If you’re in the process of wedding planning right now, it's likely that you have had to consider the timeline of your day. While planning your wedding day timeline isn’t as exciting as other aspects, having a well-thought-out timeline is crucial to ensuring that your day runs smoothly. Putting together a detailed timeline to give to your vendors and other important wedding day planners ensures that everyone is on the same page for the day. Planning your wedding day timeline doesn’t have to be challenging and it helps to eliminate any additional stress that may occur!

Below, I’ve created some of the most important things to think about when planning your timeline including how long each part of the day takes, as well as a few samples listed below, depending on what you want your day to look like.

It can feel overwhelming to navigate through all of the information that you have been given and the last thing you should do is make a schedule that best accommodates others. The last thing I would want is for you to look back on your wedding day and wish that things could have been done differently. This day is all about the love you share, telling your story, and celebrating with all of your best people.

Here are 3 things to consider when planning your wedding day timeline:

What are the most important parts of the day for you?
Make the big decisions. Pick a time for ceremony and supper and then fill in the gaps.
Consider location. If everything is taking place at one location, great. If not, plan extra time for travel between locations.

Schedule enough time for everything.

Decide if you’re going to do a first look as this can influence the schedule of your wedding day. Many opt to do a first look to share private vows prior to the ceremony. Others prefer a first look solely for the practicality of the day. If you’re on the fence about whether or not to do a first look or not, I wrote a blog about this topic. Next, determine how long you’ll need to schedule for each part of the day. Below are the numbers that I used as a rough estimate for the amount of time that I needed to take the photos. This time frame can vary depending on a number of variables including your photographers preferences, hair and makeup team, etc., and so ensure that you check with them too! These numbers can also change based on the amount of family members, bridal party size, and location.

Family portraits - 30 min

Wedding party portraits - 30 min

Couples portraits - 60 min

More time is better than less time.

When planning your wedding day timeline, it’s so important to schedule extra time throughout the day. One of the biggest mistakes I see couples make is not allowing themselves enough time to enjoy the day but rather race to ensure that every detail has fallen in place. So, you want to do a first look at a really epic location or read letters to one another before the ceremony? Allow time for it! Prioritize what’s important to you. Let me be the first to say, MORE time is better than LESS time. Following the ceremony, I always encourage couples to leave about a 15 minute window as your guests will be excited to greet you and this can tend to delay our start time for photographs. To avoid this, exit immediately after the ceremony and have your officiant communicate this with guests.

Think about what you want your day to look like.

Start by building your wedding day timeline with the least flexible things and go from there. These things are typically your ceremony and supper. Next, think about how you want your day to feel. If there are things on your ‘must-have’ list, make sure you save time for these. I’ve made a list below of additional photo opts that tend to take additional time on wedding days. generally make for good photos but often run out of time. Some of these are listed below. If you want to include any of these, it’s important to have them in your timeline so that you don’t miss the opportunity to have them!

Exchanging gifts with your families/parents
A first look with your partner/wedding party/parents
Details shots
Sunset portraits
Sparkler exit

Sample Wedding Timelines

These timelines assume that everything is taking place at one spot. If not, plan for additional travel between locations. I always suggest to my couples to leave a 15 minute window whenever you can. If you don’t plan on having a wedding party, you can eliminate the time reserved for them and push everything back further.

Option 1: First Look, Portraits, Ceremony

1:30pm: First look

1:45pm: Couples portraits

3:00pm: Wedding party portraits

4:00pm: Ceremony

4:45pm: Family portraits, guests head to reception

5:00pm: Reception

6:00pm: Supper

7:30pm: Speeches

9:00pm: Dance

Option 2: Ceremony, then Portraits

2:00pm: Ceremony

2:45pm: Family portraits

3:30pm: Wedding party portraits

4:15pm: Couples portraits

5:00pm: Reception

6:00pm: Supper

7:30pm: Speeches

9:00pm: Dance

Break down each part of your day.

Getting Ready

I love to encourage couples to do whatever feels right for them on the morning of the wedding. Whether that means sleeping in, getting a good breakfast, or allowing extra time to get ready. Start by touching base with your hair and makeup team so that you have an idea of how long they will need to get the job done and go from there. If you plan to do a first look and portraits prior to the ceremony, you may need to adjust your start time.

Ceremony

Think about how you want your ceremony to look as this could influence the schedule of the day. Maybe you want a later ceremony, followed by supper, reception and the dance. In this case, I would plan for a first look, portraits then ceremony.

Portraits

I also have my couples prepare a shot list for family portraits, typically around 10-15 combinations. I recommend keeping it to the immediate family only. If there are additional groupings that you want captured, you can always save additional time for them during the reception. that ensures that we stay on track and don’t miss any of the important shots. Depending on your ceremony and reception spot, it typically makes the most sense to do your family portraits immediately after the ceremony at the same location. This eliminates extra travel that could otherwise delay the start time for other portraits. If you plan to travel to another location for the remaining portraits, ensure that you save time for travel between places. Consider saving time in the evening for sunset portraits as it allows the two of you to be alone for a short while and also getting great pictures while the sun goes down.

Reception

Your reception will typically last 2-8 hours depending on what you envision for the day. Ensure that your DJ has a copy of your schedule so that they have an idea of what the evening will look like. I would estimate about 5 minutes for each dance that’s going to take place including couples dance, parents, etc. Especially later in the evening, it’s important that your MC communicates with your guests when everything is taking place which allows them to refill their drinks or use the washroom without feeling like they are going to miss something. Having a timeline that’s well planned out leaves room in case things don’t always go as planned which could lead to a later start time for the remainder of the day!

If you’re still feeling stuck, that’s okay. Don’t lose sight of the most important thing here which is the adventure you’ve been on to get to where you are today. Let the day reflect that, and bask in all of the joy it brings, and will continue to long after the day is over.