How to Build a Wedding Timeline for YOU | Tips from a Rockford Wedding Photographer

Couples in the midst of planning their dream wedding day know just how challenging it can be to create the ideal wedding day timeline. How do you ensure that all of the moments you’ve dreamt of actually happen? Is it possible to include these moments while also still enjoying yourself on the day of your wedding? As a wedding photographer in Rockford, Illinois, I have a ton of firsthand experience when it comes to wedding day timelines, what works, what doesn’t, and how couples are able to make the most of their day. Rather than keep this information to myself though, I want to share some tips here so that future couples can plan their wedding timeline to best fit their wedding day. Without further ado, here are 5 tips to build your wedding day timeline for YOU!

5 Tips to Build Your Wedding Timeline

1. Build Your Day Around the Ceremony

My first tip as a Rockford wedding photographer is to keep your wedding ceremony in mind as you plan out your wedding timeline. Most wedding venues have a very specific time that your ceremony must take place at. This also happens to be towards the middle of the day, which means it affects everything around it. What time you must get ready at, when you need to be at the ceremony space, when your cocktail hour and reception start, and more. Thus it is crucial that you keep your ceremony start time, and duration in mind as you lay out the remainder of your wedding day timeline.

2. First Look or No First Look

Another huge factor in the layout of your wedding day, and something that drastically affects your timeline, is whether or not you choose to have a first look or not. With a first look you are then able to get a majority of your portraits out of the way earlier in the day since the couple have already seen one another. This frees up a LOT of time later on in the day which can be great for flexibility, but depending on your ceremony time it may mean you need to get ready earlier in the morning.

On the flip side, if you choose not to have a first look you’re able to take the morning of your wedding a bit slower. You can enjoy getting ready with your wedding party members and you get to have that big reveal moment of seeing one another for the first time during your reception. This does lead to newlywed, wedding party, and family photos all needing to be done post ceremony, which can constrain the afternoon of your wedding day a bit.

Should You Have a First Look for Your Wedding? 

So should your wedding day have a first look or not? As a wedding photographer in Rockford, Illinois I have seen both options done with fantastic results! My recommendation is for you to consider how you’ll feel in each moment. If you want that big reveal where you and everyone in attendance of your ceremony tears up as you see one another for the first time, then not having a first look may be the right fit for you. If on the other hand though you both are more on the introverted side, or you just want to have this special moment be just for the two of you, then doing a first look may be the better option. Of course, as we discussed earlier, you’ll also want to take into account how both options affect your timeline!

3. Plan in Some Downtime

The next tip I have is something a lot of couples overlook, or at least underestimate the importance of, and that is to plan in some downtime on your wedding day. Your ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception all have solid start and end times that you need to build your day around. Between these set events you’ll be doing things like taking portrait photos, signing your marriage license, traveling if your wedding takes place at multiple venues, and more. As you plan out the time for these activities, be sure to give yourself some wiggle room.

Ideally you won’t need the extra time, and you’ll be able to enjoy a moment with one another before your next event begins. If something takes longer than you initially planned though, like your travel time from your ceremony venue to your reception venue, you then have that wiggle room to use and won’t be forced to push things back or miss out on key moments of your day.

4. Invest in More Photography Coverage

Now I may be a bit biased here as a Rockford wedding photographer, but hear me out! The photos from your wedding day are the art pieces that truly document how your day happened. They’re portals that bring you back, and let you relive ALL of your favorite moments from your wedding day as they happened. Knowing this, I cannot stress enough how important it is to have the right amount of coverage for your wedding day. While not all weddings need the same amount of coverage, I’ve never heard a couple wish they had less coverage for their day! Having your photographer there for more of the day allows them to document more memories from the day, and also gives you ease of mind as you’re not worried about rushing every moment into the short timeframe that they’re there for. 

5. Remember to Build the Day for You

My final tip as a Rockford wedding photographer as you build your wedding day timeline is to keep in mind the most important part of your wedding day, YOU. Your wedding day is just that, yours! Build the day that you want to experience, the one you’ve dreamt of since you first realized that you were together with the person you’d be spending the rest of your life with. Talk with one another and dream up what the ideal wedding day looks like to you, not the one you feel like you should have. Figure out the key aspects that are must haves for your day, and then build your timeline with those in mind. 

As a wedding photographer in Rockford, Illinois I love to help my couples make their dream wedding day a reality. I’m always so glad when I can use my firsthand experience and knowledge to help ensure that my couples are able to fit everything they want into their wedding day. If that sounds like something you’re interested in be sure to send an inquiry through my contact page so we can start planning your wedding today. If you’re looking to see more of my work be sure to check out my Instagram, and if you’re looking for more wedding planning tips check out some of my other blogs!