I am often asked about timelines and how to build one. Rather than show you a timeline from my typical wedding day, I’d rather give you the information behind how to build one so that you can create your own based on your needs and what you will be doing during the day! At the end I’ll show a couple sample timelines using the info I’ve written just so you can see how it all goes together.

Above all, each vendor is going to want you to plan their day around them. We all are somewhat egotistical in the thought we’re the most important vendor of your day ;). If something is important to you though – DO NOT be afraid to say it! If you really really really want to cut the cake first, say so! If it’s important that you don’t do a First Look, don’t let your photographer force you into it!! It’s your day and as vendors, we are here to serve you and make YOUR day how you want it not how WE want it. I’m just here to help you muddle through what is often a daunting task of putting together the timeline!

Salon

Time: 1 – 3 hours depending on services.

Whenever a bride creates her own timeline, this is the first area to fall apart which can then trickle into the rest of the day. I highly suggest having a hair trial not only so you can test the look, but also so you can estimate how long it takes for you to achieve that look – and then add on another 15 minutes at least for fusssing and adding the veil on. Typically an hour is about spot on for a bridal updo but everything depends on the brides hair, style and how much it takes to achieve the look (straightening, curling and so forth add on time).

When adding bridesmaids into the equation you want to add on another hour. Even if all of your appointments are at the same time, almost ALWAYS there is one stylist that is running behind (usually due to another bridal party ahead of yours) and/or someone in your party is running late. When it comes to making a timeline – it is always better to OVER estimate on time than UNDER. You’ll hear this a lot from me!

If you are adding on makeup to the services at the salon, I suggest adding another hour. Typically I see this service taking about 30-45 minutes but you want a buffer in case you don’t like the way you look, the mascara gets all over your face etc.

If you are adding nails onto the service, I suggest (if it is color only) another 30 minutes. However I STRONGLY suggest having your nails done the day or two before as nails are SO easy to mess up when drying and typically the day of the wedding you don’t have the luxury of not doing anything for an hour so that they look perfect.

Makeup

Time: 1 – 2 hours

If you are not having makeup done at the salon but are having someone else do it or doing it yourself where you are getting ready I suggest to budget at least 1 – 2 hours for this time. 1 hour should be sufficient for JUST the bride, but when you factor in more girls, you need to factor in more time. There are only so many mirrors and usually everyone wants everyone else’s opinion on what they are doing. Consider this time as your fun giggle time before the stress of the day takes over. I also highly suggest OVER budgeting on time here than under budgeting. Something always happens. Mascara falls and hits a cheek, the blush makes you look like a clown and so on. I also HIGHLY suggest again that brides test their look out before the big day so they know exactly what to use and how long it takes to get there. Takes less time and less trial and error!

Getting Dressed

Time: 1 hour

I know I know, you’re saying ONE HOUR??!?!? Here’s the thing. I like to have all of my maids and mothers dressed BEFORE the bride. Why? It makes for MUCH better pictures! It doesn’t look good if some girls are dressed and some are still in sweats when getting the bride into her gown. With having the bridesmaids being dressed before the bride, it helps then be able to get out the door much quicker. The extra time is also for snafus that can and DO happen. I’ve had more than one bridesmaid’s zipper break this year and one bride had to be sewn in her dress as well. Stuff can and WILL happen. If you have cushions of time, then these things will not be things that ruin your wedding. Also with bridal gowns comes the crazy buttons, zippers, ribbons and so forth so having the extra time helps in case there’s anything special that needs to be done to the gown.

Pre Ceremony Formals

Time: 30 minutes (without a First Look)

While I love love love when my clients do First Looks, I realize that it’s not for everyone. If you are not planning on a First Look I usually suggest about a half hour for formals prior to the ceremony. These are typically the “smile and pose” type shots with your family and bridal party as I personally like to do all the fun shots afterward. It usually is about 15 minutes for each side and I’m pretty quick about it. I save all of the fun shots until after the wedding when I’m not worried about you seeing each other and getting your dress at all out of sorts. Please note that what WILL slow me down at this point is any guests that take pictures while I am taking the pictures. Not only do I have to wait for them to get their shot, but often their flash messes up my meter readings and I have to take more shots to ensure that I have one exposed properly. For more information about how Guest Photographers can muck up the works on your wedding day, read my past blog about it here. Note that I like to have my brides hidden away by 15 minutes (AT THE LATEST!) before the music starts so that no guests see you before the big reveal.

