There are a couple of tips and tricks I've learned through my experience photographing weddings that make for a smooth wedding day timeline that allows ample time for all of the gorgeous pictures you've been saving on Pinterest for months! Believe it or not, they don't all happen naturally, and they take a bit of time to make happen. That's why I'm sharing some of my favorite tips for a picture-perfect wedding day timeline on the blog today!
1 | Consult Your Vendors
Your vendors have probably been doing this for a while, and they know how wedding days go. Trust their advice when they give you input on your wedding day timeline! Personally, unless it's a small elopement style wedding, I like to give my couples a timeline to follow, tweak, or base their own off of. This helps tremendously with the flow of the wedding! I always send a full day timeline example and a list of how much time I like to have to get great pictures throughout the entire day!
With this though, don't be afraid to tell your vendors what you want! Ultimately, at the end of the day, we're here to serve you. So, if that means having a receiving line right after the ceremony instead of moving right into family formals, that's totally fine, and we'll add in extra time!
2 | Know Sunset Times
I do this for all of my couples in my example timeline, but if you're building your own, try to pay attention to the time the sun sets! So many of my brides crave glowy, sunset images like the ones I post on my blog and social media pages, which is why knowing when the sunset time is (and planning for portraits for around an hour or 30-minutes before the sun sets) is key! Can you do portraits at noon? Absolutely! But... they won't have the same glow those golden hour images will.
With this, be sure not to plan portraits after sunset. Yes, I am trained with flash, but if you're here, I think you love natural light images as much as I do
3 | Cushion Your Timeline
I cannot stress this enough! Make sure you have a little cushion time in your timelines. Trust me, even if you are the most organized bride, something will happen, and you will get behind schedule. I've seen it happen over and over again. I love adding a little cushion time in the getting ready portion of the timeline because more often than not, it takes a little bit longer than you might think. And sometimes, especially in bad weather or events close to sunset time, minutes count!
I hope these tips were helpful for your wedding planning! Wedding days can become stressful if you're not prepared. So, I love that my Type A/always organizing/checklist at the ready personality allows me to better serve my couples with the organization they need to have the smoothest wedding day possible!
Have questions about wedding day planning or how to make sure your wedding is picture-perfect? Feel free to email me at caitlin.cscphotography@gmail.com! I would love to help!
See you soon,
Caitlin S. Cornett