Creating Your Wedding Day Timeline - Evansville Indiana Wedding Photographer
About a month to two weeks before your wedding day, we will get together to create the timeline for the day. Some of the best advice I can give for planning the day is to ADD CUSHION TIME! Sometimes the most simple things can take an extra 20 minutes and then all of a sudden, the whole morning is thrown off. I have seen ”getting the bride into her dress” take almost 40 minutes because of a button malfunction. It’s a smart idea to add in an extra ten minutes here and there so that we have some wiggle room to work with. This way if one part of the day gets thrown off by 20 minutes, we can revisit the timeline and rearrange. There are so many different things to think about when you’re planning a wedding day and so here are some tips for the preceremony timeline. I realize that every single wedding day is different and so not all of these tips will apply to every wedding day schedule. Something else to consider is that not EVERYTHING will go as planned, and I promise you that is completely normal!
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Here’s the part that can be somewhat intimidating. The TIMELINE. I know this isn’t the most exciting aspect of the wedding day but this is the one thing that can make or break your photography. Scroll to the bottom and we will outline an ideal wedding day working off of a 5pm ceremony timeframe. This ideal timeline is also based off of a wedding day that includes a first look. 90% of my couples choose to do a first look and you can read more about that option a few pages over. Remember that all wedding days are different and your timeline may differ due to travel times and unique situations.
1pm - details
Every bride loves having those beautiful shots of her bridal details. It’s an important part of the story and I love having some time to shoot the dress, shoes, jewelry, invitations, etc. These shots allow me to get warmed up for the rest of the big day. I normally like to allow at least 45 minutes for this part of the day. While I’m shooting details, I’m also capturing some shots of the bride and her girls getting ready. If the groom is getting ready nearby my second shooter will begin photographing the boys getting ready close to 40 minutes before the first look since it always takes them less time to get dressed.
1:45pm - bridal prep
After the details have been photographed, it’s time for the bride to get into her dress. This is a big moment! I usually ask the mother of the bride and all of the bridesmaids to be dressed by the time the bride is ready to get into her dress. This ensures everyone will look nice in those images. After the bride is in her gown, she can put on her jewelry, veil, shoes, etc and I will shoot some additional bridal portrais
2:45pm - first look
After the details have been photographed, it’s time for the bride to get into her dress. This is a big moment! I usually ask the mother of the bride and all of the bridesmaids to be dressed by the time the bride is ready to get into her dress. This ensures everyone will look nice in those images. After the bride is in her gown, she can put on her jewelry, veil, shoes, etc and I will shoot some additional bridal portrais
3pm - portraits
After the bride and groom take their time with the first look, I will begin taking a few romantic portraits of the two of them while the initial excitement is still present. I will find the location for these shots as well. Remember the LIGHT determines where we shoot so I can’t decide on portrait locations until the day of. As we shoot these portraits, the bridal party can start making their way to us for bridal party portraits.
3:30pm - bridal party portraits
Now it’s time for the bridal party shots. I buffer in extra time throughout the day just in case we have some unexpected things that hold us up. One way to make sure we stay on schedule for the bridal party portraits is to have someone put the boutonnieres on the guys BEFORE they arrive for portraits, my secons shooter and I will make sure to take some....
4pm - bride in hiding
...great shots of the guys and girls both separately AND together. After bridal party portraits are complete, the bride will go into hiding so that early guests don’t sneak a peek and the ushers will begin their duties.
4:30pm - reception details
If the reception is in the same location as the ceremony, I will use this time to shoot the reception decor UNTOUCHED. If the ceremony and reception are in different locations, I recommend having a cocktail hour outside of the main reception area if possible so that I can grab some great shots of your reception before the night begins and guests start laying down purses and coats on their seats.
5pm - ceremony
It’s time to get married! Most ceremonies are 30 minutes long. If your ceremony is longer than 30 minutes, we’ll make adjustments to the timeline. Cherish these moments. Your ceremony will pass by so quickly.
5:45pm - family portraits
Family formals normally take place immediately following the ceremony. It’s best to save all of the family formals until after the ceremony because ALL family members will be present at that time. We’ll need about 30 minutes for family formals. if you would like to create a list of the groups that you would like taken at this time, it is best to put a close friend of family member in charge of gathering everyone.
6:15pm - sunset portraits
About an hour before the sun goes down is the BEST time of day for portraits. This is when the sun is glowy and golden. I love having a few extra minutes with the bride and groom to take a few “just married” portraits right after family formals.
7:30pm - party time
This is when the bridal party lines up for introductions and the party begins. By this part of the day, my timeline isn’t as strict. I work off of the natural light and so after the sun is set, my portrait time is over and I begin focusing on the reception events.
9pm - exit
I include 8 hours of coverage so that I can be present for the main events of the reception and about an hour of dancing. If you’re interested in having your exit photographed, there are several options for this. You can either add additional coverage or plan a faux exit with just your bridal party. We have had GREAT success with this and the party never stops.