Best Wedding Day Timeline Template Los Angeles Wedding Photography
Congratulations on your engagement. You likely have your dress and are looking for your wedding day vendors including photographer, videographer, cakery, venue and so on. Once you have your venue, it is time to figure out the timeline of the events you plan to have.
Venues often have coordinators who can help with this. We feel it can save you a lot of time knowing what this looks like before you meet with them. We also suggest highly to have an actual day of coordinator for you and your family. Venue coordinators are focused on their side of the planning. Your day of coordinator is focused on you and the success of your day. As a Los Angeles wedding photographer who has documented 1000+ weddings over my 20 year full time career in wedding photography, I'm sharing the best wedding day timeline templates here for you based on your wedding day planning. I will post this based on your ceremony starting 2 hours prior to sundown and I will also place a blank version at the end so you can tweak it as needed.
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We have included a wedding day timeline with a first look & without a first look.
Wedding Timeline - With First Look 8 Hours of Coverage
This wedding day timeline template assumes a second photographer is booked for getting ready to at least through the cocktail hour or grand entrance.
A second photographer allows for more coverage especially when you and your fiancé are getting ready at the same time and or in a different location. For example, a second photographer can focus on the groom and groomsmen portraits, while the primary photographer can cover the bride with bridesmaid portraits and getting ready moments.
If a second photographer is not secured, please add an additional 30 minutes to the getting ready portion of the day and 15 minutes total to the bridal party / immediate family portraits again assuming you are getting ready close to each other, like another hotel room at the same hotel complex or airbnb location.
Let's get this started... Below is the best wedding day timeline for a May through August wedding. In general a videographer will follow the primary and bounce to the groom if they are alone. To save time and your budget we recommend your hair is already completed once we arrive and make up should just be starting.
1:30 PM - Photography Begins
-Primary photographer will be with the bride
-Second photographer will be with the groom
2:10 PM - Last minute makeup touches
-Primary photographer to focus on candids of the bride with her bridesmaids
-Second photographer to focus on candids with the groom and groomsmen
2:30 PM - Bride gets dressed with assistance of mom and or maid of honor
-Photos of bride getting ready / Portraits of her in dress with bridesmaids, loved ones, etc.
-Second photographer: photos of the groom getting ready, candids with the groomsmen, etc.
3:00 - First Look and a few bride and groom portraits
3:45 - Bridal party photos and immediate family portraits
4:45 - Bride & groom should now be kept hidden as guests arrive
-Photograph ceremony location before guest arrive
5:00 - Guests arrive and being being seated
5:30 - Ceremony Begins
6:00 - Ceremony Ends
6:10 - Cocktail Hour Begins / Bride & Groom Romantics Begin with Primary while Second Photographer captures guests and cocktail hour
6:50 - Bride and groom catch the last 10 minutes of cocktail hour with Secondary while Primary captures reception room details.
7:10 - Guests enter reception
7:25 - Grand entrance with wedding party
7:35 - Parent dances start with Mother-Son dance, then Father-Daughter Dance
7:40 - First dance of couple with Father of the bride presenting his daughter to the groom
7:50 - Dinner is served to couple - Vendors eat at same time couple starts to allow a break and prepare for upcoming events. If you feed your vendors after your guests they will not be ready to upcoming events and will likely not eat of eat in less than 3 minutes of time which puts them at a 6 hour straight working schedule
8:30 - Speeches - It is recommended to not allow an open mic. Have planned speech makers
8:50 - Cake cutting
8:55 - Bouquet / garter toss
9:15 - Open dance floor. If tosses are not done, open dance floor starts at 9:00
9:30 - Photography concludes
Sample Timeline - Without First Look 8 Hours of Coverage
This wedding day timeline template assumes a second photographer is booked for getting ready to at least through the cocktail hour or grand entrance.
A second photographer allows for more coverage especially when you and your fiancé are getting ready at the same time and or in a different location. For example, a second photographer can focus on the groom and groomsmen portraits, while the primary photographer can cover the bride with bridesmaid portraits and getting ready moments.
If a second photographer is not secured, please add an additional 30 minutes to the getting ready portion of the day and 15 minutes total to the bridal party / immediate family portraits again assuming you are getting ready close to each other, like another hotel room at the same hotel complex or airbnb location.
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1:30 PM - Photography Begins
-Primary photographer will be with the bride
-Second photographer will be with the groom
2:10 PM Last minute makeup touches
-Primary photographer to focus on candids of the bride with her bridesmaids
-Second photographer to focus on candids with the groom and groomsmen
.
2:30 PM - Bride gets dressed with assistance of mom and or maid of honor
-Photos of bride getting ready / Portraits of her in dress with bridesmaids, loved ones, etc.
-Second photographer: photos of the groom getting ready, candids with the groomsmen, etc.
