Wedding timeline planning can be super confusing. I mean, what you’ve never planned a wedding before?! (JK!) We are here to help! We work with our couples to plan their timeline so that they can make the most of their day! Here are the idea time commitments for an Indiana Wedding!
Below, each time of a typical wedding day is planned out. Each part of the day also has helpful tips and tricks to make it go smoothly! Timelines can be really tailored to fit each couple. Remember, this day is about YOU!
Rings, Dress, Shoes, Oh MY! (The Details!)
Ideal Time Allotment: 45 minutes- 60 minutes
When: Morning
Tips/Suggestions: One of the best ways to set up your wedding album is to have details of your day. You spent months planning all the little details, so plan to have us capture them! We usually include the invitations, shoes, jewelry, dress, rings (both sets), veil, loose floral pieces, bouquets, perfume, and any other meaningful pieces. For the groom we include his tux, tie/bow tie, shoes, boutonniere, cologne, watch, cuff links, and any other meaningful pieces.
Preparation
Ideal Time Allotment: 60 minutes
When: Morning/Early Afternoon
Tips/Suggestions: The next thing you usually put into your wedding album are the final touches of preparation. We usually spend about 30 minutes documenting you & your bridal party getting your makeup/hair finished and then the details of putting your dress on! We LOVE to also capture first looks with your bridal party at this time. The groom and his groomsmen don’t usually take as long, but we still love to include little details such as his groomsmen getting ready, his mom putting on his boutonniere, etc.
First Look
Ideal Time Allotment: 25-30 minutes
When: Early Afternoon
Tips/Suggestions: One of the best ways to make the most of your wedding photography is to have a first look! You will literally get more than 35% more photos of you two (and that is what you will hang on your walls!). We plan the first look as soon as both parties are ready so that we can maximize our time! First looks give you an opportunity to have a special moment with your partner before the busy day officially begins! First looks also allow you to get a majority of your photos done before the ceremony, which allows you to have plenty of time for family photos and your couple session in between the ceremony & reception. Having a first look creates some of the idea time commitments for an Indiana wedding!
Wedding Party Photos
Ideal Time Allotment: 45 minutes- 1hour
When: Early Afternoon/Afternoon
Tips/Suggestions: During this time we get a variety of shots (in multiple locations) of both parties together, whole bridal party with flower girls & ring bearers, bridesmaids & bride, groomsmen & groom, bride & groom with ring bearer & flower girl, bride with groomsmen, groom with bridesmaids, groom with each of his groomsmen, and bride with each of her bridesmaids.
Ceremony
Ideal Time Allotment: 15-60 minutes
When: Afternoon
Tips/Suggestions: Ceremony times can range from 15 minutes (short & sweet) to 45 minutes-1 hour. It totally depends on you guys! But don’t forget, if you add a receiving line it can add on up to 30 more minutes to this time.
Announcement of The Couple
Ideal Time Allotment: 15 minutes
When: Immediately following ceremony
Tips/Suggestions: Once you have finished your receiving line (if you choose to do one), lots of couples choose to do announcement photos. If these are with a car, we like to spend some time photographing the couple with the car when you return! If you are doing confetti toss/bubbles (or something similar) it takes a little bit of time to line guests up! Either way we LOVE these types of photos! (TIP: save some confetti/bubbles so we can use them with your bridal party/couples session later)
Family Photos
Ideal Time Allotment: 45- 60 minutes
When: Post Ceremony
Tips/Suggestions: Formals can various amounts of times depending on how large both parties’ families are. We recommend photographing immediate family only after the ceremony and then taking extended family photos at the reception ( but we can do it either way, as long as we have time!). Plan on about 3 minutes per small group on average. Plan about 5 minutes per large group. (It is also especially helpful if the officiant announces that immediate family members should stay close for photos after ceremony!) This eliminates wait time to try to find those family members for photos.
We also recommend having a representative from your family who doesn’t mind gathering/finding family members for us (if only we knew your whole family!) 🙂 )
Portraits
Ideal Time Allotment: 30-45 minutes
When: After Family Photos
Tips/Suggestions: This time is the MOST important time of your day! These are the photos you will be hanging on your walls (and sharing on social media, because, lets be real that’s fun!). During this time we travel to several different spots around your venue and capture your love and excitement!
Reception
Ideal Time Allotment: 2-3 hours
When: Evening
Tips/Suggestions: There are so many things we love to capture at receptions! First off, after we finish dinner we make sure to capture all the little details you have set up! (We also like to do reception decor before you are announced if possible!) We then capture the first dances, toasts, garter & bouquet tosses, cutting of the cake and of course LOTS OF DANCING!
Sunset Sneak Away Session
Ideal Time Allotment: 20 minutes
When: Sunset
Tips/Suggestions: Its no secret that one of my favorite things to photograph are couples at sunset! I LOVE sneaking couples away from their reception and giving them some time to just take in all of the events from their day. One thing to do is to plan backwards from sunset. Usually we start backwards from the reception to plan so that we make sure sunset photos are in your timeline!
To see photos from a full wedding day, check out our latest Indiana Wedding Blog here! We hope these tips help you while planning for the ideal time commitments for an Indiana wedding!
