Wedding Timelines
A good wedding timeline is one of the most important pieces to planning a stress-free wedding day! You do not want to be worrying about a thing on the most important day of your life! Creating a solid, organized timeline will allow you to flow through the day seamlessly, enjoying every magical moment to the fullest!
Hair and makeup, the dress, the first look, walking down the aisle, saying your vows, the kiss, the family photos, the wedding party photos, the speeches, the dances, the party, the cake-cutting and everything in between! The more details that you can add to your timeline, the better!
This timeline is specifically geared towards my full-day coverage of weddings with an afternoon ceremony that includes a first look. When you book with me, I will help you create a customized timeline that focuses on the events that are most important to you!
The Perfect Afternoon Wedding Timeline
7:30 - Hair and makeup artists arrive
Your hair and makeup artists will need time to set up and talk through their plans with the bridal party.
8:00 - Hair and makeup appointments begin, the bridal party starts getting ready
This takes time! Depending on how many are in your bridal party, you may need to start earlier. Don't forget to order some yummy drinks and food during this time! You will want to take the time to eat before you get your dress on.
10:00 - Photographer arrives for getting-ready photos (guys)
This is when my photography services start! I'll head straight over to the guys for their getting-ready photos! These don't take too long. The hardest part is usually keeping the groomsmen in line and on time! ;)
10:40 - Photographer arrives for getting-ready photos (girls)
Now it's your turn for getting-ready photos! These are some of my favourite photos to capture during the day!
11:00 - Wedding dress steam and press
If you need to, now's the time to prime your dress!
11:20 - Bride puts on the dress
Yes! It's finally time for the dress! Hopefully you have remembered to eat something by now (don't worry, I'll remind you!), and we'll take our time getting some detailed shots of you in the dress of your dreams!
12:10 - Wedding party departs for the ceremony
Time to go! I'll usually duck out just before you so I can get some great shots of you arriving at your ceremony location. This time can be tweaked depending on how long the drive is to your location.
12:40 - Arrive at the ceremony location
Hopefully I've arrived a couple of minutes before you so that I can capture those classic shots of you arriving at the location, and getting out of your ride.
12:45 - First look
If you've chosen to do the first look, I'll have your groom ready in our photo location with his back faced away from you. Then while I get into position, you can start walking towards him and I'll capture the whole thing!
1:00 - Bride & Groom portraits
Now that you've seen each other, it's time for your portraits! This is such a special moment for just the two of you.
1:30 - Ceremony music starts playing
By playing some music as your guests arrive, you set the tone for the event and help alleviate any awkward waiting time, especially if you have guests arrive early.
2:00 - Ceremony start time listed on wedding invitation
Hot tip: Brides get to show up to their ceremony fashionably late. Not only does that allow extra time for any straggler guests, but it also builds anticipation before the music changes and you're walking down the aisle! I will sneak into the ceremony for some photos of your ceremony venue, as well as the arrival of your guests.
2:15 - Ceremony
This is the moment we've all been waiting for, and I'll be there to capture everything from the moment you start walking down the aisle, to his reaction when he first sees you, your vows, the kiss, the celebration!
3:45 - Family photos
Once you've had a chance to mingle for a few minutes after the ceremony, it's my job to help keep everyone on schedule. So at this point, I'll steal you away and we'll get going on family photos. At our last meeting before the wedding day, we will have created a list of all the important family members with whom you'd like photos with.
4:30 - Wedding party photos
Now the fun really begins! It's time for wedding party photos and they're always a blast!
5:30 - Cocktail Hour
As we finish up our photos, the cocktail hour will begin and it's the perfect time to mingle with your guests! Meanwhile, I'll be there to capture photos of your guests, and any details that are important to you!
6:30 - Guests Invited to Dinner
The official reception is about to begin, and your guests will begin to find their dinner seats.
6:45 - Grand Entrance and First Dance
It's time to officially present the newlyweds for the first time! Get that music pumping and dance on in! From here, your wedding party will take their seats at the head table while the two of you make your way to center stage. It's time for the iconic first dance!
6:50 - Welcome Toasts from Hosts
As you complete your first dance, you will make your way to your seats at the head table while your hosts officially welcome your guests and the reception begins.
7:00 - Dinner
The best way to keep your guests happy and enjoying themselves is to feed them! Time to chow down!
7:50 - Wedding Party & Family Toasts
As dinner is wrapping up, the wedding party and family members you have chosen will start their speeches. Get out the tissues for these ones!
8:30 - Parent Dances followed by an open dance floor
Once we've dried our eyes after those heart-felt, hilarious toats, it's time to hit the dance floor once more with the parent dances. After those dances are over, the DJ will crank up the tunes and invite your guests to join you on the dance floor. Let the party begin - and don't forget to save a dance or two for me!
9:15 - Cake cutting, bouquet toss, garter toss, bride & groom speech
After everyone has had a chance to show off their best moves, we will move to the cake cutting, bouquet and garter toss, followed by a speech from the two of you.
9:30 - Open dance floor
The party is really only just getting started now! Back to the dance floor it is! Enjoy this time with your new spouse and visit with more friends and family!
10:00 - Photography services typically end
That's a full 12-hour workday for me, and I'm sure I will have loved every minute of it! Now I will head straight home to back up all of your precious wedding day images before I go to bed! I will be so eager to send you some sneak peeks in just a day or two! (PS - I can stay longer if you need me to! We can chat about that!)
11:30 - Grand Exit
By this point in the night, you're probably starting to look forward to your honeymoon! How many times in our life do we get the chance to make a grand exit? Not many as grand as this one! Confetti? Champagne? Sparklers? Now's the time to say goodnight and make an epic exit. (If you want to stay and capture this, I can!) Now it's off to the greatest adventure of all: a beautiful marriage with the love of your life!
Customize Your Timeline
I'm sure you can tell by now that I'm passionate about helping my couples plan their perfect day! Every wedding day is different, and each couple has different priorities. I want to work with you to create a timeline that reflects who you are and what is most important to you!
Let's Plan Together
Contact me by clicking the button below, and we'll start planning for the wedding of your dreams!
Rebecca Westman
Rebecca Westman is an adventurous wedding, elopement, destination and lifestyle photographer, passionate about capturing real-life love stories and authentic family connection.
She lives with her family near Lloydminster on the Saskatchewan / Alberta border, and loves to travel!
If you're looking for an incredible photographer who also doubles as your new best friend, you've found her!
Contact her to start planning your adventure now!
