Guide to creating a timeline for your wedding that allows you to be present in your day.

I get asked this a lot and it’s something I LOVE to help with! So here are my top 7 steps to creating a wedding timeline that will make you feel all the good feels when it comes to your wedding day and your wedding photographs.

• Know your goals! If you don’t want endless extended family photos, don’t do them. If you don’t want to spend your whole day watching your wedding from a distance…don’t! This is you and your fiance’s day and you two are the ones who have all the say. Literally no one else gets that say, even mom. You get one chance at this day!

• Have your photographer and videographer start with you at least 2 hours before you see your soon-to-be-spouse. That means either a first look OR the ceremony.

• Have hair and makeup done with everyone at least one hour before first look/ceremony.

• Consider a First Look! I could write an entire blog just about first looks and the benefits of them. But here’s the gist of it as it relates to a timeline. You get allllll the formal posed photos done before the ceremony even starts. Giving you your entire cocktail hour to actually spend mingling with your guests!

• Get organized! Think of the groups ( outside of immediate family, because your photographer should already be planning for those) that you want photographed. Then talk to your photographer about these groups and work together to create a time and place for these that works into your day as unobtrusively as possible. Then email or group text, if that’s your thing, all of these individuals and let them know the plan so photo time goes by quickly and gets you back in the fun stuff! Also, do assign one person from each group to gather everyone in that group.. because weddings are fun and your guests might not be paying close attention to the time. ( THIS IS A BIGGIE!)

• Want to sit and enjoy your first meal with your new spouse without having to jump up to “make rounds”? DO IT. Sit your asses down and don’t feel the need to do the rounds. Your guests will understand if you don’t do this. Everyone just want’s to see you two happily enjoying your day. Still feel you need to do something in case you don’t get the chance to talk to them during cocktail hour or dancing? Consider doing a thank you speech before or after dinner.

• Planning a fun event late in the night light a sparkler send off or want a cool outdoor night shot? Do it early! The late night stuff doesn’t actually have to be late night where you have to pay your photographer and videographer 2 hours additional coverage. You could do this before your first dance or when the band/dj opens the dance floor up. Doing this early also ensures you’ll still have all your guests present to enjoy!