The Ultimate Virginia Wedding Timeline
- Jul 16
- 2 min read
Whether you have a small intimate elopement planned, or a larger-than-life celebration in mind, having a detailed timeline is going to be what makes or breaks you having a calm, relaxed wedding day. Here's my go-to timeline I use as a starting point with all my Virginia brides as a Virginia wedding and engagement photographer that puts us at a good starting point when we work on your timeline.
Two Decisions That Have the Most Impact On Your Wedding Day Timeline
First Looks
This is arguably the most important decision because it will determine when we do your portraits. If you have a first look, your timeline has much more flexibility. We can capture most of your couples and wedding party portraits before the ceremony, that way all that we have left to do is family portraits during cocktail hour. If attending cocktail hour is important to you, this is the route I suggest you go unless you plan on getting married earlier in the day, that way we have plenty of daylight for portraits after the ceremony. (12 pm or earlier)
Ceremony Start Time
Most venues have a time they prefer when it comes to ceremony start times. This, combined with your first look decision, is going to determine when events need to happen. For example, if you have a 3 p.m. start time for the ceremony and you do not choose to do a first look, we need to make sure we have enough daylight after the ceremony to capture all the portraits. This means you will probably miss cocktail hour.
Download My Free Wedding Guide Below
I have designed a Free Wedding Planning Guide you can download at the link below to help structure your day. Even if you have a planner, this guide will give you helpful insights from the experience of a wedding photographer, with decisions, suggestions, and questions to keep in mind when you plan out your day. This can be used in tandem with your wedding planner to make sure all the moments that are important to you don't get missed or overlooked. Those moments deserve breathing room, and that's exactly what this guide is designed to do.
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