Having an awesome timeline will dictate the difference between you having a successful wedding\u2026 or you running around like a chicken without a head. I think it\u2019s clear to imagine which one is the best option. Hopefully, with this post, you\u2019ll be able to get a better idea of how to organize yours and actually have the time to take in your day rather than constantly try to fix everything. The easiest way to determine when everything will be happening is by setting your starting point at your ceremony. Chances are, it\u2019s one of the first thing you booked and one of the few things that you can\u2019t change. Receptions always start around 6:30\/7pm\u00a0so, there\u2019s not much to plan there. They can be a little flexible though.<\/p>\n
In this FAKE timeline, I placed the ceremony at 4pm. In our opinion, that\u2019s the ideal time to get married to have a stress-free wedding day (I\u2019ll explain why later)<\/em><\/p>\n Let\u2019s determine how much time everything needs.<\/p>\n While getting ready, there are a few things you will need to plan for. \u00a0Hair, Makeup and getting dressed. In the middle of that, there\u2019s eating, drinking lots of water, making sure everyone has time to get ready too, taking family photos (only if your photographer does that \u2013 personally I do this after the ceremony only) and having your father see you for the first time and putting on his boutonniere. All as important \u2026 but fit in between the three major points.<\/p>\n Hair<\/strong> typically will take 1h for the bride and 30 min for each bridesmaid. If you have more than 3 people getting their hair done, I would suggest asking your hairstylist to bring some extra hands so that you don\u2019t need to get up at 8am. I really really suggest not having to get up SUPER early to start your hair and makeup. This is your wedding day. You need to enjoy it. Take advantage of the morning to hang out with your bridesmaids, have a fancy brunch and take it easy before everything starts rolling. It\u2019s important. It will be a long day. If you have a hairstylist (or makeup artist) who suggests starting 5-6 hours before your ceremony time, consider asking them to bring someone with them instead, so that you can start later.<\/p>\n Makeup\u00a0<\/strong>should take 45min to 1h for the bride and 30 minutes for everyone else. The bride always takes longer to allow time for changes in case you don\u2019t feel comfortable with something. Make sure to let your makeup artist (and hairstylist) know EXACTLY how many people need to be \u201cdone\u201d and don\u2019t allow family and friends to decide the day of. This could cause major changes to your timeline \u2026 and you don\u2019t want that considering how much time each person takes. Note that the bride should ALWAYS be LAST in terms of makeup. This allows you to schedule the photographer to show up when the bride gets started. The later the photographer starts, the later they can stay in the evening. The bridesmaids get their makeup done first so that they can get dressed while the bride is in the chair. Another thing the photographer can capture (since she is already there!)<\/p>\n It all makes sense!<\/p>\n Having your hair done in a salon?<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>Why? I STRONGLY recommend having them come to your house to avoid traffic issues or bridesmaids getting lost. This will also allow you to start LATER. If you absolutely must have your hair\/makeup done at the salon though\u2026 do not forget to count your TRAVEL TIME in your timeline and always add 50% more time than you THINK you need. Example: 30 minutes to get home? Put 45 minutes in your timeline.<\/p>\n When does the photographer\/cinematographer show up<\/strong>? I like to come over 1.5 to 2 hours before the ceremony starts and just as the bride gets in the makeup chair. Why? Well because we don\u2019t like to capture photos of people being rushed\u2026 and photos of getting your hair done are boring since you can\u2019t move. They are not fun to look at. \u00a0We want a relaxed bunch of people having fun, getting ready, drinking champagne and taking their time. Chances are, we also want to photograph all your little details (like dresses and shoes) so they can\u2019t be on you \u2026 right? If it all works out as planned, the photographer can capture the bride getting her makeup done, the bridesmaids chatting and getting dressed with the parents and all the important details. All in 1 hour. Quick and easy.<\/p>\n What about the groom?<\/strong>\u00a0 The groom getting ready is also a very important aspect of the day\u2026 however, it\u2019s not as \u201ccomplicated\u201d. Grooms (and groomsmen) generally take 20\/30 minutes\u00a0to get ready. Of course, they can always have more time. After the shower though, they usually jump in their suits and they are ready to go out the door. Isn\u2019t fun being a man? Talk to your photographer about how they work with grooms. I love photographing the groom myself so I usually go take photos of him as the bride is getting her hair done. I photograph him for 30 minutes and then drive to the bride\u2019s house to take photos of her.