While my house may not always show it (#workingmomlife), I am an incredibly organized person and strive off of lists! There are few things that make me happier than organizing agendas and tasks, and I always love approaching wedding day in the same manner. After all, there will always be things outside of our control, but I am a firm believer in the power of planning :) That’s why I include a meeting with my brides and grooms in the months leading up to their wedding to talk through the day and discuss how we will make everything flow! Not only is it a great chance to catch up with my couples and get to know them more, but it ensures that we are all on the same page.

Your wedding day will FLY by, so the last thing you want is to have to spend your time worrying about whether or not things will happen. You want to ENJOY it!! :) Creating a well-planned timeline is the #1 way to ensure a positive, stress-free day — especially if you don’t have a day-of coordinator and are running everything yourself!

Obviously, my #1 recommendation is to plan your timeline with your photographer, but as you start thinking about the day, here are a few things you’ll want to consider:

• Take the time to talk with your hair and makeup artists to get an idea for how long it will take per person. Then, add 30 minutes just to be safe! Oh, and if you can, try to get your makeup done before your hair, so that when I arrive and start taking photos, you already have that checked off the list & feel more comfortable being photographed :)
• Think about the locations of your getting ready spot, ceremony, and reception. If these three things are not at the same place, you’ll want to account for driving time in between. Don’t forget to consider the time of day and any potential traffic you could run into, too!
• Make sure to add buffer time before and after big events. I always try to give more time than we would need, because something will always go wrong. However, by building mishaps into the schedule, there is no need to stress when they do!
• When talking with your caterer, request that the photographers and videographers eat when you do! This isn’t because we are better than your guests or more important — but it just makes sense! If we wait to eat until after the last guest has been served, there is a chance we could miss out on important moments like your first dance or toasts. Plus, no one really wants photos of them eating, anyway :)
• What will your guests do? If you have the freedom to set your ceremony and reception time, think about the spacing. While having a lot of time in between the two may sound less stressful, it leaves your guests with nothing to do — especially those coming in from out of town!
• If your timeline is feeling crunched (especially between the ceremony and reception!!), have you considered doing a “first look”? Not only does a first look ease nerves, provide more time for you and your hubby to be together, and increase the number of portraits you’ll receive in general, but it often allows a lot more flexibility!

From a photography standpoint, it’s important to generally allow at least:

• 30-45 minutes for photographing details
• 15 minutes for getting into your dress (because it always takes longer than you’d think!)
• 30+ minutes for bride & groom portraits
• 20+ minutes for bridal party portraits
• 20 minutes for family formal photos
• 10 minutes for reception details BEFORE guests are allowed in (this is a big one that often gets left off!!)
• 10 minutes for golden hour portraits during the reception (weather permitting)

Another great tip I have is utilizing some sort of online document that will allow you to share the timeline with all necessary people! I always use Google Docs for my brides, and I have gotten a lot of great feedback on the ease and convenience of that platform. But of course, there are a lot of different ways you could make that work!

Indianapolis, IN