I offer all of my wedding couples two base collections for their wedding day! They have the option of doing a standard 8 hour wedding photography collection, or they can upgrade to 10 hours! I get asked all the time what an average 8 hour wedding day looks like, so I’m breaking it down below with two example wedding day timelines!

This timeline example is not a one size fits all. Here are some things that can change your timeline that you will want to account for when we make your photography timeline!

• Do you have one venue, or two?
• Are you doing a first look with your partner?
• How large is your bridal party?
• When is the sunset? Winter can look a lot different from summer.
• How long is your ceremony?
• Do you have a grand exit planned?

These are just some of the questions I ask my couples in their pre-wedding questionnaire to create a custom photography timeline!

Example Wedding Photography Timeline – one venue with a first look

For this example, we are going to assume your wedding ceremony and reception are at the same venue. If the sunset is at 7pm and the couple is doing a first look, we are going to look at a 5:30pm ceremony time to give you lots of natural lighting for your outdoor ceremony and sunset portraits.

1:30 pm – Bridal Detail Photos and Partner 1 Getting Ready Candids

2:15 pm – Partner 2 Getting Ready Photos

2:30 pm – Getting Into Dress

3:00 pm – Couples First look

3:15 pm – Couples portraits and individuals

3:45 pm – Wedding party

4:30 pm – Immediate Family Photos

5:00 pm – Couple in hiding

5:30 pm – Ceremony

6:00 pm – Sunset Couples Photos // Cocktail Hour Begins

6:20 pm – Photograph cocktail hour and Reception Decor

7:00 pm – Reception Entrances

9:30 pm – Photography Coverage Ends

Example Wedding Photography Timeline – one venue with no first look

Not all couples choose to see each other before the wedding ceremony, and that’s totally okay! While there are many benefits to doing a first look and I do recommend it for my couples to maximize their time together and their portrait experience, it’s a personal decision and we can customize your timeline to perfectly fit your needs!

The biggest difference in the timeline for not doing a first look, is we will spend most if not all of cocktail hour getting family photos, full wedding party photos, and couples photos.

When my couples choose not to do a first look, I try to get as many photos before the ceremony as we can to maximize our time. I also do generally recommend an extended cocktail hour, either a 75 min or 90 min cocktail hour to allow for family photos, full wedding party, couples portraits, and those cocktail hour photos and reception details. This extra time will make your day feel smoother and less rushed, and allow you time for the portraits you’re wanting!!

If you’re interested in some reasons why I recommend a first look for all my couples, you can read more here!

A good rule of thumb for choosing a ceremony start time if you are not doing a first look, is to do it 2 hours before sunset. In this example, we are going to look at a 5pm ceremony with a 7pm sunset, at one venue with no first look.

2:00 pm – Bridal detail photos and getting ready candids

2:40 pm – Partner 2 getting ready candids

3:00 pm – Getting into her dress

3:30 pm – Partner 1 with wedding party and individuals

3:45 pm – Partner 1 with immediate family

I typically always do the bride first in this case because then she can hide from any guests showing up extra early

4:00 pm – Partner 2 with wedding party and individual portraits

4:15 pm – Partner 2 with immediate family

4:30 pm – Couple in hiding while guests arrive

5:00 pm – Ceremony

5:30 pm – Full Wedding Party // Cocktail hour begins (90 mins)

5:45 pm – Immediate family photos with the couple

6:00 pm – Just Married sunset photos

6:30 pm – Cocktail hour and reception detail photos

7:00 pm – Reception Entrances

10:00 pm – Photography Coverage Ends

The Staged Exit

If your photography coverage ends before your grand exit at the end of the night, I recommend doing a small staged exit with your wedding party. This is something we can do on the DL and sneak away from the dance floor, without stopping the party! We can pull your bridal party outside for 5-10 minutes at the end of your coverage to get those magical sparkler exit photos!

I hope these two examples are helpful for you to see what an average 8 hour wedding day looks like! To see examples of what a full 10 hour wedding day looks like, check out my next blog post!

Suggested Blog Posts:

• 8 Reasons to do a First Look on Your Wedding Day
• Free Download – What you Need in Your Wedding Photography Package
• How to Make your Family Photo List for Your Wedding Day