Before you can decide how many hours you might need for your wedding day, it’s important to ask yourself some questions that will help layout your day a bit more and give you a better understanding of what you might need.

Here are some of the questions I ask my couples, to help narrow down how much time might be right for them on their day.

1. Do you want getting ready photos?

This doesn’t mean the whole process of getting ready. Trust me, you likely aren’t going to use the photos with your hair up on your head in a messy bun and half a face of make-up on. BUT, maybe you would use the photos of a relaxed morning, hanging out with your girls, just about ready to get into your dresses and reveal yourself for the first time! Same goes for the guys – maybe you want some photos to document your hangouts, with your closest people.

2. Do you want a second shooter?

This can be a biggie when it comes to timing. Having two photographers has a lot of benefits, but in this case, it really benefits with timing. If you have one photographer, and want getting ready photos of both parties, you have to account for extra time for the photographer to travel from one house/hotel to the other. If you have two photographers, each can be with the parties AT THE SAME TIME, allowing for your time to stretch a little further.

3. Are you doing a first look?

If your ceremony is going to be later in the day (3/4pm), doing a first look means you can get the formals done before the ceremony, leaving cocktail hour for family portraits, or straight up mingling with your guests! If you do decide to do this route, you will have to be ready a little bit earlier to account for timing of this before the ceremony.

4. Is there travel time?

What a lot of people forget is that you have to account for travel time, ESPECIALLY if you are getting married in prime rush hour time, on a Friday afternoon at 5pm. Always account for travel time, and a little extra when thinking of getting ready locations, vs ceremony locations and anything in between.

So that was probably really overwhelming, and I totally get that! There are a lot of factors that could go into deciding how much time you might need for your day, so it’s always good to chat with your photographer and they can help you :)

I’ve put together a sample timeline to help you get started if you’re having some trouble of your own! Remember it’s always a good idea to add in some buffer time for travel, things running late, etc., it helps keeps things stress free!

SAMPLE TIMELINE

12:00pm – Getting Ready Photos (First Photographer arrive at Partner 1, Second Photographer arrive at Partner 2). This time is to capture the natural moments and the details. Just relax, hang out with your favourite people.

1:00pm – Both parties leave for First look

1:15pm – First look (see “what is a first look and why should I do one” post)

1:30pm – Bridal Party photos

2:15pm – Couple portraits

3:00pm – Family photos

4:00pm – Ceremony

4:30pm - 6:00pm – Cocktail Hour

6:15pm – Entrance, first dance

6:30pm – Dinner, speeches, etc.

8:30pm – Party starts

9:00pm – Photographer leaves

An intimate wedding & elopement photographer who captures genuine, authentic moments and photos that evoke emotion and comfort.

I’m always ready to hop on a plane and adventure with you!

Based in Toronto & GTA.