How to plan your wedding-day timeline for great photos and film

Your wedding-day timeline has more effect on your photos and film than almost anything else. Not the camera, not the edit: the timeline. A day that’s rushed, or that puts portraits in the harshest light of the afternoon, makes everything harder. Here’s how to plan one that works for you and gives you the images you’re hoping for.

Start with sunset

The light in the hour or so before sunset, often called golden hour, is soft, warm and flattering. It’s when we’d love ten minutes with you for portraits. Look up the sunset time for your date and venue, then plan backwards.

Times are approximate for mid-month in London; Essex and Suffolk are a few minutes earlier. Check the exact time for your date on a site like timeanddate.com.

A sample summer timeline

Here’s a typical shape for a summer wedding with a 2pm ceremony. Every day is different, but it shows where the time goes.

• 10:30 Getting ready coverage begins (details, hair and make-up finishing, friends and family)
• 13:30 Groom and guests at the ceremony venue
• 14:00 Ceremony
• 14:30 Confetti, then drinks reception
• 14:45 Group photos (keep the list short)
• 15:15 Short couple portraits, then back to your guests
• 16:30 Wedding breakfast
• 18:30 Speeches
• 19:30 Evening guests arrive
• 20:30 Golden-hour portraits (10 to 15 minutes)
• 21:00 First dance and party

Our tips for each part of the day

Getting ready: give it room

Running late in the morning is the most common reason a day feels rushed. Build in a 20 to 30 minute buffer for hair and make-up, and have outfits, rings and details ready in one place.

The ceremony: check the rules

Some ceremony venues and officiants have rules about where photographers and videographers can stand, or ask for no photos during certain parts. Ask early so there are no surprises.

Confetti: make it a moment

Plan where it happens and make sure guests have confetti in their hands before you walk out. Walk slowly. It’s over in seconds.

Group photos: shorter list, happier guests

Bridebook suggests allowing 30 to 45 minutes for wedding party photos. In our experience a focused list of eight to ten groups, with a family member who knows everyone to round people up, keeps things moving and gets you back to your drinks reception.

Couple portraits: little and often

Rather than one long session, we prefer a quick one after the ceremony and another at golden hour. You barely leave your guests, and you get two very different looks.

Speeches: think about the timing

Speeches traditionally come after the meal, but many couples now have them before so speakers can relax and enjoy their food. Either works for us; just let us know the order and make sure the room isn’t too dark.

The evening: tell us about the big moments

First dance, cake cutting, any surprises or a sparkler send-off. If they’re on the timeline, we’ll be ready for them.

Winter weddings

With sunset before 4pm in December, the light disappears quickly. Consider an earlier ceremony, do couple portraits straight afterwards, and embrace the cosy evening: candlelight, fairy lights and a packed dance floor look wonderful on camera.

Starting to plan? Get in touch and we can talk timings, even before you book.

Sources: sunset times calculated for London (approximate); Bridebook wedding-day timeline.