Today I’m giving you all my little secrets on wedding day timelines and why they are important to have. If you don’t know what a wedding timeline is, NO worries! I actually didn’t have a clue what a wedding timeline was before I was a wedding photographer. (hints why my mother missed us cutting our cake at my own wedding) A wedding timeline is just a guide of events that happen on your wedding day with a time they will be happening. Pretty simple right? A wedding timeline is normally something your wedding planner puts together to keep everyone organized the day of your wedding. If you don’t have a wedding planner this is something I as a photographer love to help all my brides with and work with them to make one that fits their big day.

#1   When and Where?

Timelines let your wedding party and family members know the when and where of the events and they also tell your wedding vendors a little more information about your day. Now not to say that this timeframe of events will be exact because but it does give everyone a heads up on what’s happening next. I will say that having a wedding planner or someone designated for this helps so much on keeping everything on time and organizing your big day.

#2.     When will your vendors arrive?

When you plan out your timeline it’s so important to know when your vendors will arrive. The flowers are such an important part of the day and making sure they arrive before your photographer is key. This helps to take as many photos beforehand as possible.

#3.     When will dinner be served?

The next vendor to check with is catering, what time will dinner be ready to serve? This truly determines most of your events at your reception and hey, who doesn’t love when dinner is ready!

#4      When is the ceremony?

This one is a huge factor in almost every aspect of planning your wedding day, all the way from the invitations, to the reception time. This is something we as photographers highly recommend you checking the sunset times with before you set your ceremony time. If you’re having a natural light wedding photographer this is a big factor in making sure your portraits are taken in the most beautiful sunlight. We always recommend checking the sunset online for the exact date of your wedding day. Then once you know what time the sun is setting you can plan accordingly, before setting your ceremony time check with your photographer to make sure there is enough light for your portraits 🙂

#5      Making announcements!

Timelines are a wonderful tool for your DJ or band. It helps them to know when to announce what’s happening next. Having a great DJ or band not only helps keep your wedding events flowing but always ensures the bride and groom can enjoy dancing the night away.

 

I hoped this helped to explain the wedding day timeline a little more and why we think they are so important. Please, if you have any more questions about making a wedding timeline reach out to kaiti@kaitimoyersphotography.com 🙂