Tips & Tricks For Planning Your Wedding Day Timeline From Your Edmonton Wedding Photographer
Your wedding timeline
is a key component to making sure your wedding day runs smoothly and on time, as your Edmonton Alberta wedding photographer, we'll work together to create a foolproof photographers timeline for your wedding day! In this blog we’re going to break down what a typical wedding day timeline looks like, plus how much time I personally need for each event as an Edmonton wedding photographer and end if off with a sample timeline for an 8 hour wedding day BUT please make sure to always ask your wedding photographer for their own input when planning your wedding day timeline as every wedding photographer is different.
Let’s be honest
The last thing you want to feel on your wedding day is rushed or frazzled and planning your timeline is a crucial part in making sure that doesn't happen. There are so many elements that go into planning your unique wedding day timeline and each wedding is going to be different based on these things:
How long you and your wedding party need to get ready
Whether or not a first look is for you
How big your family / wedding party is
How long your ceremony will be
When your reception starts
Travel between all locations
Getting Ready
Where you decide to get ready on your wedding day is going to play a HUGE role in how your getting ready photos look. If you're getting ready space is packed full of people and all of their things, It can start to feel a little chaotic and cluttered and we don't want your getting ready photos to reflect that. If your wedding venue doesn't have a nice getting ready space you can opt to rent an airbnb nearby or if you're getting ready in a hotel room, think about getting a second room to take photos in. Here are some things to consider when choosing your wedding day getting ready space:
Whether you're getting ready at home, a hotel room, an airbnb or your wedding venue, make sure your space is clean, tidy and people's personal belongings are not cluttering the space
I strongly encourage choosing a getting ready space with lots of natural light. So a room with big windows is always my go too
Avoid any brightly coloured walls that may clash with your wedding colours
Remember that whatever the room looks like is what your photos will look
For me personally as an Edmonton wedding photographer, I like about an hour scheduled for getting ready photos on your wedding day. So when writing up your wedding day timeline, you can schedule your wedding photographer to arrive 1-2 hours before you plan to leave for your wedding ceremony. If you’ve booked a second shooter for your wedding day, one of us will be with you, while the other is with your partner simultaneously. If you have NOT booked a second shooter, typically your wedding photographer can only be at one getting ready location unless extra time is added on in the morning and is planned accordingly for your wedding photographer to travel between getting ready locations!
The details
The first thing I typically do as an Edmonton wedding photographer, after arriving to your getting ready location, is grab all your detail items to do flat lays and detail shots. To make this process run nice a smooth, please have all your detail items set aside and ready to go for when your wedding photographer arrives!
Here is a list of suggestions for items you can include for your detail photos:
Wedding rings + box
Wedding Invitation
Personal fragrance
necklace / watch / any jewelry
Ties
Shoes
Cufflinks
Viel
Anything else that may be special to you
First looks
What is a wedding day first look and should you do one? A first look is typically a private moment for your partner to officially see you for the first time in your wedding day attire. This is a great time to do a private vow reading or simply just embrace and relax with your favourite person before all eyes are on you walking down the aisle.
As an Edmonton wedding photographer I absolutely adore photographing first looks but they may not be for everyone. Here are a couple reasons I love a first look and if these resonate with you, maybe a first look is for you and if they don't, you might be able to skip out on the first look
Gives you more time to spend with your partner on the wedding morning
You can calm eachothers nerves before walking down the aisle
You would like to read your vows in private rather than in front of a big crowd
You're able to do some of your photos before the ceremony, freeing up time for you to enjoy more of your cocktail hour
The main reason I hear couples not want to do a first look on their wedding day is because they want their partners to see them for the first time as they walk down the aisle and if that's more your style then definitely skip on the first look! Some worry that their partners reaction won't be as genuine or emotional if they do a first look but in my 5 years of experience as a wedding photographer this has not been the case. Nothing can take away from the raw emotion you feel as you see your person for the first time walking down that aisle, regardless of if you've already had a moment with them or not.
