Sample Wedding Timeline | Virginia Wedding Photographer

Photography, Wedding Wednesday, Weddings

Sep 25, 2013

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Often times when a bride is planning her wedding, she works with a coordinator to ensure everything happens in the proper order and within the allotted time for the couple’s day.  While this is great, it’s important to keep your photographer in the loop with the wedding day timeline as we have to fulfill the bride and groom’s request for shots and we need to know how much time we have been given to work with.  A 30-minute portrait timeline may seem like a lot of time but if a bride has 10 combinations of family members that she wants photos with, we’re talking less than 3 minutes per group once you gather everyone and take several photos.  This doesn’t include the portraits of the bride and groom and the travel time (if needed) to the reception venue!

For couples that opt not do have a “First Look” it’s perfectly fine, however there still needs to be ample time between the time the bride and groom are finished getting dressed to the start of the ceremony. Below is a sample timeline based on 8 hours* of photography coverage that will allow for plenty of portrait time for the bride and her bridesmaids and the groom and his groomsmen prior to the start of the ceremony that does not require the bride and groom to see each other until she walks down the aisle!

*I do not consider the time that the couple and guests are eating as shooting time, so you will see more than 8 hours of coverage in this timeline.

Also, this timeline is based on a Summer wedding where the sun sets later in the evening than an Autumn or Winter wedding.

2:00- Photography coverage starts
2:15- Groom finishes getting dressed
2:30- Groom and Groomsmen Portraits
3:00- Finish Groom Portraits / Photographer goes to Bride’s Location (*This assumes that the Bride & Groom are getting ready in the same location (i.e. hotel))
3:10- Bridal Preparation Photos / Detail Shots
3:30- Bride puts on gown
3:45- Bridal Portraits and Bridesmaid Portraits
4:15- Finish Bridal Portraits / Bride freshens make-up / Bride waits for Ceremony to Start
4:30-4:45- Guests arrive
5:00-Ceremony Starts
5:30- Ceremony Ends

5:45- Family Formals

6:00- Cocktail Hour

6:45: Arrive at Reception / Bridal party photos
7:10- Introductions
7:20- First dance
7:30- Prayer / Dinner
8:15- Father/Daughter, Mother/Son dance
8:30- Toasts
9:00- Cake Cutting
9:15- Bouquet & Garter Toss
10:45- Photography coverage ends
12:00- Reception ends


Terri Baskin is a Virginia-based wedding and lifestyle photographer. Terri is passionate about her work and has shot weddings in Virginia, Washington, DC, Maryland, North Carolina, Georgia and St. Lucia! Her work has been featured on various wedding blogs such as Capitol Romance, United with Love, Every Last Detail and Pretty Brass Tacks. To book her for your engagement or lifestyle session or your wedding, please contact us today!

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