Wedding Day Timeline

One of the most important things you need to plan for your wedding is your day of timeline. I photographed my first wedding in early 2000 and now well over 24 years later as I write this, I have covered over 1000 weddings and I have seen good, bad and even really terrible timelines.

Some one once said if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. I highly recommend a well planned timeline to ensure you have time for all the events and photos you want.

With this all said and before I drone on, here are two basic timelines I have found to fit well for a wedding.

For these timelines I assume getting ready at one venue, a ceremony 15 minutes drive away and a reception 15 minutes drive away. Times can be adjusted accordingly if these travel times are different, of if you are all at one venue.

I have two timelines because some couples like to do a first look and other remain traditional. As a photographer I choose to adapt to my clients choice here. If you want to read my thoughts on first looks you can read this page.

 

 

Wedding Day Timeline

With a First Look

11:00 am – Photographer arrival

11:00 – 1:15 pm – Getting ready photos. Details, rings, shoes, dress invitations etc.

1:15-1:30 pm – Travel to first look (normally at ceremony site)

1:30-3:30 pm – First look, bride and groom portraits, bridal party portraits

4:00 pm – Ceremony

5:00 – 5:30 pm – Family portraits

5:30 – 6:00 pm – Travel to Reception venue

6:00 to – 7:00 pm – Cocktail Hour

7:00 -7:30 – Introductions, cake cutting, start of toasts

7:30-8:30 – Dinner

8:30-9:00 – First dances (cake is served)

9:00 -10:00 – Fun dancing

10:00 pm – Photographer departure

 

Wedding Day Timeline

No First Look

12:00 pm: – Photographer arrival

12:00 – 2:30 pm – Getting ready photos. Details, rings, shoes, dress invitations etc.

2:30-3:00 pm – Travel to ceremony venue.

3:00 pm – Ceremony

4:00 – 5:00 pm – Family portraits

5:00 – 5:30 – Bride and groom portraits, bridal party portraits

5:30 – 6:00 pm – Travel to venue

6:00 – 7:00 pm – Cocktail Hour

7:00 -7:30 pm – Introductions, cake cutting, start of toasts

7:30-8:30 pm – Dinner

8:30-9:00 pm – First dances

9:00 – 10:00 pm – Fun dancing

10:00 pm – Photographer departure

 

These are by no means perfect timelines for all weddings, but a great skeleton to start with.

A few tips to remember as you plan your wedding day timeline:

Travel times on google maps assume one car and a small family or individual. I always recommend almost double travel time dealing with a group, especially if you do not have a limo, and it gives a buffer if you run a little late.

The biggest loss of time for group photos is getting people together. Letting people know ahead of time is essential.

I hope this helps you plan your wedding day timeline.

If you are still looking for a wedding venue in Chicago, here is a cool list I found.