minutes in total.

  • If you are doing a fake exit this could take less time, but if you are doing a end of night exit people will need more time to gather their belongings if they are not being allowed back inside the venue after exiting!

SAMPLE TIMELINES * Based off of a 4:00 pm Ceremony Start

SAMPLE TIMELINES * Based off of a 4:00pm Ceremony Start

Once your timeline is finalized, share it with your wedding party, your day-of coordinator or planner, me as your photographer/videographer, your caterer, florist, and any other vendors. This way, everyone is aligned and knows what to expect.

While most weddings follow a similar flow, the order of events can be customized to reflect your vision—it’s not a one-size-fits-all process. I’ll help you organize the specifics so your day runs smoothly and feels exactly as you’ve dreamed.

CAPTURING YOUR LOVE

Anywhere your love story leads, I would love to connect with you. Let’s chat about your dream coverage and explore the wedding packages that Bethany Sanny Photo and Film offers.

Hi there! Im Bethany Sanny your new celebrator of love.

My goal is to be a resource and a supporter during this process!

It is an honor & I am grateful you are here!

STAY SOCIAL:

Instagram

Pinterest

Facebook

Arkansas Wedding Photographer, Arkansas Wedding Videographer, How much wedding coverage do you need, how much time do you need for wedding photos, Arkansas Film Wedding Photographer, Wedding timeline planning, wedding timeline planning tips, Oklahoma Wedding Photographer, Oklahoma Wedding Videographer, California Wedding Photographer, Oregon Wedding Photographer, Oregon Wedding Videographer, Documentary Wedding Photographer , OKC Wedding Photographer, Tulsa Wedding Photographer, Little Rock Wedding Photographer