Where do I start with a wedding schedule?
This has to be one of the most frequently asked questions from our couples
“How long do we need for the photoshoot?”
“What time do we start Makeup?”
“What time should the ceremony be?”
After attending over 300 weddings over 10 years I now have some idea on how to schedule a wedding from getting ready right through to cutting that delicious cake.
The below guide will help you plan timings on your wedding day and it all starts with working out your ceremony & venue’s finish times.
Don’t take it as gospel, but rather as a guide. Every wedding is unique with its own priorities on certain parts of the day.
Start out with a guideline
Here are your big-ticket items to work out.
What time do you want the ceremony to start?
What time you and your partner need to leave to get to the venue
What time do you want the reception to start?
What time do I get into the dress?
What time does your reception finish? (this is a big one, ask your venue if they have a hard time that your reception concluding as noise restrictions in certain areas will change the flow of your day)
Like I said above I think a lot of how your day runs is based around what time you set your ceremony time, this directly affects how long you have for everything else. A lot of our couples tend to book our services between 1 to 1.5 years out from their wedding date, this leaves plenty of time to work out when is best for your ceremony.
Next time you are at your venue go and stand where you plan to have your ceremony (same time of day/ season as your wedding) and see what it looks like, are you being blinded by the sun? would you prefer the groom to be on the side with the hard light?
Below are the times most people tend to book their ceremonies.
Daylight Savings: Between 3:30 & 4:30 pm
Non-Daylight Savings: Between 2:30 & 3:30 pm
Now the reason I suggest you view your venue is that the above information is completely dependent on your surroundings, for example, Adams Peak, one of the busiest venues in Broke happens to be surrounded by mountains and because of this, the sun tends to disappear roughly 1.5 hours before sunset is supposed to be (according to all weather apps).
Groom Preps: When do I get ready in the morning?
Note: if you have booked an 8-hour package with our team please ensure everyone is showered has a clean room and has their pants & shirts on when we arrive.
This one is a little more dependent on the photographer and if you have booked two shooters in your package or not, If you have booked two shooters generally the photographer will turn up to start capturing you getting ready roughly an hour before you plan to leave to go to the ceremony venue (please include what time you plan to leave in your running order for your photographer)
If you have booked a single shooter package I would suggest trying to book a getting-ready location close to the brides, this means you are not paying your photographer for driving rather than taking photos and you get to get ready later in the day.
If you have a single photographer package we will reach out and organize a starting time with you for groom preps.
Bride Preps: When do I get in the dress?
Your hair and make-up have probably asked by now “What time is your photographer/videographer arriving”
This is to allow us to get those last makeup shots before you finish which is perfect, if you can tell your make-up artist that you have a schedule that you are getting your dress on 1 hour prior to your planned leaving time this will alleviate some issues (generally we will have between 1.5 - 2 hours at your bridal prep)
I am all about having as much time as possible and relaxing through the day rather than running a tight ship.
Quick Tip: Ask that you are to be second last having your makeup done, this reduces rushing on your makeup and allows for additional time if needed, it also means we can start shooting you the moment we arrive.
Note: If you can remember your invite that would be amazing also having your accessories all in a collection together would be great.
The Ceremony & After
Awesome, we have made it to the main part of the day, the I-do’s.
Most secular (non-religious) weddings only tend to last between 20-30 minutes including signing all the documents however if you are religious please allow adequate time and set a timer at your rehearsal if you plan to have one.
Directly after all ceremony, there will be lots of hugs and congratulations, this is the time to get a group photo as no one has snuck off to the bar.
As soon as the group shot is done we would suggest using this time for Family Photos if you plan to have them.
When Planning your Family photos we suggest the following method (allow 20 minutes for the below)
Partner 1: Entire Family with Partners (immediate only)
Partner 1: Entire Family without Partners (immediate only)
Partner 1: Grandparents (So they can go and take a seat)
Partner 1: Parents
Partner 1: Individual shot with each parent and their child (If we didn’t have time for this in the morning)
Partner 1: Siblings & their partners and children
Partner 1: Each sibling with their Brother/Sister
Repeat this with both sides of the family and we are good! if you do wish to add cousins/ uncles and aunties here you can but this does tend to eat into time and you can tend to do this at the reception.
So in theory, if you were having a non-religious wedding and your ceremony was planned for 3:00 pm for example you should have all the formal bits of the ceremony done by 4:00 pm which should be enough time for a Photoshoot (if you allow an hour or so for this).
Photoshoot
So this is totally up to you on personal preference on what you are after on your wedding day, I would, however, say if you are booking in Daylight Savings to please allow at least a half an hour block after the ceremony to get the wedding party and a little bit of you two as a couple and another 15-minute block around sunset.
For non daylight savings we would be stoked with around 40-60 minutes closer to sunset but before your entry to reception but understand if photos are not your priority.
Usually, during the photo shoot, we will try and get through the bridal party photos quickly to allow as much time with the couple as possible and send off the bridal party to continue drinking/eating.
Reception & Wrap up
Okay so this one we kind of have to abide by what the venue suggests for the wrap-up time, noise complaints are real and can cripple a business.
Find out what your venue’s wrap-up time is and work out how long your package is then adjust from this.
Vendor Meals: Okay so generally caterers & venues want to feed vendors last, this is usually due to them wanting to ensure no issues with your guest’s meals and being able to shift things around.
There are two reasons why this is an issue.
1) When people are eating we tend not to be taking photos & videos of people stuffing their faces so it makes sense to have us eating during this time as it is not a great use of our time.
2) If we are fed last it tends to be 10 minutes after all guests have been served and this tends to cause problems with your finely curated running order meanwhile I am shoveling your beautifully cooked chicken down my throat so I can capture the second half of speeches.
Photos at the reception: once all the formalities are done for both photo & video we only really require about 20-30 minutes for dance floor photos & video.
