Creating a wedding day timeline can be overwhelming! But the timeline is KEY to ensuring all photos are captured on the wedding day and each part runs smoothly! Couples deserve to fully enjoy their special day, and have the imagery of moments that will be memories for a lifetime! 

As a photographer, it is YOUR responsibility to create a photography timeline that allows you to capture all the important moments without your clients feeling overwhelmed or rushed. If you feel the weight of that responsibility, don’t stress! We are here to share our tried-and-true tricks to craft a seamless timeline so that your next wedding day goes off without a hitch! 

1. Have a Guiding Questionnaire

(Get To Know Your Clients) 

If you don’t know what’s important to your couple, how would you know how to structure their day? Each couple is going to have different priorities (sorry, no cookie cutter timeline from us!) and your timeline MUST be tailored to reflect their preferences. 

Does the bride have getting ready outfits she wants photographed? Is she doing a first look with her bridesmaids or any family members? What time is the ceremony starting? These are all examples of things that need to be known of prior to wedding day – and NOT surprising you on the day of!

PS: Click below to get our FREE Wedding Questionnaire: Yes it is the EXACT one we use for our brides!

2. Have a Base Timeline:

By having a base timeline (or template), you have the ability to save time and avoid starting from scratch! You’ll want to start by having all of the typical events that happen at almost every wedding (you know – like ceremony, sunset photos, etc.) in the sample, noting the time as TBD. Then, once you have a better understanding of the couple’s preferences for the day, you can plug in timing and make slight tweaks based on those preferences and specific details of the day. This method will help you to be more efficient with your time and ensure that you don’t miss anything!

3. Educate Your Bride:

As the photography professional, it’s OUR job to educate our couples! How long does it really take to capture family photos? Do you really need 45 minutes to an hour to shoot detail pictures? We have to explain and help our couples understand the importance of why we have structured their photography timeline in the way it’s created so that we have enough time to capture each detail and create an experience that is stress free and enjoyable on wedding day!

We can’t stress the importance of having a well-constructed timeline enough. It plays a crucial role in shaping your couple’s overall experience. It has taken us YEARS to perfect our timeline building technique and we can confidently say that we have it figured out using these three tricks above!  

We are so excited to be giving you tips and resources to help make things easier! We can’t wait to share more and love being a REFUGE for you!

Cheering you on,

Anna and Ryan

PS: If designing your own timeline still feels overwhelming, we have you covered! We now are giving other photographers access to our personal Wedding Timeline, click here to grab it for yourself! 

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