Whether you are a wedding coordinator or future newlywed, crafting the ideal timeline can seem like a daunting task. Timelines are not a cut and dry, one-size-fits-all process. There are a lot of factors to consider when organizing your timeline for the wedding day. Each wedding professional has their own process for what works best for them, and I hope by reading what we do, you can help develop what works best for you. While this isn’t our start to finish process, below are some factors that we take into consideration when developing a seamless timeline from ceremony start time in relation to sunset times, post-ceremony/cocktail timeframe and kicking dinner off.

Timeline Template

If you are wondering how to layout a timeline for the wedding day - you can pop over to our EDUCATION tab and download our FREE timeline PDF. This timeline template is what our team uses when drafting initial timelines, and walks you through some of the common questions we make sure to ask or have our clients ask when compiling the flow of the wedding day. It is also a helpful tool to review when reading our mini-blog series on crafting the wedding day timeline.

The Wedding Vendors

First things first, make sure you have the big hitters. Your wedding vendors will determine various times, from the venue, photography, videography, hair and makeup, etc.

• Venue - How long do you have the venue for? What time do you have access and what time must guests AND vendors be out? This will give you the first and last times on the timeline for “Venue opens” and “Teardown Complete”. Be mindful that vendors need roughly 1 hour to teardown AFTER guests have left the building, this can be longer for bigger productions and bands.

• Hair and Makeup - how much time do they need to complete everyone before the ceremony? Don’t be afraid to ask about adding additional artists for a fee to cut down on getting ready time.

• Photography/Videography - How many hours are they contracted for? Do you want them there until the very end? Once hair and makeup starts to wrap up to get some final getting ready images? We highly suggest consulting with them regarding the timeline! This is how your wedding day will be remembered, and for quality images, you want to help give your photographer a timeline that will produce the best images!

  • We highly discourage fake exits to “save time” or hours booked with photographers/videographers. This can confuse guests on what is going on, be a kill-joy for the vibe and make it really hard for your band/dj to recover the vibe. Instead opt for a grand exit after the ceremony with eco-friendly options like ecofetti, dried floral, etc., or a grand entrance into the reception.

  • We also tell our clients that the earliest guest arrival is usually 30 minutes pre-ceremony start time, pending various factors, so we like all wedding party pictures to be completed at this time. This also gives everyone a touch-up/bathroom break before lining up to get the party started.

  • When it comes to photography line-items on a timeline, we ALWAYS consult with the photographer - there is not a one-size-fits-all, and each photographer will work differently in how they manage their time frames. If we give them a getting ready end time and a dead-stop photo end time pre-ceremony, we expect our photographers to work alongside us to craft the timeline in-between that allows them to do their best work, while also allowing us to be team players with the other vendors in the master wedding day vendor puzzle. Once we consult with the photographer, we then plug the photography timeline into our master.

  • When it comes to individual line items on a timeline, we do not break down travel times, too. We group them within the items.

    • Example:

      • We would not have the following

        • Wedding Party Dressed and Ready - 2:00 pm

        • Wedding Party Moves to Lake area for photos - 2:00 - 2:15 pm

        • Wedding Party Photos by Lake - 2:15 - 2:30 pm

      • We do not want a 20 page timeline, so we condense and segue our line-items

        • Wedding party Dressed and Ready - 2:00 pm

        • Wedding Party Photos by Lake - 2:00 - 2:30 pm

          • We know this line item includes the travel to this location and the time it takes to capture those photos.

• Floral - consider when wedding party photos begin to make sure you have wedding party florals in-hand, and allowing around 1.5-2 hours before event start time for set-up to be officially completed to give your photography + videography team time to capture the space before it fills up with bodies.

• Rentals - Be aware of rentals/installs going in and the logistics involved. Don’t have all tables and chairs set-up if you have large floral installs or draping installs going that would involve moving these items around. Anything being installed up high will need to go first, before you get to lower level items and ground-floor set-up.

  • Also be aware of who is setting up rentals/tables/chairs, who is setting up linens, etc. You have to have the basics before you can schedule the following vendors (need hanging installs/lighting, etc. before tables + chairs + dance floors // need tables before linens // you need linens before centerpieces and table-settings, etc.)

Ceremony start time + sunset

Ceremony start time has quite a few factors to consider:

• Are you getting married at a church or venue that dictates a specific ceremony start/end time?

• How long is your ceremony based on your priest/pastor/officiant? Take into consideration any readings, songs, rituals, etc. you plan to do during the ceremony.

• How long is your post-ceremony photo shot list? Grouped images of families will go a lot faster than broken down images (Broken down: Grandparents + Aunts + Uncles + Cousins + Parents, Grandparents + Parents + Aunts + Uncles, Grandparents + Parents, Grandparents, Parents, Wedding Party, etc. vs Grouped: Extended Family, Immediate Family, Wedding Party)

• For simplicity sake, we will plan as if your ceremony start to finish is 30 minutes, and your post-ceremony images are the condensed version. Next question would be:

  • Are you doing a first look? (Let us pretend sunset is 6 pm for this scenario)

    • If yes, then you can likely get away with having your ceremony start 1 hour pre-sunset time (5 pm)

      • Again, based on how long you have your photographer and if they have a second shooter + hair and makeup completion time - Pre-ceremony photos could take care of wedding party group and individuals + couple portraits + immediate family images.

      • 30 minute Ceremony (5:00 - 5:30 pm)

      • Post-ceremony would include family portraits (5:40 - 5:55 pm) + sunset newlywed images (5:55 - 6:15 pm)

        • This is also where we simultaneously do cocktail hour for guests

    • If no, then you need to do your ceremony ~2 hours pre-sunset time. (4 pm)

      • This allows for basic images pre-ceremony of the wedding party + individual immediate family images.

      • 30 minute ceremony (4:00 - 4:30 pm)

      • Then post-ceremony needs to allow for plenty of sunlight for post-ceremony images of family and group wedding party (4:45 - 5:30 pm) + sunset newlywed images (5:30 - 6:15 pm)

        • We also usually account for the cocktail hour here, along with allowing the couple to potentially eat, or at least getting guests inside to begin eating before sneaking them back out for sunset images

    • (We also highly suggest consulting with your photographer for this, too. Each photographer is comfortable shooting in various settings and lighting - if you booked a “light and airy” photographer with a portfolio full of images outdoors, but have an indoor ceremony location, they may not be confident enough to shoot indoors so close to sunset, especially if it is a cloudy or overcast day.)

Part Two - To Be Continued

For Part Two, we will dive deeper into the timeline tips. This includes Pre-Ceremony Timeline Tips for hair and makeup, images and setup with your chosen dream team.