5 tips for planning your wedding day timeline

So you’ve started wedding planning!!! It’s fun, exhausting, exciting, overwhelming – definitely a mix of emotions. I help all of my clients plan a detailed timeline for their day from start to finish. I love planning this out (it’s my nerdy, type A personality), and taking that stress from you! Here’s 5 short tips for when you start to plan the timeline of the big day!

1. Figure out ceremony time

• Once you nail this down, you can plan everything around it! Also, make sure you know approximately how long your ceremony will last. This will help with post-ceremony celebrations, like dinner/reception/dance/etc.

2. Decide if you’re doing a first look

• You can’t make a bad decision here! With or without is totally fine. If you do a first look, many of the formal photographs (family, newlyweds, wedding party) can be completed before the ceremony. If you decide to wait and see each other for the first time at the ceremony, you can plan to take more photos after. This can adjust your timeline one way or the other, so it’s good to plan it out earlier!

3. Make family portrait groups and lists

• This is especially important for big families! Write out all the family members on each side that you want formal portraits with. Then include photos you want with both of your families together! Once you put these groups together and make the list, it is much easier and smoother to get them done when the time comes.

4. Decide on who will be doing speeches

• Speeches can take up a lot of the reception if you let it. Make sure you have an idea of who is speaking or if you’re doing an open mic part of the night. Try to remind people to keep their toasts relatively short, especially if you are having multiple speakers! Then you can get the dance/party started on time!

5. Be in touch with your photographer

• Like I mentioned earlier, I love helping my clients create their timelines! Ask any questions you’re wondering about, schedule a call, or just check in. Your photographer can be extra helpful with knowing how long to schedule portraits and different photo-centered parts of the day. 

Still looking for a wedding photographer for your big day? Reach out here and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible!

– Madi