Wedding timeline recommendation for Nick & Haylee

Hi Nick & Haylee,

as promised, we’ve put together a special wedding timeline guide for you.

You have 8 hours of coverage, and it’s completely up to you when you’d like us to start and which moments are most important to you. These are simply recommendations to give you an idea of how much time each part of the day might take.

Please feel free to plan your day in whatever way feels right for you. It’s your wedding after all! Sometimes our couples worry that we’ve included certain moments in the list, but if something doesn’t feel necessary for you, you can simply skip it.

When we arrive with the bride, we usually start with detail shots and dress photos. We kindly ask you to collect all meaningful items and parts of your wedding look in one box ahead of time. This can include: invitations, rings, shoes, perfume, jewelry, parts of your bouquet (you can ask your florist to include a few extra blooms separately so we can use them for detail shots), the bouquet, and even small gifts for guests.

Many couples also like to add something personal or unique to them, for example, a running medal, a firefighter badge, or anything that reflects your story. Just an idea to make it more personal.

Of course, if you decide this part is not important for you, that’s completely ok.

Also, if there are any special details in your wedding attire, please let us know. Couples often customize their outfits and it always looks amazing in photos: things like socks with custom text, a tie with photos, or a special pin on the bouquet.

We know you’ll be getting ready with just your closest family, so 30 minutes is usually enough.

By the time we start, your hair and makeup should already be finished. Typically, your dress is hanging near a window or chandelier, and we’ll take a few shots of the dress and you in your bridal robe. Then we’ll step out while you put the dress on, leaving the last couple of buttons undone. When we come back, we’ll capture your mom helping you get dressed and those sweet, emotional family moments like a blessing, hugs, and photos with your closest family. If you’d like, we can also include a first look with your dad or older relatives. We’ll finish with your final bridal portraits once you’re fully ready.

It’s perfect if you get ready in one room and we take photos in another clean, uncluttered room so everything looks beautiful in photos. Alternatively, we can also take photos outside. If you’re staying at a hotel, there are often nice spots in the lobby or an interior courtyard. We usually arrive early and can help find a beautiful location on the day of the wedding.

If Nick is getting ready alone, 15 minutes is sufficient. If he will be with groomsmen, plan for about 25 minutes.

These photos can also be taken at the hotel, or we can capture them on your venue grounds. Nick can arrive already fully ready, and we’ll simply take some clean portrait shots of him. Since this is a golf course, we can also ask the venue for golf clubs for some fun, relaxed photos. They usually provide a couple of golf carts for weddings as well, so we can easily move around and use different spots for photos.

Please also make sure to account for travel time between locations. For example, between the hotel where you’re getting ready and the venue.

Right after the ceremony is the perfect time for family photos. Someone (for example, the officiant or DJ) can announce that we’ll be doing immediate family photos, so only the bride’s and groom’s families stay, while the rest of the guests enjoy cocktail hour. It’s very helpful to assign one person, like the maid of honor or best man, to help gather family members, since they usually know everyone. Alternatively, we can follow a pre-written list, which should be prepared in advance. Depending on the number of relatives, this part usually takes 20–30 minutes.

Sometimes couples choose to combine family photos with an all guests group photo, in which case we simply allocate a bit more time depending on the size of the group.

If you’d like group photos with all guests during the reception, you can coordinate this with your DJ and include it in the timeline. They can announce each table one by one with fun music, and we can take one formal photo plus one fun shot with each group. If there are older guests who may have difficulty walking, we can simply come to their table instead. The key is for the DJ to guide the flow so everything stays smooth and organized.

Alternatively, many couples choose a more relaxed approach: the DJ simply announces a “photo time” during the reception, and guests come up one by one in a natural order. That works great too.

If we notice you’re getting tired (for example, after family photos), we’ll always make sure you get a short break. We never want your day to feel like a photo marathon. You’ll have time to rest, have a drink, and enjoy your guests. Throughout the day, we may also take you for short 5–7 minute portrait moments so you can get a variety of beautiful photos without feeling overwhelmed.

During the ceremony and reception, we focus mainly on documentary-style coverage, capturing real moments naturally as they happen. So just mark all the key moments in the timeline.

Once you finalize your timeline, please send it to us in advance so we can review and prepare as well.

And as always, feel free to reach out anytime if you have any questions, we’re happy to help!

Thank you!