\u00a0DON\u2019T FORGET TO CONSIDER TRAVEL TIME between the two locations for the photographer.<\/strong><\/p>\n Tip: Want to save time?<\/em>\u00a0Get ready in the same location\u00a0i.e<\/em>\u00a0be in the same hotel. Or a few streets away from each other. Traffic is awful in the summer. \u00a0This will allow your photographer to have more time between the bride and groom.<\/p>\n So, makeup is done and your bridesmaids are all ready. Yay! Mom and dad should also be dressed at this point. The groom should be on his way to your ceremony location.\u00a0Time to get dressed for the bride!!<\/p>\n Time needed? pfffttt 8 minutes. Seriously. Putting on the dress is complicated in theory\u2026 but in reality\u2026 it\u2019s a joke. Just open the dress on the floor, step into it and zip. Not sure? practice it with your people BEFORE THE WEDDING DAY. Unless I\u2019m your photographer. If so, you are fine. I know how to lace up any dress in a few minutes.<\/p>\n You should, however, get dressed approx. 30 minutes before leaving for the ceremony. You need time to: Get dressed, get your accessories on, take a few portraits with your photographer, have your dad see you for the first time (ahhhhh emotionsss) and putting on people\u2019s boutonnieres \u2013 If you feel like doing that.<\/p>\n So, let\u2019s recap.\u00a0<\/em><\/strong> Are you seeing each other before the ceremony to take photos so that you can spend time with your guests at the Cocktail hour? \u00a0If yes\u2026 AMAZING. Let\u2019s move on to the first look.<\/em><\/p>\n If you are planning to see each other before the ceremony, this is called a first look. First looks are AMAZING because your photographer can plan exactly how your groom will see you for the first time and be able to capture every emotion on camera. Between the first look and the creative portraits, this period should take about 1h30 (ideally)<\/p>\n The first look itself can take about 10-15 minutes. This will give you time to get to the location, walk up to the groom, see each other and get a little emotional. I like to give them a few minutes so that the bride and groom can \u201chave a moment\u201d.<\/p>\n After the first look, we can do the bridal party portraits and then, the bride\/groom portraits. Ideally, in that same location. Try to avoid traveling too much during your day as it causes a lot of unnecessary stress.<\/p>\n let\u2019s recap.\u00a0<\/em><\/strong> If you recall at the beginning of this article, the ceremony should be the starting point of your timeline. Once you set a time for your ceremony\u2026 and you know how long everything takes, it\u2019s very easy to make a timeline. The reason I set my ceremony to 4pm is that I feel that it\u2019s the IDEAL time so that you have a fun\/easy-going day. Once everything starts, everything can be one after the other \u2013 without having huge pauses for your guests\u2026 which can be super annoying. By having a traditional \u201cnoon\u201d ceremony\u2026 you are forcing your guests to stand around doing nothing for 4 hours before cocktail hour. Not always fun when you are in a suit and it\u2019s +30 Celsius outside. Plus, at 4pm\u2026 the sun is not straight above your head (or depending on the season\u2026 almost sunset) which make photos nicer and its a little cooler for your guests.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t recommend taking photos after the ceremony if you are at 4pm. The main reason being that the photos will suffer (I\u2019m so selfish). If you do still allow 1.5 hours for the photos after the ceremony, your guests will have to wait around. Consider doing the ceremony at 3pm in that case and having a two hour cocktail with food and drink to entertain your people. No matter if your photos are before or after the ceremony, I recommend keeping your family photos after. We\u2019ll talk about that next\u2026<\/p>\n The\u00a0ideal length\u00a0for a ceremony is 30 minutes. This gives enough time for the ceremony to be romantic with vows and rings and short enough not to annoy your guests. Hey. I\u2019m just being honest here\u2026 for your benefit, 1 hour tends to be a little long in a hot church (or outdoors) and 15 minutes is way too fast and ups your chances for your photographer to miss an important moment.<\/p>\n let\u2019s recap.