Tips for Brides | Wedding Day Timeline

Dear Bride to be and Groom to be,

Congratulations on your engagement and upcoming wedding! It’s time to start your wedding planning and one of the things that you may be wondering about is your wedding photography. One of the things you should consider when choosing a wedding photography package is how many hours of photography coverage you will need on your wedding day. It’s a good idea to create a rough draft for your wedding day timeline. This will help you get an idea of what you would like to be captured on your special day. Plus, it’ll help you with starting the process to having a final timeline two weeks before your wedding date. A great place to obtain a sample wedding day timeline template and other wedding planning templates is – http://apracticalwedding.com/spreadsheets/ .

What should you include in your wedding timeline for your photographer and videographer? While this is not a timeline, it is a list of a few items that I normally cover in most of my full day weddings.

• Getting ready photos (if you want these to be captured) {Includes bride and bridesmaids getting ready, hair, makeup, final touch-ups, bride putting on her dress and accessories. Can also include groom getting ready photos when you have two photographers}
• First look (if desired to have one before wedding ceremony)
• Pre-ceremony photos with bridesmaids, groomsmen, and other guests per bride/groom request.
• Ceremony
• Formal family portraits and wedding party portraits
• Bride and groom post ceremony portraits (if time allows and you didn’t have a first look)
• Reception (arrive)
• Grand entrance and announcement of bride, groom, wedding party
• First dance
• Parent dances – mother/son and father/daughter
• Cake cutting
• Bouquet and garter toss
• Any other special traditions or dances
• Wedding exit – bride and groom exit wedding reception with sparklers, confetti, bubbles, streamers, lanterns, etc.

I hope this brief explanation of a wedding timeline will help you out in planning your wedding and choosing the right amount of photography coverage for you. Our standard full day coverage begins with eight hours. Additional hours of coverage can be added if needed.

This is a sample of the timeline I provide to my clients.