First Look

Time: 15 minutes

I LOVE when my couples opt to do a First Look. It’s always such a beautiful moment and it’s nice when you can actually HUG and talk instead of standing at an altar biting your tongue and hoping you remember to say all the things you wanted to say when you can speak again. Not only does it make for a great moment – it also makes way for the ability to do all the pictures before the ceremony!

Ceremony

Time: 30 minutes – 1 hour

This is one thing I really can’t fuss with much as this all depends on your type of ceremony and service. Some are short and sweet, some are long and thoughtful. Keep in mind this is JUST the ceremony time!

Receiving Line

Time: 30 minutes – 2 hours

This figure all depends on the type of line you do. Some couples opt not to do one at all and instead get to the cocktail hour to greet guests before they enter the reception. Some choose to exit by row, which is the quickest option from the church (about 45 minutes for 200 guests) and some choose to do the formal line which can take up to 2 hours for 300 guests – and yes I’ve seen it take that long personally! For a more in depth look at Receiving Lines, please read my blog post about it!

The Exit

Time: 15 minutes

Up here in the North, we do our “grand exits” from the ceremony. Down South, they do them from the reception. I’m listing it here in the day since I primarily shoot in the north but the same time applies to this in the South. This usually doesn’t take much time but it’s an activity you still need to budget for! Typically it takes about 15 minutes to run out, hug the random person that has to hug you and get into the car. NOTE!!! If you have a messy exit remember to factor in time to get the rice, birdseed or whatnot out of your hair, bouquet etc. You may have to completely undress for this!

Family Formals

Time: 30 minutes

I always tell my clients to budget at least 30 minutes for these formals even though I’m usually done quite a bit sooner. What can take up time is when someone has to be tracked down that needs to be in the pictures – so make sure that everyone is present and accounted for so we can get the ball rolling. This time is also the same whether or not I got family formals before the ceremony – why? Because when I do them afterward, I just pull people in and out so it’s not any extra time to do them after for me. The time wasters here are children – many times the younger children do not want to stand still or will pull faces when they have to, large group portraits as once you try and get 10 + people positioned and smiling it’s not quick and other guests taking pictures. If you have extra time planned, it makes it easier to deal with these problems as they arise.

Bridal Party & Bride and Groom Portraits

Time: 1- 2 hours

The reason I lump both of these together is that typically on a day of the wedding after the formals in the church/ceremony area are done, the bridal party & bride and groom jump on a limo and we head off to locations for shooting. When on location I work with the full bridal party and will split off and come together off and on depending on the location to get the maximum use out of the areas we go to. Ideally I always want 2 hours after the family formals to play with the rest of the party. I know it SOUNDS like a lot of time but rarely is it. If we are going to locations there is the drive time to factor in – and if you are using a limo, bus etc. it takes longer for them to get around and park than it does for a car so that’s extra time. Out of my ideal 2 hour timeline, at least 30 minutes of that is driving and parking (and that’s when it’s all local going to a typical 2 location spots). The other time waster when it comes to bridal party location shoots is… the bathroom! You have no idea how often I’ve had to wait after we’re “on the road” so to speak for bathroom breaks. So make sure your bridal party thinks to use the restroom before getting in the limo! Even if we stay ON location I still like to have at least an hour because the bottom line is that if guests can see you, they’ll want to talk with you and inevitably that takes up time.

Cocktail Hour

Time: Time that you set aside for pictures, minus 15 minutes.

The idea behind the cocktail hour is for the guests to be entertained while the bridal party is off taking pictures so they aren’t twiddling their thumbs. Recently, more and more Brides and Grooms are wanting to be there for this part of the day which can put photographers in a bit of a pickle when it comes to taking pictures. If you want to be a part of the cocktail hour, have it start an hour after you expect the receiving line to end so that you can arrive towards the end of the hour and still enjoy it. Otherwise have your guests seated by the time you plan to arrive so that the guests are all seated when you arrive and are ready to make your entrance. Also note that you don’t want the cocktail hour to be TOO long otherwise guests will be pretty tipsy before the reception begins!!

Entrance

Time: 15 minutes

Unless you are planning something elaborate, entrances typically only take about 15 minutes at the most. As with the rest of the day, plan a bit of extra time here so you have a few minutes breathing room in case something runs behind i.e. the limo gets lost coming to the reception (I’ve seen it happen!).

