Free planning tool
Wedding photography timeline template
Start with a ceremony-led sample, change the coverage, and check the photo slots against your venue's sunset. Use it as a planning draft, not a fixed schedule for every wedding.
Build a sample timeline
Adjust the ceremony and coverage. Add the venue's sunset time to check whether photo slots run into low light. This sample uses default durations; refine the real plan for your venue and family list.
Example coverage: 2:00 pm–10:00 pm. Sunset is not estimated automatically here; enter the time for your wedding date and venue to check it.
- Details & flat lays · 30 min
- Getting dressed · 30 min
- Individual portraits & travel to ceremony · 30 min
- Guests arrive · 30 min
- Ceremony · 30 min
- Cocktail hour · 60 min
- Family formals (4 groupings) · 25 min
- Wedding party photos · 20 min
- Grand entrance · 5 min
- Dinner · 60 min
- Toasts (2) · 15 min
- First dance · 5 min
- Parent dances · 10 min
- Cake cutting · 10 min
- Open dancing · 90 min
- Send-off · 10 min
What belongs in the wedding day timeline?
Start with the ceremony, then work backwards through getting ready, portraits and travel. After the ceremony, allow distinct time for family formals, wedding party portraits, couple portraits and the reception. Record addresses, people responsible, and buffers where a delay would cascade.
A timeline template is a starting point
The sample above uses default durations. Change it for your family list, venue distances, light, religious service, accessibility needs and vendor constraints. Enter the sunset for the actual date and venue before treating the light check as complete.
Browse ceremony-time examples
Each example varies the ceremony time and first-look decision. The tool remains editable.
Turn a draft into an approved wedding plan
Collect the couple's answers, build the timeline, and send a version they can approve in writing.
Start a draft