3:00 - Portraits of the bride & groom separately with Primary
3:30 - Portraits of bride with bridesmaids with Primary
Second photographer: portraits of groom with groomsmen
4:05 - Portraits of bride with her immediate family
Second photographer - portraits of groom with his immediate family
4:45 - Bride & groom should now be kept hidden as guests arrive
-Photograph ceremony location before guest arrive
5:00 - Guests Arrive and begin being seated
5:30 - Ceremony Begins
6:00 - Ceremony Ends
6:10 - Cocktail Hour Begins
-Portraits of the bride and groom together with their immediate families
-Portraits of the bride and groom with the ENTIRE bridal party together
- Second to cover the cocktail hour
6:40 - Bride & groom couple romantics
7:10 - Guest Enter Reception
7:25 - Grand entrance
7:35 - First dance
8:00 - Speeches - It is recommended to not allow an open mic. Have planned speech makers
8:10 - Dinner is served to couple - Vendors eat at same time couple starts to allow a break and prepare for upcoming events. If you feed your vendors after your guests they will not be ready to upcoming events and will likely not eat of eat in less than 3 minutes of time which puts them at a 6 hour straight working schedule
8:40 - Parent dances
8:55 - Cake cutting
9:00 - Bouquet / garter toss
9:15 - Open dancing
9:30 - Photography concludes
Wedding Day Timeline Template - Photography Timeline Explained
How long does it take? Here we will discuss how much time it can take on a wedding day when it comes to getting ready, portraits, the ceremony, cocktail hour, etc.
Details - 25 to 30 Minutes
The detail shots are taken during the getting ready photos. Once initial candid photos are completed upon arrival we move onto the brides makeup photos. The details typically include the following: dress, shoes, rings, invitation suite, vows, jewelry, perfume, flowers, suit, etc.
Hint: Having all of the details you'd like me to photograph ready in one area prevents any stress having to locate them the day of the wedding and leaves more room for photo time.
Keep in mind, some couples prefer a photographer style their details, whereas others prefer the details being documented with a more photojournalistic approach. This means details we'll be photographed as they are being put on, rather than styled via a flatlay. Styled details take longer for a photographer to document, whereas the photojournalistic approach takes less time. If you prefer a focus on people, rather than details, I'd suggest the a photojournalistic approach. We recommend using your maid of honor, who should be done around this time to layout your detail items. If the photographer is has to find all the items, its will reduce the number of photos of the getting ready time.
Getting Ready - 1 to 2 Hours
It starts at the beginning. We highly recommend allowing your photographer time for getting ready photos in your wedding day timeline template. These moments tend to be more candid with a photojournalistic quality. These moments help to tell the full story of the day.
This part of the day includes will include moments such as a mom placing the groom's boutonniere, the bride's mom/bridesmaids helping the bride zip up her dress, the groom putting on his jacket, watch, shoes, cufflinks, etc., loved ones seeing the bride/groom in her or his dress/suit for the first time, the bride or groom reading exchanged letters, the bride toasting with her bridesmaids or groom toasting with his groomsmen, etc. We highly recommend a couple write a letter to each other to be presented during this time. When videography is utilized, we ask that the bride read her letter and the groom read his letter before sending them to each other. It can be used then as an overlay of the final video to hear each others voices and their reactions to what is said. Write this letter the night before your wedding after your rehearsal dinner. You won't have time to do it on the wedding day.
If a second photographer is hired, 1 hour is usually perfect since one photographer can focus on the bride, while the other captures the groom. If there is no second photographer 2 hours is ideal for the getting ready timeline.
First Look - 10 Minutes
What is a first look? The first look is when the bride and groom opt to see one another prior to the ceremony. More and more couples are opting to do this. It allows for a beautiful and often tearful moment between the couple.
A first look is an intimate moment with the bride and groom and should be kept private while including your photographer and videographer. Having an audience can hinder real feeling expressed, especially for certain cultures who frown upon seeing the couple kiss.
The benefit of the first look is that many of the photos can be taken prior to the ceremony, such as the bridal party portraits where the bridesmaids and groomsmen are all together, bride and groom portraits, family portraits, etc. This means that the timeline won't feel as rushed since you won't have to take all of these photos after the ceremony and will be able to enjoy some of your cocktail hour. Also, if you are having a later ceremony, having a first look will guarantee your portraits are shot during daylight. Doing family photos at dusk leads to inconsistent lighting.
Here is another option to consider. Some couples opt out of the bride and groom first look, but decide to do a first look with their parents, such as a bride and dad first look and/or groom and mom first look.
Father Daughter First Look - Wedding Day Timeline Template
Couple Portraits - 45 to 60 Minutes
Couple portraits can be scheduled at different times based on the time of the year. Why? because these photos have to fit in based the setting of the sun. In the winter time a sunset can take place at 5:00 where as a summer wedding the sun can set at late at 8:00.
It can take 30 minutes to capture couple portraits which then take place right after the first look. Then, after the ceremony, we can take another 30 minutes of couple portraits during the golden hour, which is the best time to take photos. If this does not work, night portraits are another option if a golden hour session just does not fit a timeline.
