Wedding Planning
How to Build Your Wedding Day Timeline
A photographer's guide to 6-hour and 8-hour wedding day schedules.
One of the first things we do with every couple is build out a timeline together — and it's one of the most important planning steps for making sure your day actually feels relaxed instead of rushed. Here's how we typically approach it, whether you're booking 6 hours of coverage or a full 8.
Start With Your Coverage Length
Your timeline really comes down to how many hours of coverage you're booking, and that decision shapes everything else.
6 hours of coverage typically starts at the ceremony. This means we won't capture getting-ready details, but it covers the ceremony, portraits, cocktail hour, and a solid chunk of the reception.
8 hours of coverage typically starts with getting ready and carries all the way through dancing, giving you a full record of the entire day from start to finish.
If you're not sure which length is right for your day, think about what you'd regret not having — some couples care deeply about getting-ready photos, while others are more focused on making sure we're still there late into the reception.
Decide: First Look or Traditional?
This is one of the biggest timeline decisions you'll make. Most couples who want to attend their own cocktail hour, or who want family portraits finished before the ceremony, choose to do a first look. It frees up time later in the day and means you're not disappearing for portraits while your guests are celebrating without you.
If you'd rather keep the traditional first-look-at-the-aisle moment, that's completely fine too — it just means portraits and family photos will happen afterward, usually during cocktail hour.
Sample Timeline: 6-Hour Day (Ceremony Start)
Ceremony — about 30 minutes
Family formals & couple portraits — during cocktail hour
Cocktail hour — guests mingle while portraits wrap up
Reception — dinner, toasts, first dances
Sunset portraits — a quick 15-minute window to slip away for golden hour shots
Dancing & open floor
Sample Timeline: 8-Hour Day (Getting Ready Start)
Getting ready — details, dress, final touches
First look (if chosen) — private moment before the ceremony
Ceremony — about 30 minutes
Family formals & couple portraits — during cocktail hour
Cocktail hour
Reception — dinner, toasts, first dances
Sunset portraits — a 15-minute window during golden hour
Dancing & open floor, carried further into the night than a 6-hour day allows
A Few Timeline Tips
Build in buffer time. Weddings almost never run exactly on schedule, and a little breathing room keeps small delays from snowballing.
Protect your golden hour. Even 15 minutes at sunset can produce some of the most beautiful images of the whole day — it's worth planning around.
Stay flexible. We're always looking for extra chances to grab a few more shots, whether that's a quiet moment between courses or your grand exit — a good timeline leaves room for those unplanned moments too.
We'll Build This With You
Every wedding is different, which is exactly why we sit down with each couple during a planning call to map out a timeline built around your specific day, venue, and priorities — not a generic template.
