WEDDING DAY TIMELINE: TRADITIONAL OR FIRST LOOK

As a part of our Wedding Day Timeline Series, we thought it would be helpful to cover how to work your first look portrait session into your wedding day timeline or following a more traditional wedding  timeline. We don’t like to push our couples one way or the other when it comes to deciding whether or not to do a first look. The main thing is that you leave plenty of time for photos so you don’t feel rushed or stressed out on your wedding day. 

SAMPLE WEDDING DAY TIMELINE: FIRST LOOK

As mentioned before, we don’t push our couples one way or the other, but we do feel there are many benefits of doing a first look.

There are several different ways to coordinate this time of your day and it really depends on where you want to do your first look. Thinking about your first look with your soon-to-be husband/wife should be a fun part of planning your wedding day. Is there a location nearby that is special to you, or a shared hobby you could incorporate? 

One of the reasons we love getting to know Swatch Couples during planning and engagement sessions is to help with these details. Whether it be hiding behind a bundle of balloons, walking around a corner, or simply closing your eyes until you are face to face, we love helping our couples craft a special moment that is uniquely them.

Incorporating a first look into your day may sound a bit hectic (tracking the location of your groom, hiding behind trees or walls of bridesmaids to avoid being seen), but with a little planning and help from the bridal party it will go off without a hitch. Be sure to plan exactly what time both bride and groom will be arriving, as well as exact locations. You don’t want that moment taken away because you parked next to one another. 

Whether you are meeting at the ceremony site or a park nearby, make sure you plan ample time to get to the location and have everyone in place. If you can’t walk to the location, account for potential traffic, and if you don’t have a shuttle, see if a family member who is not in the wedding party can drop you off so you don’t have to stress about parking.

The wonderful thing about a first look is that you can enjoy it for as long as you want, but I would suggest allowing for at least 15-20 minutes (not including travel time), to make sure it doesn’t feel rushed. Take a moment to focus on one another and let the photographers capture the raw, honest emotion and excitement.

To incorporate your first look into your wedding day timeline, start working backward through the day about 20 minutes before your ceremony begins (so you have time to hide out beforehand). 
An example wedding day timeline for a 4 PM ceremony would be to start working on your timeline from 3:30pm. Then subtract the time you have allocated for your portrait and bridal party session, your first look, getting ready, and any travel time. Don’t forget to consider adding a little extra time here and there for bathroom breaks or additional primping before photos.

FIRST LOOK WEDDING TIMELINE:
4 PM WEDDING CEREMONY

• 9:00 AM — Bride/Bridesmaids start getting ready

• 11:00 AM — Groom/Groomsmen start getting ready

• 12:30 PM — Bride puts dress on

• 1:00 PM — First look, portraits and bridal party session

• 1:00-3:00 PM — Free Time

• 3:00-3:30 PM — End all pictures

• 3:40 PM — Arrive at Ceremony site

• 4:30 PM — Ceremony

As you can see, this wedding timeline allows three hours between the first look and the start of the ceremony. Although this might not work for everyone's timeline, some couples love how much time they have to relax in between.

SAMPLE WEDDING DAY TIMELINE: TRADITIONAL CEREMONY

If you don’t want to see your soon-to-be bride/groom before the ceremony, we completely understand! 

One major difference in doing a first look vs. not doing a first look is that you will want to schedule your ceremony at an earlier time. Since you will be doing most of the photos in between the ceremony and reception, you can’t expect to only leave an hour of time there. You might be worried about your guests having to wait too long between the ceremony and the reception. If this is a concern, you can offer a cocktail hour or games and activities for guests.

Here is an example of an ideal wedding day timeline for a 2 PM ceremony we have done where we did all the photos in between the ceremony and reception. This timeline assumes that you are doing all the photos in the same location as the ceremony. If you’re traveling to another location after family formals for bridal party photos, don’t forget to add that in.

(The getting ready start time for the girls will depend on how long hair and makeup will take. Don’t forget to add in any travel time if you aren’t getting ready at the ceremony location.)

TRADITIONAL WEDDING DAY TIMELINE:
2 PM CEREMONY

• 11:45 AM — Groom/Groomsmen start getting ready

• 12:15 PM — Bride & Bridesmaids are all done with makeup

• 12:20 PM — Groomsmen take photos

• 12:30 PM — Bride gets dress on

• 1:00 PM — Bridesmaids take photos

• 1:40 PM — Hide and wait for ceremony to begin

• 2:00 PM — Ceremony

• 2:30 PM — Receiving Line

• 2:45 PM — Grand Exit

• 3:00 PM — Family Formals

• 3:30 PM — Bathroom break, touch-ups and extra time to gather bridal party together

• 3:40 PM — Bridal party photos

• 4:15 PM — Bride & Groom portraits

• 5:15 PM —  Done with photos, leave for reception venue

You will notice there is time allotted for a receiving line, grand exit and family formals. These things are optional, but a lot of couples forget to account for these things and it cuts into their bridal party portraits.

Here are some more things to keep in mind about the time before and after your ceremony.

• Remember to have your pre-ceremony photos done about 20 minutes before the start of the ceremony. Guests will be arriving and this is the perfect time for a bathroom break or hair & makeup touch-ups.

• If you are doing a receiving line or if you are dismissing by pew, make sure you count this time into your day. Depending on your number of guests, you should expect anywhere from 5-15 minutes.

• A grand exit also takes a few extra minutes. Although it is something so minor and fun, it usually takes time to round up your bridal party and immediate family members afterwards.

• If you are doing family formals immediately following your ceremony or grand exit, make sure your family members know! If these people leave right away or get distracted, it could cut into your photo session time.

• The family formals can be as fast as 15-20 minutes if everybody is ready and willing to cooperate. 

• Following the ceremony, grand exit and family formals, you are ready for your portrait session. We suggest about 30-45 minutes for photos with the bridal party, and an hour is ideal for your couples session.

Are you planning a first look, or waiting to see each other until you walk down the aisle? If you are already married, what did you do? Looking back, would you have it any other way now?