This day is ultimately yours, so the choice of doing a first look is completely up to you!
other options
If a first look with your partner isn't for you, you have a few other options if you still want to get a first look experience on your wedding day:
With your wedding party
With your parents / grandparents
Or with your own children
Any of these options for first looks are equally as amazing! If you’re lucky enough to have your parents or grandparents with you on your wedding day, I always highly recommend doing a first look with them!
Wedding party first looks are also a favourite of mine to capture as an Edmonton wedding photographer. These are the people who know you at your core so seeing their reaction to you all done up on your wedding day is always so special!
ceremony
Your wedding ceremony is arguably the most important part of the day and when I ask my couples what is most important to them to be captured, 99% of them say, their ceremony! (duh lol)
When planning out your wedding ceremony location, there's a few things to think about:
Is there shade? If you're having a summer wedding, standing out in the blazing hot sun is not only not fun for you or your guests but direct sunlight can create harsh shadows on your faces.
Is the aisle wide enough to comfortably walk down? In the past I've seen couples want to walk down with both their parents so make sure you and whoever is walking with you has lots of space
Is there room to walk around the perimeter? This is important for your wedding photographer so they are able to capture all different angles without being too distracting
Lighting is the key component to capturing a great photo so you want to make sure your ceremony space gets good light! Is your ceremony taking place inside? If so, I always recommend making sure the space gets lots of natural light.
If your wedding ceremony is outdoors, what time of day will it be? Typically the later in the day the better the light and I always suggest trying to visit your wedding venue at the time of day your ceremony will be happening to get a better feel for the lighting situation. As your Edmonton wedding photographer, I'm always happy to attend any wedding venue visits if you'd like help deciding the best spot to host your wedding day ceremony. A shady or a backlit spot will always be my first pick!
tips & tricks
Don't be afraid to think outside the box and create a unique wedding ceremony that is representative of the two of you and definitely don't feel tied down to the restraints of classic wedding traditions if those things don't speak to you. This is your day so you can truly do whatever makes you feel your best. One of my favourite things you can do to make your ceremony feel more unique and intentional, is have a close friend or family member officiate for the day. This is something I opted to do for my own wedding as we just didn't feel right with a stranger marrying us.
If you want to elevate your wedding ceremony photos, here's a few tips and tricks:
Tell your officiant to step out of the way for your first kiss and wait until they are fully removed to go in for your kiss
Hold your kiss for at least 3 seconds and then go in for a quick second. This gives your wedding photographer LOTS of time to make sure they got the shot
Look at eachother NOT your officiant during your wedding ceremony or all your guests see is the back of your head
During your ceremony exit, raise your hands / bouquet and celebrate on your way back down the aisle and even go in for another kiss halfway down, this is a great photo opt, especially if you have confetti of some sort
How long your wedding ceremony is is 100% up to you and your partner. If your ceremony won't have any religious elements or any unique events happening during, you can expect your ceremony to be about 30 minutes or less.
A short and sweet ceremony would be in the 15-30 minute range, whereas the longer more traditional / religious ceremonies can be in the 45min - an hour time range!
Family portraits
Family photos typically take place immediately following your ceremony at your wedding ceremony venue space. I recommend this because it's much easier on family members with mobility issues and sometimes when you try to move too many people to a new location, we end up losing some on the way.
If you choose me as your Edmonton wedding photographer, I will always ask you to create a family shot list for me or we will create one together. This includes a max of 15 combinations from each side and I can help with deciding which combos are most important to have captured. On the wedding day, I then have this checklist right on my phone which is attached to my camera so I can easily roll call peoples names to keep things moving as efficiently as possible.
Time frame for family photos completely depends on how big both your families are. I typically always schedule about 30 minutes for these just to be safe but 90% of the time, we can finish them in 15 minutes or less.
wedding party portraits
Your wedding party is made up of all your favourite people so I always want this portion of the day to be the most fun! How I organize wedding party portraits as an Edmonton Alberta wedding photographer is, I typically start with the whole group together, then branch out into your respective sides, then we end the group photos with an individual photo of you and each of your wedding party members.
Although I'll be there to guide you and your group into poses and movements, I never want your wedding day to feel like you're stuck in a photoshoot all day so we keep it light and natural as this is a time for you to finally let loose and have some fun!
