Tips for Creating Your Wedding Day Timeline from a Hawaii Luxury Wedding Photographer
Planning the perfect wedding day comes with it’s own fair share of challenges. From finding your dream team of wedding vendors, to choosing a wedding venue that fits your vision, there are a lot of moving pieces to keep track of and plan for. One essential piece of this puzzle is the actual timeline for your wedding day. As a luxury wedding photographer here in Hawaii, I understand the challenges that come with creating the perfect wedding day timeline firsthand, which is what’s lead to this article’s creation. Let’s go over some quick tips I’ve picked up over the years to help you create the best timeline for your wedding day!
Consider Booking a Wedding Planner
The first tip I have is one that can not only make creating your wedding timeline simple and stress free, but also elevate the overall experience of planning your wedding: booking a wedding planner. A wedding planner is a vendor that many couples would consider essential after booking one for their wedding day. Their entire job is to make sure that every part of the planning process goes smoothly and allows you to create the wedding day of your dreams without stressing over every detail! A huge part of this is in their timeline creation expertise, which will allow them to layout the plan of your day accurately, giving you real answers to whether or not certain things will fit into the day, or if you need to adjust.
I want to note that some wedding venues here on the Islands of Hawaii actually require couples to book wedding planners in order to use their space, so this may be a given for you!
Overestimate Travel Time
If you intend on planning your wedding day timeline yourselves, or you’re looking for additional details to bring up to your wedding planner, the next tip I have is to overestimate your travel time. Your wedding day consists of multiple key moments. From getting ready, to the first look (if you’re having one), to your ceremony, portrait photos, cocktail hour, and your reception. There’s a lot that you’ll get to be a part of and enjoy! If you have to travel between locations for these events though, it’s best to give yourselves a bit of leeway in your travel time estimates. The last thing you want is to get stuck in traffic and have to push everything back, potential missing out on one of a kind moments from your day.
The best part of overestimating your travel time is that if you do end up having extra time it can be spent either getting portrait photos taken, or enjoying the company of your loved ones!
Take Into Account Venue Change Times
Another key item to consider when planning your wedding day timeline is any changeover time your wedding venue may have. Whether your wedding venue uses the same space for ceremonies, cocktail hours, and/or receptions, or you want these events to take place in the same beautiful space, it takes time to change from one setup to the next. This is something that you’ll want to plan for in your wedding day timeline and make the most of. This can be a great time for wedding portraits as an example.
Note any Hard Set Times
Along the same line of thought as above, the hard set times of your wedding day are incredibly important when putting together your timeline. This includes things like a set time your ceremony must conclude by, a hard set reception end time, and when your vendors end times are set within their contracts. All of these details are crucial to keep in mind, and also help you to structure your day.
Set Aside Time for Yourselves
The final tip I have before we take a look at some sample wedding day timelines is to set aside time for yourselves on your day. While it is true that you’ll be spending the majority of the day together, especially after your ceremony, it still is a day that is filled to the brim with events and interactions with your friends and family. As such, it’s very common for your wedding day to feel like it is flying by. Setting aside designated time during your day where you can just be present with one another is highly underrated. Even if it’s only 15 minutes, it’s a moment where you two can enjoy some actual time with one another, taking in all the magic of the day, and enjoying it after all of the hard work you put into making it a reality!
Sample Timelines
The following are two sample wedding day timelines to give you an idea of what they can look like, one with a first look and one without:
Wedding Day Timeline with a First Look
1:00 - Photographer Arrives and Photographs Details
1:30 - Getting Ready Photos of the Couple
2:30 - First Look
2:45 - Wedding Party Photos
3:30 - Leave for the Venue
4:30 - Ceremony Begins
5:00 - Ceremony Concludes and then Family Photos Begin
5:30 - Couples Portraits
6:00 - Reception Entrance with First Dance
6:30 - Dinner
7:25 - Sunset Portraits
7:45 - Reception Speeches
8:15 - Special Dances
8:30 - Cake Cutting
8:40 - Open Dance Begins
9:00 - Fake Exit and the Photographer Leaves
Wedding Day Timeline Without a First Look
1:00 - Photographer Arrives and Photographs Details
1:30 - Getting Ready Photos with Partner 1
2:15 - Getting Ready Photos with Partner 2
3:00 - Leave for the Venue
4:00 - Ceremony Begins
4:30 - Ceremony Concludes and then Family Photos Begin
5:00 - Wedding Party Photos
5:30 - Couples Portraits
6:00 - Reception Entrance with First Dance
6:30 - Dinner
7:25 - Sunset Photos
7:45 - Reception Speeches
8:15 - Special Dances
8:30 - Cake Cutting
8:40 - Open Dance Begins
9:00 - Fake Exit and the Photographer Leaves
Keep these tips in mind as you begin planning your wedding day timeline so that you can have the wedding you’ve always dreamt of! For an in-depth guide on how to plan a luxury wedding day here in Hawaii check out this article. If you’d like to see more of my work head over to my Journal or Instagram, and if you’re ready to book me as your wedding photographer head to my contact page to inquire today!
