Are you wanting dreamy sunset photos and not sure how to achieve that?

I always meet with my brides up to a month before their wedding date to help them create a timeline but here is a general wedding day timeline that might help you decide on when to plan your ceremony time.

10am – Getting Ready

2:30pm – Bride and Groom First Look

3:45pm – Family Formals

4:00pm – Bridal Party Portraits

4:30pm – Freshen up!

5pm – Ceremony

5:30pm – Sunset Bride and Groom Portraits

6pm – Reception Grand Entrance

6:30pm – Dinner

7:45pm – Toasts and Parent Dances

8pm – Dancing

8:30pm – Cake Cutting!

10pm –Send Off

Things may change if…

• This timeline is ideal through wedding season which is May-Oct. Once the time changes the “golden hours” or sunset time will change.

• You could do the Bride and Groom Sunset Portraits during the reception so that you could avoid a longer cocktail hour which is also a plus side of creating a timeline with a First Look. Sunset times are likely to happen during your reception so that is definitely a wonderful time to get all of that yummy glowy light.

• If you decide not to do a First Look.

• You could replace the After Ceremony Bride and Groom portraits with Family Formals if all of your family isn’t here before the ceremony begins.

• I always say one hour of dancing is more then enough time. The same people that are on the dance floor for the first hour are usually there till the end.

• If you aren’t doing a First Look you will need to have a longer cocktail hour to include most of the portraits after the ceremony.

Pro Tip – Give your timeline a little cushion in case getting ready times run over or family formals run over.

Want to see more of Danielle and Ryan’s Wedding day? Click Here.

Pro Tip – hire a wedding day coordinator to help with time management.