\u00a0<\/em><\/strong> After the ceremony, expect to have all your family photos done. Even if you have a first look. The reason being that it\u2019s the one time when you KNOW your family members will ALL be present\u2026 and dressed. \u00a0The family photos are the traditional portraits that Mom and Grandma LOVE to have on their mantel. They are the most tedious of the day but man\u2026 \u00a0are they important? Depending on how BIG your family is, expect about 20 minutes to get this done. I say usually 2 minutes per portraits. But ONLY if you have a list ready (which you should have prepared WEEKS before your day) you do NOT want to shoot these portraits on a whim. If you are a photographer and are reading this article\u2026 PLEASE SEND A LIST TO YOUR BRIDE AND GROOMS TO FILL OUT WHAT PHOTOS THEY WANT TO DO and WITH WHO. You will thank me later. The last thing you want is to forget that photo with Grandpapa and\u2026 he passes away two weeks later. It sucks. Trust me. It happened to me on my FIRST EVER wedding. If you are a bride-to-be and are reading this, ask your photographer if they will send you something to fill out, if they say no\u2026 hire another photographer. Just kidding. Kinda. But take matters into your own hands and make a portrait list for them. The wedding day is way too hectic to think about thinking of people to photograph. You WILL FORGET SOMEONE. You\u2019re welcome. In case you didn\u2019t get my joke\u2026 I do send lists to fill out to my own brides.<\/p>\n IMPORTANT TIP: MAKE SURE YOU TELL YOUR FAMILY THAT FAMILY PORTRAITS ARE HAPPENING RIGHT AFTER THE CEREMONY. Usually, people try to get out of there fast to avoid traffic and the worse thing that can happen to your timeline is having to run after family members for photos. Do not take this tip for granted. Tell them before the wedding day and remind them a few days later. If you aren\u2019t sure you have told them\u2026 tell them again. and then again.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n If you did NOT do the first look, you will take the time after the family portraits to do your fun\/creative portraits with your photographer. Typically 1 hour. Please don\u2019t schedule less than that. You will not like your photos if you feel rushed the entire time. Your photographer will also feel your stress and won\u2019t be able to get into \u201ccreative mode\u201d and give you those beautiful photos that you hired them for. The extra time also helps in the off-chance that it rains on your wedding day. More time to find a good place for photos.<\/p>\n let\u2019s recap.\u00a0<\/em><\/strong> Cocktail hour is usually 1 hour.<\/p>\n This is basically to let your guests arrive at your location before you do your official \u201centrance\u201d to the reception venue. If you did your first look, you get to enjoy the cocktail hour with your guests. If you didn\u2019t, this is the time you would use for your fun\/creative portraits. Don\u2019t want to see your guests? Understandable. Use this hour to relax and enjoy a little quiet time with your new hubby, away from your photographer. This time is PERFECT for the photographer to go capture alllll your details in your reception room before your guests enter it. Another great reason to do the first look. Otherwise, your photographer DOES NOT have time to get this done.<\/p>\n and finally,<\/p>\n Reception starts at 6h30\/7h pretty much\u2026 anywhere. This is also where your DJs timeline generally takes over. So talk to them about how the night will be organized (generally done 3 months before your wedding day)<\/p>\n A few things to consider :<\/p>\n 1. Do you have a receiving line? Keep in mind that for 100 guests or less, it takes about 20 minutes. For 100-150 guests, it takes 45 minutes and for more than 150 guests, I would really consider skipping it and going to see guests at their tables during the night \u2026 because it takes FOREVER. This will cost you MAJOR in your timeline if you do it. So, let\u2019s recap. With a ceremony starting at 4 o\u2019clock and no traveling time (ish) Your timeline should look something like this:<\/p>\n Morning \u2013 Fun time with girls<\/strong> A nice and compact wedding timeline. Everything is done within 10 hours\u00a0and no rushing. That\u2019s it. Now it\u2019s up to you. Keep in mind that this is a typical wedding. If you have specific traditions that need to be done during your day, make sure to change up the timeline accordingly and never\u2026 ever\u2026 FORGET TO CALCULATE MORE TRAVEL TIME THAN NEEDED \ud83d\ude42<\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/p>\n Ahhh the timeline. Probably the most important aspect of your wedding day. Also the most complicated to organize\u2026 unless you have done this countless times, of course. I\u2019m sure you\u2019ve all read the magazines and received suggested timelines from vendors here and there. All great I\u2019m sure. The problem with that though is that other […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":43981,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-43977","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-advice"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/ellaphotography.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/EllaPhotography_PRINT0235-scaled.jpg\")
