The Perfect Wedding Day Timeline

If you want to have a stress-free wedding day I highly recommend having a thought out timeline. I know that from a photographer’s point of view we like to know what is happening throughout the day so we can be prepared (change batteries, have a fresh card in the camera or just knowing if we have time to secretly eat our protein snacks in between locations).

For you, having a timeline will eliminate extra phone calls and drama on your day. You should be enjoying your wedding not stressing about it.

My BEST Tips for creating your own Wedding Day Timeline

1. Work backwards from the events of the day that are ‘set in stone’. These are your ceremony and when supper is served. They are the two most important events as you are gathering the largest amount of people. From here you will just fill in the other parts of the day around these two times.
2. Don’t introduce the wedding party before supper– your guests are very hungry. They don’t care about the bridesmaid who makes outfits for cats and sells them on Etsy. This still applies if you have apples served during cocktail hour.
3. Have family photos immediately following the ceremony. Gathering your family for photos is like herding cats. They are already in the same location at the same time for the ceremony, keep them there and have the family photos next. ALSO, make sure that anyone who will be in the family photos knows they are in family photos and where to meet at what time. You would be surprised how difficult this is to organize.
4. Build in 10-20 minutes of ‘alone time’. This is a strong recommendation. Your day is going to go by so fast. At the end of it you are going to realize that you didn’t get to spend any time with just each other. Here is a solution to fitting in a little alone time without disrupting the whole flow of the day. Often we like to schedule sunset photos. I only need about 10-15 minutes for this. Most couples end up taking their time getting back to the reception. This is where you could take that extra 10min and just gush over the day so far. Sneak in some kisses and hold one another without interruption.
5. Build the day that you want to have. Everyone is going to have an opinion on how your day should look and be planned. But here is a tip: it’s not their wedding. If you want to exchange vows at sunrise and have a tea party at noon, do it. If you want to get married at 7pm in a ceremony and have a champagne toast to follow, do it. If you want to get married in your favourite spot by your favourite Aunt, do it.

Typical Wedding Timeline

Here in Saskatchewan there is a ‘typical’ timeline that most couples use. We tend to get married in the middle of the afternoon, have photos and then move into the reception. This doesn’t mean you have to do this too. But check it out and then tweak it to fit how you want your day to feel.

There are a few variables that will come into play when you are creating your timeline:

• Hair and makeup- this start time will all depend on how many people are having their hair and makeup done. Your hair and makeup crew will be able to let you know the timeline for the start of the day.
• Ceremony Length- this will obviously dictate how long your ceremony will take.
• Family photos- I like to have family photos follow the ceremony as it is much easier to keep your family together and not loose people. We have family photos down to a science of about 20min. This will take a little longer when we have multi-sided families (as in parents who are remarried and have new partners with additional family members). Though I will tell you that family photos have never taken me longer than 40 minutes.
• Meal Service- The time it takes someone to enjoy a meal, start to finish, is 15minutes max. However, the time it takes for 150 – 300 people to get through a buffet line or to have a coursed meal delivered will be factored into the total time for this part of your day.

Sunset Photos

One part that I didn’t include in this timeline are Sunset Photos. I highly encourage you to take time in your day to spend pockets of time together just the two of you, like I mentioned above. I know that sounds odd because you are going to be together all day. But you will actually never be alone, just the two of you. And this whole day is about the commitment you made to one another. So make sure you create this space of time- like having sunset photos on the timeline.

Have questions? I would love to hear them! Email me: daniellestasiuk@gmail.com