Something that I hate seeing are my couples overly stressed or anxious on their wedding day. There is of course a normal amount of nervousness, excitement, and maybe some stress but we don’t want it to take away from the day. This is where a great timeline can come in handy. Now, it is super common for a timeline to get behind or to go off it a little bit as things come up during the day, but a solid timeline with cushion time and forethought can make a massive difference to your mood and stress levels on the day of your wedding. So, let’s dive in.
First things first, you need to decide what exactly you want to do on the day of your wedding! Do you want to do more of the traditional things, some of the more trendy things, or maybe a marriage of both? It is your day, so do what feels right for you and what gets you both excited. This is so important to helping those stress levels. We want your day to be fun but also not overwhelming. So, be super intentional about what you choose to do so that you don’t find yourself trying to do too much.
There are so many variables and different things that you can do with your timeline, so I am just going to do my best to hit the broad general advice type of things that you can take into creating your timeline. I’ll go from getting ready all the way to the send-off.
Getting ready for the day. This part of the day looks very different for the guys and the girls, but the thing that is important to figure out for both is where exactly everyone is getting ready. Does your venue have somewhere on site, are you using a friends or family member’s house, are you going to be at airbnb or maybe a hotel? Wherever it is, if it is somewhere where you have to drive to the ceremony space, just make sure you account for that travel time in your timeline. Also, remember that everyone might have to pack up clothes and luggage which always takes longer than you think. This part can cause a lot of chaos. Do your best to be as organized as you can when you get there and be prepared for this to take a while. If you can get ready on-site, I’d definitely encourage you to do that, but if you can’t, make sure you have extra cushion in the timeline to get to the venue, church, or ceremony space.
I’ll start with the girls because there are generally a lot more moving pieces for them. In my experience, hair and makeup is the main thing that pushes a timeline off schedule. I am not a professional hair and makeup artist, but I’d recommend making sure they are about 90 percent done with everyone by the time your photographer and videographer are supposed to start. I’d also recommend having you and your mom (if she is getting hair and makeup done) to be fully ready and the priority over anyone else. This is because the next thing that we need to do is to get you in your dress. It is better to have one of the bridesmaids getting those finishing touches if things are running behind than the bride or mom because that shouldn’t push the timeline back nearly as much.
On another note, make sure that you have a box of sorts that has all of your detail items in it. This could be invitations, rings, jewelry, shoes/heels, extra florals, sentimental items, and anything else that is special to the day. This makes it really easy for your photographer to get there and grab the box. This eases your stress as well because you won’t be frantically looking for everything.
Also, just have fun! Bring a speaker, have some mimosas and enjoy the morning. Knowing that you have plenty of time to get ready and that you won’t be getting asked tons of questions means you can be in a more relaxed state of mine. Get family members, your coordinator or your girls to be in charge of certain things so that anyone asking questions doesn’t have to come to you.
Now we’ll talk about the guys. It doesn’t take nearly as long for the guys to get ready, but the big thing is to just make sure that everyone has belts, proper pants sizes and has a tie. Most of the time, if someone forgets something, it is one of the groomsmen. So, either give them everything the day of so you know you aren’t missing anything or just double check with them the week of the wedding.
First Looks. This is a super common wedding day tradition that lots of people do. Whether it is first looks with parents, siblings, partner, or bridal party, I have seen it all and these moments are generally really sweet! The big thing with first looks is to have an idea about location. We want to be somewhere that you won’t be interrupted or being watched by tons of people and somewhere that looks pretty. Unless there is just nowhere else to do it or it is raining, I’d avoid doing it indoors. The natural lighting outside is going to look much better than overhead lights. Also keep in mind that most of the time there will be a mic on the person you are doing the first look with. I’ve seen situations where the bride points out the mic and it can take away from the moment. By doing a first look with your partner, you will get to spend more of the day together and we can get more photos and portraits done prior to the ceremony. If you are someone that wants to enjoy cocktail hour with your guests and not have tons of things to do after the ceremony, a first look is a great way to get ahead of the day and also have a super sweet moment with your partner.
With that being said, first looks are not for everyone. There is also something called a first touch if you don’t want to do a first look with your partner. This can be nice because you still get a moment alone together before the ceremony to help with the nerves, but you won’t actually see each other till the ceremony. This can be a great middle ground, but it definitely isn’t something you have to do.
