Weddings
A Photographers Guide - Ideal Wedding Timeline
Planning a wedding can be overwhelming, and for couples with an eye for detail, ensuring that you capture every moment of your special day can be stressful too. With so many important parts of a wedding to remember, it’s important to have a clear timeline in place so you can make sure everything is captured by your wedding photographer. Here’s a rundown of the key moments throughout your wedding day and how long they should take when working with your wedding photographer.
Preparation, Details & Individual Portraits:
Ideal time needed: 60min-90min
Ideal location: Bridal suite at the hotel, stylish venue lobby
Ideally when: Morning – early afternoon
My tip: Photographing the special details of your wedding day can be a time-consuming, yet necessary endeavour. To ensure you get all those must-have shots – from dress to rings and bouquets – budget for at least 30 minutes. And depending on the size of your bridal party, allow at least 45-60minutes for preparation shots of getting ready at your wedding timeline. Don’t forget that these are some of the most emotion-filled and fun parts – so give yourself plenty of time for memories in motion before getting ready for “I do”! Note, if you plan on prepping in two different places, photographers must have extra time to capture both the bride and groom’s preparations so that every moment of your special day is remembered!
Just after preparations are done is the ideal moment to capture perfect portraits of the bride and groom separately. With all their makeup, hair and attire still fresh, you have time to savour each frame with no distractions or rush!
First Look & Couple Shoot:
Ideal time needed: 60min
Ideal location: At the garden of the venue, nearby small idyllic town, location with natural light
Ideally when: Morning – early afternoon
My tip: If you are planning to have the first look at the ceremony, you can jump to next chapter. But if you are planning to have the first look before the ceremony, keep on reading.
Spend the special moments leading up to your wedding day with a romantic first look. This intimate exchange between bride and groom typically lasts 5-10 minutes, but allow for an additional 45-60 minutes so that you can take advantage of some beautiful portraits together before saying “I do”. If there is no other time before the sunset to capture more portraits wedding shots, make sure to allocate bit extra time here for your timeline to ensure enough photos just of you two!
Wedding ceremony and Venue Details:
Ideal time needed: 30min
Ideal location: Venue
Ideally when: Before the guests arrive
My tip: Before your special day begins, and your quests arrive, it’s ideal time for your wedding photographer to capture every detail of your ceremony & reception site so you can remember it perfectly.
Wedding ceremony & Reception:
Ideal time needed: 60-180min
Ideal location: Venue
Ideally when: Afternoon
My tip: From start to finish—allow about 1-3 hours for ceremony coverage and candids at the reception afterwards (this includes cake cutting, speeches, etc.)
Groups shots:
Ideal time needed: 30-45min
Ideal location: Venue
Ideally when: Afternoon
My tip: For the perfect wedding day, plan ahead who will join in each group photo! Depending on the amount of guests, your photographer should need no more than 45 minutes of your wedding timeline to capture memories of your closest and dearest from both families as well bridesmaids and grooms. After that, you can look forward to having fun with friends taking some candid shots for a truly special memory collection.
Couple portraits:
Ideal time needed: 30-45min
Ideal location: Venue
Ideally when: Afternoon
My tip: For the ideal couple session, the ideal time is an hour just before sunset. Allowing 30 to 45 minutes from the timeline is preferred so you can capture all that gorgeous golden-hour light and its breathtakingly beautiful skies! It’s totally understandable also that you can’t sneak away for too too long from the wedding – even a 20-30 minute shoot will be time well spent.
wedding dinner:
Ideal time needed: 60min
Ideal location: Venue dinner tables
Ideally when: Late afternoon – early evening
My tip: As dinner begins, it’s likely that most guests will be seated; this is where having a great photographer comes in handy! Your wedding photographer should be able to move around without disturbing any guests so that they can get some natural shots during dinner; this usually takes about 60 minutes depending on how large your guest list is.
Wedding party:
Ideal time needed: 30-60min
Ideal location: Venue dancefloor
Ideally when: Evening
My tip: For post-dinner dancing allow approximately 1 hour if there are plenty of activities planned like first dances or fun games/competitions; if not then 30 minutes should suffice (unless otherwise requested).
Capturing all those precious moments throughout your wedding day requires careful planning beforehand so that no details are missed out! Ensure that you discuss every aspect of your timeline with your photographer before your big day arrives so that they know exactly what needs to be captured – from preparation right up until the end of the night. By creating a detailed timeline ahead of time both yourself and your photographer will have peace of mind knowing that each moment has been documented in perfect clarity!