Toronto & GTA Candid Wedding, Elopement & Branding Photographer | Giulia Moltisanti Photography

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Creating your wedding day timeline - samples + tips

Giulia Moltisanti

It can be hard to create a timeline and know how much time you need for certain parts of that day, especially if you’ve never done it before.

You might be asking yourself things like:

  1. What does a typical wedding day timeline look like?

  2. When should my ceremony start?

  3. What time do I need to be ready by?

Well don’t worry, I got you. First, let’s start with some things to consider when thinking about our timeline and then we’ll jump into sample timelines for your wedding that you can use as a jumping off point for yourself.

TIPS + THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN PLANNING THE TIMELINE FOR YOUR WEDDING

  • ALWAYS add buffer time to each part of the day, that way if things run behind at different points in the day, you have already accounted for a little bit of extra time and it leaves your stress-free! Typically add about 10 minutes buffer time onto each section.

  • Account for more travel time than you think. This goes with the buffer time thing above, but when it comes to driving to different locations, maybe add in a bit more than that 10 minute buffer time to account for possible traffic

  • Leave yourselves 30 minutes before the ceremony. This extra time will allow for if anyone is running late, OR if everything is on time, it's just a minute for you to catch your breath during a busy day.

  • Remember the light! Sunset times vary based off the season, so if you are wanting photos outdoors, you have to keep in mind what time of day it will get dark. For example, if you have a 4pm ceremony in the winter and plan to do all your photos outside afterwards, chances are that can't happen since it will be dark outside by the time your ceremony is done.

HOW MUCH TIME DO YOU NEED TO CAPTURE EACH PORTION OF THE DAY

  • GETTING READY - ABOUT 1 HOUR

  • FIRST LOOK / FIRST TOUCH- ABOUT 15 - 20 MINUTES

  • COUPLE PHOTOS - ABOUT 30 - 40 MINUTES

  • WEDDING PARTY - ABOUT 30 - 40 MINUTES DEPENDING ON HOW LARGE THE PARTY IS

  • FAMILY FORMALS - ABOUT 20 MINUTES, BUT REMEMBER THE MORE COMBOS YOU HAVE, THE LONGER TIME YOU WILL NEED. ASSUME YOU WILL NEED TO ADD ABOUT 3 MINUTES PER GROUPING.

SAMPLE TIMELINE (WITH FIRST LOOK)

  • 1:30 PM - GETTING READY

  • 3:15 PM - FIRST LOOK

  • 3:30 PM - COUPLES PHOTOS

  • 4:00 PM - WEDDING PARTY PHOTOS

  • 4:30 - FINAL TIME BEFORE CEREMONY

  • 5:00 PM - CEREMONY

  • 5:30 PM - FAMILY FORMALS

  • 6:30 PM - DINNER

  • 8:30 PM - DANCING STARTS

SAMPLE TIMELINE (NO FIRST LOOK)

  • 1:45 PM - GETTING READY

  • 3:30 PM - FINAL TIME BEFORE CEREMONY

  • 4:00 PM - CEREMONY

  • 4:40 PM - FAMILY FORMALS

  • 5:00 PM - WEDDING PARTY PHOTOS + COUPLE PHOTOS

  • 6:15 PM - DINNER

  • 8:30 PM - DANCING STARTS

An intimate wedding & elopement photographer who captures genuine, authentic moments and photos that evoke emotion and comfort.

I’m always ready to hop on a plane and adventure with you!

Wedding photographer based in Toronto & GTA.