What is a golden hour? This is the hour right before the sun goes down and it lends to the warmer non harsh or directional light. At the very least, we always recommend setting aside a minimum of 35 minutes for couple portraits in your wedding day timeline template.
Wedding Party Portraits - 30 to 40 Minutes
It usually takes 10 minutes for bride with bridesmaids photos, 10 minutes for groom with groomsmen photos, and 10 minutes for photos with the entire bridal party together.
If there is a second photographer, we divide and conquer with these portraits. The second will capture the groom with groomsmen portraits, the primary captures the bride with bridesmaids portraits. You then finish with the primary capturing the entire bridal party together.
Having a second photographer is a time saver. If there is no second photographer, the primary will have to capture both and often limits the time of the grooms coverage when things run late.. This process takes around 40 minutes.
Family Formals - 25 to 40 Minutes - Wedding Day Timeline Template
Family photo sessions vary in time rather largely in part due to how large your families attending the wedding and how far out you want to include. Family formals typically include photos of the bride and groom with their immediate family members. This includes moms, dads, grand parents, brothers, sisters and their children.
To have more time for your couple's session, it is suggested to limit the groups as much as possible to ten or less on each side of the family. Extending these photos to include cousins and aunts and uncles and your friends will make it a very tedious time on your wedding day.
Extended family variation photos will bump into valuable sunset light for your romantics. We can do individual extended family photos during the reception as I will be following you throughout the entire evening. Often these are more common during your table visits or you can also have them join you on the dance floor prior to speeches for a quick session.
Ceremony Details - 25 Minutes - Wedding Day Timeline Template
Prior to the actual ceremony, the primary can take photos of the ceremony site without any attendees and then once they start to arrive candids can be captured. Keep this in mind during planning within your wedding day timeline template. If the cocktail hour section is ready at this time, your second photographer can also document cocktail hour details.
Post Ceremony Photos During Cocktail Hour - 35 to 90 Minutes
If you've done a first look, this probably means we've already photographed family portraits, bridal party portraits, and some couple portraits before the ceremony. In this scenario, we can use 35 to 45 minutes to photograph more couple portraits during this time, since it will most likely be during the golden hour.
If there is no first look, this means we have to use this time to capture all portraits - family portraits, bridal party portraits, and couple portraits. Depending on the size of your family it is recommend at have at least 90 minutes for this and will likely lead to you missing your cocktail hour, unless this is a small gust list wedding.
Hint: If you aren't having a first look, we still recommend setting some time aside for photography before the ceremony so that we can photograph everything we can that doesn't involve the bride and groom at the same place at the same time.
For example, we can photograph the bride with the bridesmaids, the groom with the groomsmen, and family portraits that include the bride with her family, and the groom with his family.
We just have to make sure everyone knows where everyone is at all times, so that the bride and groom don't run into one another. This is why we highly recommend having a day of coordinator at a minimum to help keep this all organized and on time.
This means that after the ceremony, we will focus on couple portraits, family portraits with the bride and groom together along with their immediate families, and photos of the entire bridal party together. This will usually take at least 60 minutes and often longer depending on the size of your family.
Cocktail Hour and the Reception Details - 40 Minutes
If there is no first look, the primary usually will not document any of the cocktail hour as this time is spent capturing all of the portraits. No cocktail coverage will occur if there is also no second photographer.
If there is a first look, this usually allows about 10 minutes during the cocktail hour to document candids, your guests mingling other details. This is if the couple doesn't want to use the entire cocktail hour towards bride and groom portraits, which some prefer to do which is often seen as more important.
To ensure your photographer can capture an untouched reception area we recommend your venue/coordinator disallow your guests from leaving the cocktail area. This ensures we can capture table settings, florals, centerpieces, cake, sweetheart table and other room details
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Often times, the couple wants a photo of themselves in the reception room alone. That is always an option and very common with some cultures. Reception details take about 30 minutes of photography time.
Reception - 3 to 4 Hours - Wedding Day Timeline Template
Depending on our finalized timeline, we normally need at least 3 hours of time to capture your reception. If you budget is tight, we do highly recommend you push your event forward which include your first dance, speeches and maybe your tosses or cake cutting. This gets the bulk of what we will cover done quickly then we only need 15-30 minutes of your dance floor time and we are out of the night. Again for some cultures this simply won't work which will require longer table visits and other cultural traditions.
If you made it this far and would like to secure us for your wedding day, please contact us immediately. You can chat with us here on our site - if you see the chat now button on the bottom right and it has a red marker on it, we are already trying to chat with you. Otherwise please leave us a message on the chat box or text Tom directly for the fastest response.
Thank you for taking the time to educate yourself on what a typical day looks like. Yes, wedding days that are taking place at a church or at multiple venues in the day, will need a bit of tweaking.
Above is a PDF blank copy of the timeline so you can use it to plan out your day. Remember this is your wedding day so add what you want and remove what you don't. We absolutely love and trust to these vendors who will ensure we are both on the same page and get your a stress free well planned day!
Original post February 16, 2023
Updated post August 16, 2023