One of the biggest reasons wedding days feel rushed isn’t because there’s too much happening. It’s because there isn’t enough time built between everything that’s happening.
We’ve seen timelines where every minute is accounted for, but there’s no room for someone running late, a dress taking longer to button, or family photos taking an extra ten minutes.
Your wedding day doesn’t need to feel like you’re constantly checking the clock.
Here are a few things we’d recommend when building your timeline.
Build around golden hour
If beautiful sunset portraits are important to you, start there.
Find out when sunset is on your wedding date and work backward. Your ceremony, cocktail hour, family photos, and portrait time all need to work around that window.
Give yourself more time to get ready
Getting ready almost always takes longer than couples expect. There are hair and makeup touch-ups, dresses to button, jewelry to find, champagne to open, and inevitably someone who needs one more thing. If you think you’ll need an hour, we’d rather see you give yourself an hour and fifteen minutes than spend the last 15 minutes feeling rushed.
Decide early whether you’re doing a first look
A first look can give you a lot more flexibility with portraits and family photos, but skipping one is completely fine too. The important part is building the rest of your timeline around the decision rather than trying to squeeze everything in afterward.
Leave some breathing room
Your timeline should have room for real life. Even a 10 to 15 minute buffer can make a huge difference when something runs behind. Without one, a small delay can turn into missing the light you planned your portraits around.
Tell your photographer what matters most
We also want to know what isn’t important to you.
Maybe you don’t care about photographing every detail of the reception setup. Maybe you’d rather spend that time with your friends. Maybe you want 20 minutes alone with your new spouse.
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The best timelines are the ones that give you time for the photos and moments you actually care about. When you work with Robinson Media, we dedicate a call specifically toward ensuring your timeline is perfect for you, as well as making sure we know which shots are your must-haves. If you're interested in what that looks like, you can inquire here.
