Hello friend! I’m so glad you’ve landed on this blog post and I truly hope it is of great value to you as you are planning your special day. Whether you are working with me or you have another photographer lined up, I am happy to help and give you all of the information I can to ensure you have a seamless wedding timeline.
If you’re a JJP couple, we usually discuss your timeline during the initial zoom consult and we begin to gather the information we need to start crafting the perfect timeline for your day.
In this blog post, I will share a general recommended amount of time needed for portraits for each part of the day as well as a timeline example for couples looking to share a FIRST LOOK as well as an example timeline for couples who are choosing to not share a first look.
After photographing many weddings over the years I’ve established a consistent workflow and have come to understand what is the ideal time needed to capture all aspects of the wedding day. Please keep in mind, every photographer will be different based on their style and approach to wedding photography, but for me and the way I work, I always recommend allotting the following times for things:
→ 1 hour for getting ready portraits. I always recommend you have hair and make up wrapping up/almost finished upon my arrival. This ensures we can capture moments like: everyone in their bridal robes, helping you get into your dress, etc. I typically reserve 30 min for flat lays and 30 min for candid getting ready photos.
→ 30 minutes for ceremony (also allotting time afterwards if you are doing a receiving line).
→ 1 hour for wedding portraits (don’t forget to budget time for travel and bathroom breaks if we are leaving the venue for portraits). This time can be split up in the day during things like a first look, after the ceremony, or during the reception for golden hour portraits.
→ 30-45 minutes for wedding party photos.
→ 30-60 minutes for family photos. This really depends on how large your family is and how many people you want photos with. These photos always take more time than people think so I like opting for more time vs. less to keep the timeline on track. I always have my couples provide me with a family photo list prior to the wedding to make this part of the day as efficient as possible! Click here for detailed information in how to draft the perfect family shot list!
→ I find the dinner + reception typically lasts anywhere from 2-3 hours of coverage depending how your program looks and how many hours of photography coverage you booked in total. To maximize photography coverage some couples opt to do their first dance and cake cutting as their grand entrance when starting the reception. This ensures we capture all those big moments on the wedding day before your coverage ends in the evening.
Whether you’re getting married in the winter, spring, summer or fall… These general guidelines remain the same. The time that which each of these events take place, may vary!
Remember that every wedding day is different and there really is no one size fits all. This is why I LOVE jumping on calls with my couples right away before we secure your date. Your wedding day is unique to you, so if you have questions or concerns about these timeline examples as a JJP couple, feel free to reach out so we can make sure nothing is missed.
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A lot of moving pieces go into planning a wedding day and I know it can be overwhelming! Grab my vendor list to help plan your perfect day.