<\/p>\nGETTING READY<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/ellaphotography.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/wedding-montreal-gare-viger-old-port-ellaphotography_0509.jpg\")
<\/p>\nNext\u2026<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/ellaphotography.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/ellaphotography_6602-scaled.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\nHair: 1h (photographer is with the groom 30 minutes during that time)\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\nMakeup: 1h (Photographer shows up)<\/em><\/strong>
\nGetting dressed: 30 minutes<\/em><\/strong>
\nTotal getting ready time: 2.5 hours<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\nFIRST LOOK<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/ellaphotography.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/wedding-montreal-Plaza-antique-ellaphotography_0664-scaled.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\nFirst look: 1.5 hours
\nTotal time before the ceremony: 4 hours
\nWhich means your official start time was noon<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\nTHE CEREMONY<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/ellaphotography.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/wedding-montreal-gare-viger-old-port-ellaphotography_0593.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\nCeremony: 30 minutes<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\nTHE PORTRAITS<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/ellaphotography.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/ellaphotography_0065-scaled.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\n20-30minutes for traditional portraits<\/em><\/strong>
\n1h for creative photos (if they aren\u2019t already done)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\nCOCKTAIL HOUR<\/h2>\n
RECEPTION<\/h2>\n
\n2. How long do you still have your photographer for, once you enter the reception? Be sure to let your DJ know along with WHICH MOMENTS you want to be photographed. He can make sure that it happens. But this should be done in the 3 months before your day. Don\u2019t surprise him with a \u201cp.s my photographer ends at 8 o\u2019clock\u201d the day of. He will not like you very much.
\n3. It\u2019s really hard for photographers to take photos of guests at EVERY TABLE given that everyone moves all the time. If this is important to you, let the photographer know ASAP so that they can start fast. If it\u2019s \u201cso-so\u201d important\u2026 consider skipping it. Your photographer will\u00a0probably<\/em> end up taking at least 1 photo of your attending guests\u2026 unless you have 350+.
\n4. Make sure the speeches aren\u2019t too long. 5 minutes (max) is the standard. Tell your people.
\n5. Are there surprises or special performances? TELL ALL YOUR VENDORS so that they are ready.
\n6. Keep in mind that your cake can be pretty much cut at any time. Just let the kitchen know and they\u2019ll take it out.
\n7. I always recommend having important dances (first dance and parent dances) as soon as you enter. That way you are sure that they get photographed. The courses often take longer than expected to come out.
\n8. Want Gather\/bouquet photographed? Consider your coverage time with your photographer. This is a dying trend though.
\n9. Please feed your vendors. Unrelated\u2026 but still important.<\/p>\n
\n12:00\u00a0Hair (1h) \u2013 Photographer at grooms<\/strong>
\n1:00 Makeup (1h) \u2013 Photographer arrives at brides, girls get ready<\/strong>
\n1:30 Bride gets dressed \u2013 dad sees the bride in dress \u2013 we all cry<\/strong>
\n2:00\u00a0traveling to photos (15 minutes)<\/strong>
\n2:15 First look\/Creative photos (1h 15 minutes)<\/strong>
\n3:30 Travel to the ceremony (15 minutes)<\/strong>
\n4:00\u00a0ceremony \u00a0(30 minutes)<\/strong>
\n4:30 Family portraits (20 minutes)<\/strong>
\n4:50 Travel to the cocktail (20 minutes)<\/strong>
\n5:10 Cocktail (1h) \u2013 You have fun \u2013 Photographer takes photos of empty room and details<\/strong>
\n6:30 People get into the reception room<\/strong>
\n7:00\u00a0Official entrance \u2013 First dance + Parent\u2019s dances (10 minutes)<\/strong>
\n7:30 First course<\/strong>
\n8:00\u00a0Speech (as the second course comes out)<\/strong>
\n8:30 another speech<\/strong>
\n9:00\u00a0More food + Cake cutting photo (5 minutes)<\/strong>
\n9:30 Dance floor opens \u2013 photographer ends<\/strong>
\nRest of evening + Dancing and Drinking<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/ellaphotography.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/wedding-montreal-gare-viger-old-port-ellaphotography_0633.jpg\")
<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"