"Live by grace, through faith."
Meet Olivia — a North Dakota native now living in sunny Arizona. Throughout our time together, I'll be your photographer, hype woman, stylist, and friend all in one. Let's get to know each other!
As wedding photographers, we know how chaotic wedding days can get. Between the excitement, the emotions, and the nonstop action, keeping everything on track is key to getting the best photos and creating a smooth experience for your clients. One of the most crucial elements of a successful wedding day is a well-thought-out timeline. A solid wedding day timeline ensures you’re in the right place at the right time, and it keeps the couple and guests relaxed too. Here are 5 practical tips on how to create a seamless wedding day timeline that helps everyone stay on track.
Everything revolves around the ceremony. Once you know the start time, work backward from there to map out your day. Determine when your couple wants to do their first look, when you’ll get family formals done, and when you need to start portraits for the couple and wedding party. Doing this early sets the foundation for the entire day and helps you visualize where everything fits. Be sure to keep in mind that the best natural light is during the day—so planning portraits during the daylight hours is ideal.
Wedding days rarely go exactly according to plan, and that’s okay! Expect a few hiccups: a late bride, someone running late to family formals, or the traffic between venues. That’s why you need to build in some buffer time between each section of the day. A little extra padding—10 to 15 minutes here and there—helps you stay on schedule, and it gives you some breathing room if things fall behind. Plus, it gives you more time for those unplanned but beautiful candid moments.
Don’t forget about the magic that happens during golden hour. The soft light just before sunset is the perfect time for romantic, dreamy photos of the couple. When creating your timeline, make sure to calculate the exact time of sunset for the wedding day and plan couple portraits around that. This also means you need to make sure the couple is ready at that time—so communicate early about when you’ll need them and why it’s worth stepping away from the reception for a few minutes. Trust me, it’s worth it!
It’s always a good idea to communicate with the other vendors involved. Wedding planners, florists, DJs, and caterers all have their own schedules, and it’s important to sync up with them. A photographer’s timeline can affect when the cake is cut, when guests are invited to the reception, or when speeches are made. By touching base with the key vendors before the big day, you’ll ensure everyone’s on the same page and avoid any surprises on the day of the wedding.
Once you’ve put together your timeline, make sure your couple has a copy. This helps them feel more prepared and reassures them that you’ve got everything covered. It’s also important to let them know why certain parts of the day (like getting ready photos) need to start earlier than they might expect. The clearer the communication, the less stress they’ll feel, and the better you can both enjoy the day. A well-informed couple will be more relaxed, which means you’ll get more authentic, candid photos.
Creating a seamless wedding day timeline isn’t just about staying on schedule—it’s about setting your couple up for a stress-free day and allowing you to capture the best possible moments. By starting with a clear structure, building in buffer time, syncing with other vendors, and communicating with your couple, you can make sure everything runs smoothly. Follow these 5 tips for how to create a seamless wedding day timeline, and you’ll find that the day goes much more smoothly for everyone involved.
If you are a bride reading this, book with LivByGrace for your wedding photography, and you won’t have to worry about the timeline! I will work with you to create a detailed timeline that will make the day go by so seamlessly from start to finish.
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“Liv did our wedding photos and we were SO impressed with her work. She took the time to know exactly what and how we wanted our day captured and she payed attention to detail. My husband and I (and our friends and family) were blown AWAY by Liv’s photos!! PLUS she got a preview to us in 2 DAYS! And we got all of our photos back shortly after. She’s so personable yet professional. I can’t recommend Liv enough!!”
Simon + Morgan are a special couple to me. They met at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota when they had a class together and were college sweethearts! They have a sweet pup named Banks, who I have had the honor of meeting on a few occasions! I have been able to photograph Simon’s proposal to […]
- Morgan & Simon Zahrbock
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