Planning to perfection - A guideline on wedding timings.
I have been photographing weddings for almost 12 years, in that time I’ve learned a thing or two about weddings and this means I have plenty of advice to give if you’re planning yours! One thing I get asked about a lot is wedding day timings, so I thought why not write a blog about it?
One of my roles as your wedding photographer is to help plan the timeline. And so around one month before the wedding day I will read up on all the information you’ve sent to me via your wedding questionnaire document, and I will give you an in depth reply regarding timings, plan B alternatives for bad weather and much more. I never photograph a wedding without having every little detail planned to perfection with the couple. However, I am aware that some couples want a clearer idea on their timeline before we reach the one month countdown. I hope this blog will serve as a useful guide to anyone who needs it.
How long should you leave for group photos, what does a wedding day timeline look like? Look no further - all the answers are here. Sit back with a cuppa, a note pad and pen and take in this comprehensive guidance that will help you to plan the perfect wedding day!
Let’s get started!
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Take a look at some timelines from real weddings that I have photographed throughout the years!
I have chosen weddings from different months of the year, some were held all at one venue and others weren’t. Some were long days, other's weren’t. I hope this gives you an idea of what your wedding day timeline could look like.
Vicky & James
The sun didn’t set til 20:10 on this beautiful spring day, so this meant we didn’t have to rush to get all the outdoor photos done before the daylight went. Unfortunately Vicky and James did lose just under an hour of photo coverage because time was being used up travelling from the morning prep location to the church, then from the church to the reception venue. This was quite a busy timeline and the couple didn’t have a great deal of down time between the ceremony and when the food was served. Their time to take a break from photos was pretty much used up travelling from the church to reception. But they remained enthusiastic throughout all of their posed photos and they knew they’d have the whole evening to enjoy the day with their guests. They loved being able to have some photos at the church and others at the reception venue and they still received plenty of candid photos from throughout the day too.
Rebecca & Jacob
This was such a simple and stress free wedding timeline, which allowed the couple to spend a lot of time relaxing with their guests. The sun was incredibly bright on this hot spring day and this did make the group photos a little challenging as people were squinting (there wasn’t any shade for us to use in the area that the couple wanted to have their group photos taken). Another downside of the beautiful weather was that it took the guests a while to gravitate indoors to the dance floor, as most of them preferred to be outside enjoying the sunshine.
Sarah & Oliver
This couple’s wedding venue is HUGE (Edgcumbe House and Country Park and The Orangery at Mount Edgcumbe) so I’m not exaggerating when I say there are endless photo locations to use! Some photo locations were only accessible to use via a trip in a land rover, driven by one of the venue staff members. The travelling combined with the many photo locations meant the couple needed to allocate extra time for their wedding portraits and they were okay with this. If you’re booking a venue like Edgcumbe, it’s in your best interests to really make the most out of it and have photos in as many beauty spots as you can manage. But don’t be mistaken, this couple still had loads of time with their guests and many candid moments were captured from throughout the day. With the long summer day, the couple could have chosen to have their wedding start later in the day and it wouldn’t have been a problem daylight wise. But the advantages of this long wedding day meant that they didn’t notice the time they spent away from guests with me so much, because that was only a tiny part of their day overall. The disadvantage of the late sunset was that it wasn’t dark enough for their sparkler photos. The venue coordinator needed to clock off and go home and asked us if we could do the sparklers while she was still on site (due to health and safety reasons). The photos still came out really nice, just a bit different to usual.
Emma & Aimee
This couple used the 19:20 sunset to their advantage by having an afternoon wedding. Because the whole day took place in the one venue, they were able to make the most out of every minute of their day. There’s something very relaxed about an afternoon wedding and that’s just the vibe that this laid back couple wanted. If you’re planning your wedding on a budget it, a later wedding can sometimes help to cut down on costs as you may not feel like you have to provide as much food or entertainment for your guests. You might also be able to save money on your photography as you might not need to book them for the full day 10+ hour’s coverage - it’s possible you could capture the full day but with less hours coverage. The downside of the late sunset is that it can sometimes take a while for your guests to join the dancefloor as they’re still enjoying the day and not feeling those evening party vibes straight away.
Kasia & Adam
This wedding took place in three locations (just like Vicky & James’ wedding) but this couple were lucky in that they only lived a five minute drive away from the church. Kasia & Adam also decided to have all of their group photos taken at the church, which took the pressure off needing to find the time to do them at the venue. This autumn day meant that the sun set just in time to set the scene for the party in the evening.
Emily & Liam
I love that Emily and Liam planned a 11am ceremony for their winter wedding because with the sun setting at 16:15, they were able to make the most out of the daylight they had. You need to be on board with having a long wedding day with an 11am ceremony - an afternoon wedding like Emma & Aimee’s would be very challenging in December. But Emily and Liam knew what they were signing up for and they hired an incredible venue (The Green Cornwall) which had lots of indoor space to use if the weather didn’t play ball.