I typically like at least 30 min - an hour for group shots. Also, the bigger the group, the longer time your wedding photographer needs, so keep that in mind!
Couples Portraits
PHEEWWW! You made it through the bulk of your wedding day day and now it's time to sit back and relax with your partner! Typically once your group photos are done, I'll send your wedding party away so you can enjoy a quiet moment together and freak out over being OFFICIALLY MARRIED!
If you chose me as your wedding photographer, your couples portraits on your wedding day will feel very similar to your engagement session. I do this so that by your wedding day, your a seasoned vet on my shooting style! I'll be softly directing you into prompts and movements but there's nothing I love more then just capturing how the two of your interact naturally.
On the wedding day, I usually like to spend at least 30 minutes - an hour on photos of just the two of you!
All in all on your wedding day I personally, as a wedding photographer, require 1 hour at the very least for your wedding party and couples portraits but 1.5 hours is always preferred.
reception
Below is a break down of events that “typically” happen during a wedding reception but keep in mind, your wedding day is catered to YOU so if there's things on this list you don't want to do, you absolutely do not have too!
Grand Entrance
A grand entrance is when you, your partner and your wedding party enter your reception for the first time. Some couples opt to do an entrance and some like to just arrive nonchalantly. Grand entrances are so fun but if you don't enjoy all eyes on you, then it might not be for you and that's OKAY!
Dinner
Typically after the wedding party / couple has entered the reception is when it's time to get settled for dinner. This is when when your MC can make any necessary announcements and start calling tables up for dinner if you'll be having a buffet style. Dinner time is when I will take a quick break. As your wedding photographer, it's my job to capture all the action so to ensure I can eat quickly and get back to work, I will grab food at the same time as the wedding party / family. Usually I see my wedding couples alot for about 1 hour in their wedding day timeline for dinner.
After Dinner
Below is a list of events that typically happen during a wedding reception, after dinner:
Speeches (5 minutes max per person)
First dances
Cake cutting
Sunset portraits
Keep in mind that the amount of hours you have your wedding photographer booked for will play a role in which of the wedding reception events you will be able to fit into your wedding photography coverage time. Although it's good to have an allotted time for each of these events, after dinner time, things can unfold a little more naturally as most of these events don't take longer than 15 minutes.
Sample timeline
Below is a sample timeline based off my most popular wedding day package which includes 8 hours of coverage. 8 hours of wedding photography coverage on your wedding day is usually the perfect amount to fit in all the typical wedding day events from getting ready all the way down to your reception but if you’re wanting even more time at your reception or during the wedding morning, I suggest going for the 10 or even 12 hours of wedding photography coverage. Keep in mind, this is just a sample based on how I typically see wedding days scheduled as an Edmonton wedding photographer but your day is 100% yours.
Another thing to keep in mind is, all travel between different venues / photo locations does need to be allotted for in your wedding timeline. The example below DOES NOT include any travel time so make sure to add that in. If you need to travel 15 minutes from your ceremony to your portraits location, you will need to put in a 15 minute gap. I also like to give a 10-15 minute buffer before your wedding ceremony just to give that extra cushion to relax and make sure all your people are in order before beginning! The example below is based on doing all photos after the ceremony, but you do have the option to do them before instead, which can be a great option if you're planning on doing a first look. If you are unsure what to do for your timeline, please reach out to your wedding photographer, we are always happy to help!
1.5 hour - Getting Ready
15 min - First look
30 min - Ceremony
30 min - Family Portraits
1.5 hours Wedding Party / Couples portraits
5 min - Grand entrance
1 hour - Dinner
25 min - Speeches
15 min - First Dances
5 min - Cake Cutting
1.5 hour - Any last reception events / party
Thank you
for taking the time to read through this wedding day timeline guide and I hope it will be helpful when planning the timeline for your wedding day! Please don't ever forget that this is your day, so you can truly move through it however you see fit and always remember to stay true to yourselves. Most of this guide is just a suggestion so if there's things in here you don't agree with or want to do THAT'S OKAY, you don't have to do anything you don't want to on your wedding day and always try your best to not let the opinions of other overwhelm you! Best of luck on your wedding planning journey!