Wedding Day Schedule {Example}
Planning {can be} a very stressful experience when planning your dream wedding. In hopes of helping you out, we have created for you a starter outline of what your wedding day could look like and what you can expect from us!
Below is a sample wedding day timeline for a 9:00pm sunset photo op (June/July dates). Feel free to use this as a starting point as you are planning your wedding day itinerary.
10:00am HAIR/MAKEUP
This depends on how many people and where it’s located. Don’t hesitate to ask for a quote from your stylist(s) on how long they think it will take) You can expect us to arrive as your stylist has about 30 mins left.
12:00pm GET READY
Get some lunch
Put the dress on!
2:00pm FIRST LOOK (~30 mins)
Travel to first look (if desired) We suggest somewhere with open shade this time of day. Parks/Nature Preserves/Alley ways/etc. We will be happy to scope areas out ahead of time to help make this go as smoothly as possible. You can expect this part to take about 30 minutes. We will get the first look, a few extras, and individuals of each of you.
2:30pm BRIDAL PARTY (~30mins)
This is a great time of the day to get relaxed bridal party portraits. Everyone is freshly ready and after this point in the day things move pretty quickly from the ceremony to the reception. This way, no one gets missed or rushed.
Here is a starting list of popularly requested shots:
-Bride w/bridesmaids
-Bride w/each bridesmaid and personal attendant(s)
-Groom w/groomsmen and ushers
-Groom w/groomsmen
-Groom w/groomsmen and ushers individually
-Entire bridal party w/ushers and flower girls/ring bearers
-Entire bridal party w/out ushers/flower girls/ring bearers
3:00pm FAMILY FORMALS (45mins-1hr)
Natural light is so much better than most indoor venues, so we love to shoot outdoors as much as possible - it is much more relaxed and then we have more flexibility with backgrounds. We do suggest under a big tree/in the shade works best. We can also mix it up too and do a few outdoors and a few indoors as you choose. Obviously outdoor shoots are weather permitting - I will say, though, we have shot in the rain before!
Here is a starting list of popularly requested shots:
-Bride and groom w/brides family
-Bride and groom w/brides extended family
-Bride and groom w/grooms family
-Bride and groom w/grooms extended family
-Bride and groom w/parents
-Bride and groom w/grandparents
-Bride and groom w/siblings
We aim for each shot to be under 5 minutes - which might sound like a lot, but it gives wiggle room for a little extra time for the busy toddler (or adult) who just can’t sit still or keep their eyes open :)
4:00pm RELAX
Pre-ceremony photos finished
Relax, have a snack, water, touch up
5:00pm CEREMONY
5:30pm GREET + SEND GUESTS OFF TO RECEPTION
Some couples like to greet and dismiss guests. If you do choose to do this, be sure to allot plenty of time for this. Often about 45 min. You can also always let guests know you will greet them at the reception when the dance begins is also a great time to touch base with everyone.
6:00pm DEPART TO RECEPTION
6:00-7:00pm TRAVEL TO RECEPTION + EXTRA SHOTS
We prefer to have 20ish min in your travel time between the ceremony and location site when the light is best to snap some more photos of the two of you. Stopping somewhere on the way quick (we stopped at Tropical Sno for ours:)) or just on the way to the reception is great!
*We can always suggest ideas as well, this is the time that the light is more romantic and less harsh so it is easier to shoot in areas that aren’t fully shady (although we still love a nature preserve/park/forest!).
7:00pm ARRIVE AT RECEPTION
7:15pm BRIDAL PARTY ENTRANCE + CUT THE CAKE
*Cut the Cake (we suggest doing this right away so your guests can grab the cake/doughnuts/cake pops/etc. after they get their food or after they finish eating) - we suggest the two of you enter and go directly to the cake table and celebrate cutting the cake, and then proceed to your Bridal Table.
7:20pm FEAST
Take the time to EAT! You’ve had a long day and the excitement can keep you distracted from properly fueling your body. Take the time and enjoy eating your first dinner next to your new SPOUSE!
7:45(ish)pm TOASTS
Start these once the bridal party has finished eating. Most of the guests will still be finishing their plates so it will be a great time to start as everyone will be seated already.
8:05pm SPECIAL DANCES
First dance, Father Daughter Dance, Mother Son Dance
8:30pm DANCE PARTY BEGINS
8:50(ish)pm TOSSES
Bouquet and garter tosses We suggest doing these right away after a few songs so the older guests and guests with younger kids can watch before they need to take off for the night.
9:00pm SUNSET PORTRAITS
Here we can take sunset shots, if desired. We will stay for a few songs after capturing the ‘big events’, or until we have everything we feel we need to have a complete wedding day delivered to you.
Before we leave, we will check in with the two of you to ask if you need anything additional from us. Often times, certain family members can’t make it to formals earlier in the day - this is a great time to get a quick photo in!
FYI
We do like to let people know to keep in mind the sunset set time if you’d like sunset photos.. The best time for photos is around sunset, so we encourage you to take sunset time into account when planning your ceremony and reception times!
Something you might not know about lighting: Shade and/or indirect light is best lighting for good photos - if you are thinking of photo locations within/surrounding your venue, keep this in mind!