It is super important to note that if you end up not doing a first look with your partner, then it’ll take more time after the ceremony to get newly wed portraits of the two of you, get family photos, and full bridal party (if you have one). Also, depending on when the ceremony starts and when the sun sets, this can add on stress during this part of the day because there is lots to capture in a short amount of time. Especially if the sun is going down. If you aren’t sure about how much time to commit to each thing, I’d say a safe bet is 15 to 30 minutes for family (this really depends on how many family photos you want), 15 minutes for full bridal party, and about 30 minutes for newly wed portraits. Again, this is if you aren’t doing a first look.
Bridal Party. Feel free to skip this if you don’t have a bridal party. If you are having a bridal party, it is super important to keep in mind that the bigger it is, the more time it will take to get photos and videos of everything. We’ll do a couple of different group shots with the guys and girls separate from each other and then some all together. We’ll also be getting individuals of the bride with her girls and the groom with his guys. I love doing fun things with the bridal parties but it is important to allocate enough time in your schedule so that you aren’t feeling stressed about this. If there are two photographers and two videographers, you can always consider doing the guys and the girls at the time for better efficiency. If you didn’t do a first look, then we can still do separate groomsmen and bridesmaids groups and individual photos/videos prior to the ceremony.
Couple Portraits. Portraits of you two will be some of the most beautiful photos and videos captured during your day. These can be quite taxing on y’all as it may be hot or your feet may start hurting! So, I always encourage my couples to break it up throughout the day if possible so that you have different lighting and locations for these. Also so that you don’t feel like you have to be out in the sun for an hour to get everything.
If you are seeing each other before the ceremony, I always recommend doing some then, right after the ceremony (newlywed photos) and then some right around sunset to get the golden hour beauty! If you aren’t seeing each other, go ahead and get some individuals of you guys and then allocate a 10 or so extra minutes after your ceremony to get a few more photos!
I’d recommend placing about 15 to 20 minutes of time in each of the portrait sessions so that we can take you to at least 2 different locations / backgrounds during each one and get 5 to 10 different poses / prompts! That’ll ensure that you guys have plenty of pictures of the two of you!
Ceremony. Before you know it, it’ll be time to get married! Try including at least 30 minutes of down time before your ceremony so that you guys can be tucked away, rest, get some touch ups, get some water and prepare yourself to get married! It is a moment that will pass so quickly, so you’ll want to be ready to cherish it all! Guests will also begin to arrive around this time, so if you are hiding away you don’t have to worry about anyone seeing you guys.
These 30 minutes also give my team and I enough time to set everything up for your ceremony so that it all gets captured how it should! Even if you think your ceremony will be really short, always add a little extra time in there just in case! In my experience, it always starts at least 5 minutes late because there are guests still arriving.
Reception. Receptions can be some of the most fun parts of the day (and you finally get to sit down)! I don’t have much advice for this part of the day other than do what you guys value most! If you want to dance, have the time of your life, and celebrate with your favorite people, make sure you allow time for that! If you aren’t a dancing crew and want to play wedding games or get to talk to all of your guests, then do that instead! I have seen all sort of types of receptions (even had a bride get a quick haircut before her entrance), so I have seen lots of ways to do it and enjoy the night.
If you are planning on doing any special dances or toasts, I’ll make sure we talk about any choreographed parts that I need to be aware of and I’ll tell the speakers where to stand.
The one other thing I’d say here if you are planning to do mostly dancing during your reception is that this is typically the most down time that me (the videographer) and your photographer will have on the day. There is a thing as overshooting and getting more dancing footage / photos than we need. If people are out and constantly dancing, I can usually have most of my coverage captured for the film within an hour or two.
Send-Off. Sparklers are typically the go to send off, but there are other ones that are super great as well! Bubbles, confetti, lanterns, light sabers, streamers, fiber wands, LED balloons, and ribbon wands are just a few really cool options! Just make sure if you want to do something that your venue doesn’t normally do, that it is okay with them! Also, there are typically eco friendly versions of all these things that you can get!
You can also consider an early send off! In my experience, the only people that typically leave after this are the older folks in attendance. You could also do a send off type thing when you guys walk back down the aisle after getting married! You could have guest pop confetti or do something to make it feel like a send off if you don’t want to do one at the end of the night.
Those are my tips for creating a timeline on your wedding day! If you are one of my couples, you can also use me as a resource to help you create your timeline and give you more specific advice for your big day!