Toasts/Blessing

Time: 15 minutes – 30 minutes

This is one part of your day that will be virtually impossible to plan on as no one tells you what they are going to say! However you should be able to plan on who is going to speak and with that add about 5 minutes per person. The typical speeches are from the Best Man, Maid of Honor and a blessing (15 minutes) but often parents speak, friends speak and so forth so make sure to plan accordingly.

Dinner

Time: 1 – 1 1/2 hours

This all depends on how many guests you are having and what style of dinner you are serving. Typically a plated meal takes longer than a buffet line but it all depends how they are set up! If it’s a single buffet line it can take as long as a plated dinner. Check with your cater and plan accordingly. I typically suggest about 1 1/2 hours – time for everyone to be served and time for the bride and groom to eat and visit while others are finishing up their meals.

Cake Cutting

Time: 15 minutes

This is pretty straightforward and simple and usually takes less time than 15 minutes but again, the extra time gives you space in case anything needs to be taken off of the cake before you cut in. For some information about cutting the cake see my blog here.

Special Dances

5 minutes per dance

Not everyone does every dance so I’m lumping this all together! Any “special” dance that you want to do (First Dance, Bridal Party, Father/Daughter, Mother/Son, Anniversary) estimate about 5 minutes unless you know the song is longer. This allows you a bit extra time to be introduced and to dip/kiss/spin/hug at the end.

Bouquet & Garter Toss

Time: 10 minutes

Again, not everyone does this but in case you want to do it I would estimate 10 minutes for both activities unless you know the DJ is planning something elaborate. I’ve seen some garter removals and such that are more than the norm so always check with your DJ/Band to make sure that you’re allowing ample time for it.

Whew that’s a lot of information isn’t it??? To start a timeline, typically you need to know the ceremony and reception times. My example is going to use 3 (without a First Look) or 5 (with a First Look) for the Ceremony time and 6 for the Reception.

Timeline Without First Look
9:00 – 12:00 Salon Appointment (Hair, Makeup for Bride, 5 Bridesmaids and Mothers)
12:00 – 12:30 Drive time from Salon to Bride’s Parents, bite to eat at house
12:30 – 1:30 Getting Dressed
1:30 – 1:45 Drive time to Ceremony
1:45 – 2:15 Pre Ceremony Formals
2:30 Music Begins
3:00 Ceremony
3:30 Processional
3:30 – 4:00 Bride and Groom Receive by Exiting Rows
4:00 Exit by rose petals
4:10 – 4:40 Family Formals
4:40 – 6:40 Bridal Party & Bride and Groom Portraits
6:00 – 6:50 Cocktail Hour
6:40 Photographer takes pictures of Reception Room before guests enter
6:50 Guests allowed into Reception
7:00 Introductions
7:15 Toasts (MOH, BM, Blessing)
7:30 Dinner
8:30 Cake Cutting
8:45 First Dance
8:50 Father/Daughter Dance
8:55 Mother/Son Dance
9:00 Bouquet/Garter Toss
9:15 Open Dancing
11:00 Reception Ends

Timeline With First Look
9:30 – 12:30 Salon Appointment (Hair, Makeup for Bride, 5 Bridesmaids and Mothers)
12:30 – 1:00 Drive time from Salon to Bride’s Parents, bite to eat at house
1:00 – 2:00 Getting Dressed
2:00 – 2:15 Drive time to First Look location
2:15 – 2:30 First Look
2:30 – 4:15 Bridal Party & Bride and Groom Portraits
4:30 Music Begins
5:00 Ceremony
5:30 Exit by rose petals
5:30 – 6:00 Family Formals
6:00 – 6:50 Cocktail Hour, Bride and Groom receive guests
6:50 Guests allowed into Reception
7:00 Introductions
7:15 Toasts (MOH, BM, Blessing)
7:30 Dinner
8:30 Cake Cutting
8:45 First Dance
8:50 Father/Daughter Dance
8:55 Mother/Son Dance
9:00 Bouquet/Garter Toss
9:15 Open Dancing
11:00 Reception Ends

As you can tell, the First Look doesn’t change the timeline much at all – but what it does is exchange the time from receiving your guests after the church to greeting them during the cocktail hour. Each couple has to decide for themselves what style they want but the nice thing with the First Look is that it enables the Bride and Groom to spend more quality time with their guests and not have to leave their guests while they are out getting pictures taken.