Throughout the last few years, we have worked effortlessly to perfect our craft. We want to ensure that every important detail to you is captured, so we have laid out some general times for small “sections” of your big day. Additionally, we have provided some sample timelines that we have seen work well for more traditional weddings. Both having planned our own weddings, we truly understand the stress, and are here for you to help create your timeline if needed! Lastly, we have provided you with some quick “to think about” questions / tips. These are just things that we have asked our previous brides, or things we asked ourselves when making our own wedding decisions. 

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Four Main Types of Weddings:

Elopement 
- 5 to 15 people
- Anywhere from 1 to 4 hours typically
-Most Important: Bride & Groom Portraits, Ceremony, Details

Wedding Essentials
- 20 to 100 People
- Average 5 to 7 Hours
- Most Important: Ceremony, Wedding Party, Formal Family Portraits

All the Details 
- 50 to 250 People 
- Average 8 to 10 Hours
- Most Important: Bride & Groom Portraits, Wedding Party, Reception Events

Destination 
 - Varying Guest Count
    - Average Time 5 to 12 Hours, spread out amongst trip or all at once 
    - Most Important: Bride & Groom, Ceremony 

View Sample Timelines on a desktop browser.

1. Bridal Details (Dress, Shoes, Rings, etc - done before Bride/Groom are “ready”): 30 minutes
2. Bride and/or Groom Getting Ready: 30 minutes
3. First Look: 15 minutes
4. Bride and Groom Portraits: 30-45 minutes 
5. Wedding Party: 30-45 minutes
6. Ceremony and Reception Details (done just before the ceremony): 30 minutes 
7. Formal Family Portraits: 30+ minutes (this will solely be based on how many family members are included)  
8. Bride and Groom Golden Hour Portraits (during Cocktail Hour or Reception): 20 minutes
9. Reception Events: This will vary based on your personal timeline, but generally a majority of the events can be done within the first two hours of the reception start time 
10. Candid Reception: 1-1.5 Hours 

How much time is needed for Photography?

Photographer Arrives: 2:00 PM 
Bridal Details: 2:15 PM - 2:45 PM
Getting Ready: 2:45 PM - 3:15 PM 
First Look: 3:15 PM - 3:30 PM 
Bridal Portraits and Wedding Party: 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Ceremony and Reception Details: 4:30 PM - 5:00 PM
Ceremony Invite Time: 5:00 PM 
Ceremony Begins: 5:15 PM 
Ceremony Ends: 5:45 PM
Cocktail Hour: 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM 
- Formal Family Portraits: 6:00 PM - 6:30 PM
- Golden Hour Bridal Portraits: 6:30 PM - 7:00 PM 
Reception: 7:00 PM - 11:00 PM 
- 7:05 PM Entrance 
- 7:10 PM First Dance 
- 7:15 PM Dinner 
- 8:00 PM Toasts 
- 8:10 PM Parent Dances 
- 8:20 PM Games, or Tosses 
- 8:30 PM Cake Cutting 
- 8:45 PM Dancing! 
- 10:45 PM Grand Exit

Photographer Arrives: 2:30 PM 
Bridal Details: 2:30 PM - 3:00 PM
Getting Ready: 3:00 PM - 3:30 PM
Ceremony and Reception Details: 3:30 PM - 4:00 PM
Ceremony Invite Time: 4:00 PM 
Ceremony Begins: 4:15 PM 
Ceremony Ends: 4:45 PM 
Cocktail Hour: 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM 
- Formal Family Portraits: 5:00 PM - 5:30 PM
- Wedding Party: 5:30 PM - 6:00 PM
- Bridal Portraits: 6:00 PM - 6:30 PM
Reception: 6:30 PM - 10:30 PM
- 6:45 PM Entrance 
- 6:50 PM First Dance 
- 7:00 PM Dinner 
- 7:15 PM Golden Hour / Night Photos of Bride and Groom 
- 8:00 PM Toasts 
- 8:10 PM Parent Dances 
- 8:20 PM Games, or Tosses 
- 8:30 PM Cake Cutting 
- 8:45 PM Dancing! 
- 10:45 PM Grand Exit  

WHAT TO CONSIDER

What is important to YOU on your wedding day?

How important Wedding Photography is to you? 

Should you do a first look?

Can we take our portraits after the ceremony instead?

How many Formal Family Portraits will you be doing?

Do you have a Wedding Party?

When should a photographer start?

Try to remember that this is your big day to celebrate the new life that you are taking on! What parts of this day are most important for your memories? Having a full timeline will help you achieve that! 

Most brides have told us that photography is the most important element of their big day, as it is the part they will be able to take with them forever. Capturing the memories they and their guests are living is an essential part of their day. Ensuring we have made the right times for the photos that are essential to you will make for perfect memories, and a smooth wedding day!

Deciding to do a private first look can benefit your timeline in many ways. Most of our brides love the privacy of this intimate moment and cherish the photos we are able to capture during it. Additionally, it provides you with the opportunity to take your time with bridal and wedding party portraits before the ceremony, so you don’t feel any added stress about rushing during cocktail hour! 

Of course you can! There is no right or wrong answer, and we are here to make sure to capture YOUR day with what’s important to you. If you decide to do portraits post-ceremony, we recommend extending cocktail hour (I mean, who will care if there is food or alcohol!). We can always talk more about how to arrange the day to best accommodate your timeline. 

Depending on how many people are in your wedding party, make sure you can get them to commit to your timeline! That means if you are taking photos before the ceremony, ensuring they are ready at the same time, or that you got ready together. It also means if you do portraits after the ceremony that they are all aware and know where to go as this time is extremely limited. 

Making sure you have a precise list and asking for a bridesmaid or groomsman to assist is essential to ensuring family photos run smoothly. Telling your family ahead of time that they should stay back for photos will also make sure that we are not trying to wrangle any stragglers. Depending on the size of your family, or the variations will also play into the time needed for these. If we are able to do them before the ceremony, you are always welcome to do that as well! 

This will wholly depend on what is important to you, and what you would like for us to capture. Our proposal will include an approximation of hours we should be there and as you build your timeline, we can assist with a time to start.