One of the services that Amanda and I offer to all of our couples is what we call a “Custom Wedding Day Timeline”. Basically what that means is that we genuinely offer to step in and help create the timeline for the wedding day with our couples. Over the years we’ve seen a thing or two, we know what works and what doesn’t. By stepping in at the beginning of the planning stages we can save our brides and grooms so much stress, and that is always our goal.

Below is some of the information that we send our couples shortly after they book with us as they’re thinking about their big day!

1. Call your wedding photographer when you’re mapping your day!  Blocking out the timing of your wedding day is one of the most important things when it comes to getting the wedding photos that you are wanting, so you don’t want to schedule everything just to find out you won’t have enough time for the photos you want.  

2. When possible, have the guys and girls get ready at the same location (i.e. hotel or ceremony location) for photos. This makes things run smoother for getting ready photos of all the bridal party!  No worries – we are pros at making sure the bride and groom do not run into each other! 🙂

3. If you are having a formal exit, the best time to do this is right after the ceremony when all of your guests are right there and can easily be gathered to line up to wish you off (you can ride off in your transportation, circle around, and then come right back to the ceremony site to complete family photos).

We find that a lot of people tend to have left already when couples wait until the end of the reception for the formal exit, so sometimes Brides end up having their exit shots with only a few people around.  That being said, we absolutely love sparkler exits and wrote an entire blog post about how to make sure they look amazing. You can read that here. 🙂

4. In our experience, it is best to schedule your big events of your reception within the first hour or so – cake cutting, first dances, etc. A good portion of wedding guests tend to leave a little bit after the meal, so having the main events while guests are still around looks best for photos (and of course allows you to share those events with those who have to leave early).

5. Keep in mind when you would like to take your Bride and Groom photos! You have a couple of options:

Option #1 | Bride & Groom photos taken before the wedding ceremony

Option #2 | Bride & Groom Photos after the wedding ceremony

Option #3 | Bride & Groom Photos broken up, some after the first look or after the ceremony, and then again around sunset

These are all great options, but will definitely affect your timeline!

We hope these considerations have been able to help alleviate a bit of the stress of thinking about your timeline!  If you have any questions, we’d love to help clarify!