How to Create a Photo & Video Timeline for Your Wedding Day | Maine Photographer & Videographer
Maybe you're in the beginning phases of planning your wedding or you're just a few months away and starting to dive into timeline details and you're curious about what that looks like when it comes to photo & video.
We love to work closely with our couples and their planners to help design a timeline that works around YOU and your celebration. Your day is not about photos. It's about spending it with each other and celebrating with your family and friends. We want to help you create a timeline that works around it.
We usually recommend coverage starting with the getting ready process and ending with 30 minutes to 1 hour after all your formalities are finished at the reception. Of course you may need additional coverage if you have multiple locations, longer ceremonies, or an after party/grand exit you want captured. However, for the most part our starting package of 8 hours is enough coverage.
So what happens during the 8 hours? The most important thing to remember is that every wedding is unique and you can make your own rules as far as timeline goes. However, we find it's helpful for our couples to see what a "typical" day looks like from our perspective and then we can go from there.
We're going to break it down with two sample timelines - one with a first look and one without.
SAMPLE TIMELINE
with a first look
12:00 - Details & Getting Ready
2:15 - First Look & Couple Portraits
2:45 - Wedding Party Photos
3:30pm - Stop all formal photos/videos to breathe, relax, and prepare for ceremony
4:00pm - Ceremony
4:30 - 5:30 pm - Cocktail Hour
family photos
remaining photos we did not complete prior to ceremony
5:30 - Reception
7:00 - Sunset Photos
8:00 - End Coverage
SAMPLE TIMELINE
without a first look
1:00 - Details & Getting Ready
2:30 - Bridesmaid Portraits
3:00 - Groomsmen Portraits
3:30pm - Stop all formal photos/videos to breathe, relax, and prepare for ceremony
4:00pm - Ceremony
4:30 - 5:30 pm - Cocktail Hour
family photos
full wedding party photos
couple photos
5:30 - Reception
7:00 - Sunset Photos
9:00 - End Coverage
I think the most important thing to remember when creating your timeline is to allow for space to let moments unfold naturally. You don't want to be rushed from one to thing to the next and sometimes, things do run a tad behind for one reason or another so building in that extra padding is always key to a stress-free day.
When you work with us, we send you a questionnaire about two months before your wedding. We dive into questions about not only your timeline and details but also your love story and vision for the day so that we can get to know you guys better and prioritize what's important to you. After that questionnaire is complete, we schedule a call to go over all the details and run through timeline so that we can best capture your wedding day.
And one final tip - hire a wedding planner. Even the most type A organized couple needs someone in their corner on the wedding day to take over that role and help things run seamlessly. You want to be present in the moment and a wedding planner or day of coordinator can help you leading up to and executing your dream wedding day.
Questions about creating your wedding timeline when it comes to photo & video? Send us an email at hello@thelibbysphotoandfilms.com. We've captured hundreds of weddings and are happy to provide creative solutions to help you maximize time on your wedding day.
