Planning your Colorado wedding can be really overwhelming, but one of the keys to having your wedding day be smooth, stress free, and enjoyable is creating a great wedding day timeline. As a photographer, I work mostly with couples getting married for the first time and more often than not, they are completely flummoxed as to their day of timeline. I don't mind at all answering emails and texts from couples wondering how long to schedule hair and makeup and when to do their first look but this blog should be a great guide if you're looking for a comprehensive list.
Basic Wedding Day Photography Timeline
You should enjoy every moment of your wedding day... it'll fly by so fast! Having a great day-of timeline helps manage your stress level and lets you truly be in the moment of the day, not flying by the seat of your pants throughout it!
Noon: Your photographer Arrives! Hooray! The bride (or brides) should be doing hair and makeup but have about an hour left of the process. That allows me to take some photos (and video, if you're also getting a highlight video) of hair and makeup. I also like to get photos/ video of the bride's maids getting ready as well. If the groom (or other partner) is getting ready on-site, I'll pop over and get some photo/video too. If you have a second shooter on your wedding day, the second shooter is usually with the groom/ other partner.
12:30 PM: I'm photographing details. Shoes, jewelry, veil, perfume, invites, etc. You've spent a lot of time (and money!) on these details and I want to make sure they get thoroughly documented!
1:15 PM: The Bride gets in her dress!
1:30 PM: First Look! This can with with the bride and groom, bride and her dad, bride and her bride's maids or all the above! The more first looks, the longer it'll take, just keep that in mind!
2:00 PM: Portraits. For couples who do a first look, I like to knock out most all the couple portraits now. I usually recommend a first look because the bride's hair and makeup is fresh and this allows the couple to get to their reception a lot quicker after the wedding! For those who don't do a first look, I'll take individual portraits of each person with their respective wedding parties. I can do family members too during this time if they're available and ready.
3:00 PM: Ceremony Time. Most ceremonies take about 30 minutes unless you're doing a full Mass. In that case, the ceremony will be an hour long.
3:30 PM: Family Photos. Just tell your family to stay put after the ceremony is over. Most of my couples like to do their family photos at the "altar" or the place where they were married. It's pretty traditional unless lighting is bad or unless we have to leave immediately (sometimes this happens with Catholic churches if they have Mass immediately after the ceremony). In that case, we'll find a second location for family photos.
3:30 PM: Cocktail Hour. Most couples do a cocktail hour for their guests while photos are taken. If you have a second shooter, you can decide if you want them to help me with family photos to speed things along (which I suggest!) or if you want a full hour of candid photos from your cocktail hour.
4:00 PM: Wedding Party/ Couples Portraits.
5:00 PM: Grand Entrance to the Reception. Oftentimes we'll finish portraits before the grand entrance time so my couples will join the cocktail hour for a little bit. But it's always good to break away, regather your wedding party and prepare for your grand entrance.
5:00 PM- 8:00 PM: Photography of your reception.
Golden Hour/ Nighttime photos: Setting aside time for some golden Hour Photos or Nighttime photos is always a great idea. I like to grab my couples for golden hour photos if it's outside our normal portrait time and then later in the evening I like to grab them for some nighttime photos. It's always a good time to step away from guests, cool down and have a bit of alone time together in the midst of the party. It usually takes only about 10 minutes but we always get the best images!