Wedding day timeline planner
Build your wedding day timeline for free, then see how many hours of photography you need. Drag each moment onto the timeline, move it to the right time and stretch it to the right length.
Your coverage
Drag a moment onto the timeline, or tap one and then tap a time.
Drop your first moment here
Your day at a glance
Save & share your timeline
Download a keepsake of your day to send to your bridal party, family, venue and suppliers.
Times are a guide to help you choose your coverage. We'll go through your full timeline together at your pre-wedding consultation.
How many hours of wedding photography do you need?
It depends on which parts of the day you want captured. As a guide:
- 2 hours suits a ceremony, confetti, family group photos and a short portrait session. It's ideal for small weddings and elopements. My Micro package is £600 for two hours.
- 6 hours usually covers the ceremony through to the speeches: confetti, the drinks reception, portraits, the wedding breakfast and the speeches. My Half Day package is £1,400 for six hours.
- A full day covers everything, from getting ready in the morning to the first dance and the start of the evening party. My Full Day package is £1,895, with no time limit.
The quickest way to know for sure is to build your timeline above. Add your moments, set your times, and the planner shows which package covers everything. You can also add extra hours to Micro or Half Day at £200 an hour.
Want film too? The same hours apply to wedding videography.
Example wedding day timelines
Start from one of these and make it your own: open it in the planner, then move, stretch or remove any moment.
A full wedding day with a 1pm ceremony
- 10:30–12:00 Getting ready
- 13:00–13:45 Ceremony
- 13:45–14:30 Confetti & group photos
- 14:30–16:00 Drinks reception
- 15:00–15:30 Couple portraits
- 16:00–17:30 Wedding breakfast
- 17:30–18:15 Speeches
- 18:15–18:30 Cake cutting
- 20:00–20:15 First dance
- 20:15–23:00 Evening party
Photography from getting ready to the first dance needs a full day. Micro or Half Day would miss the morning or the evening.
Open in the plannerA later wedding with a 3pm ceremony
- 12:30–14:00 Getting ready
- 15:00–15:45 Ceremony
- 15:45–16:30 Confetti & group photos
- 16:30–18:00 Drinks reception
- 17:00–17:30 Couple portraits
- 18:00–19:30 Wedding breakfast
- 19:30–20:15 Speeches
- 20:15–20:30 Cake cutting
- 21:00–21:15 First dance
- 21:15–00:00 Evening party
With a later ceremony, portraits around 5pm catch the soft late-afternoon light in spring and summer. This day also needs full-day coverage to include the first dance.
Open in the plannerA small registry office wedding
- 12:00–12:30 Ceremony
- 12:30–13:00 Confetti & group photos
- 13:00–13:30 Couple portraits
- 13:30–14:00 Arrival at lunch
A small registry wedding fits comfortably into two hours, so the Micro package covers the ceremony, family photos and portraits.
Open in the plannerWedding timeline questions
What is a wedding timeline?
A wedding timeline, often called the order of the day in the UK, is the running order of your wedding day: what happens when, from getting ready in the morning to the first dance in the evening. It keeps everyone on the same page, including your venue, photographer, caterers and bridal party, and it shows how many hours of photography or film you need.
What is a typical timeline for a wedding in the UK?
A typical UK wedding schedule, or order of the day, with a 1pm ceremony runs roughly like this: getting ready from about 10:30, the ceremony at 1pm, confetti and group photos until about 2:30pm, a drinks reception with couple portraits until 4pm, the wedding breakfast at 4pm, speeches around 5:30pm, cake cutting, then the first dance at about 8pm and the evening party until late. Later ceremonies shift everything back by the same amount.
How do you make a timeline for a wedding?
Start with your ceremony time, which is usually fixed by your venue or registrar, and work outwards. Allow about 90 minutes for getting ready photos, 45 minutes for confetti and group photos, an hour and a half for the drinks reception, an hour and a half for the wedding breakfast and 30 to 60 minutes for speeches. Then add 15 minutes of breathing space between the big moments. The free planner on this page lets you drag each moment into place and adjust how long it lasts.
What is a realistic wedding timeline?
A realistic timeline builds in breathing space. Ceremonies, receiving lines and group photos often run 10 to 15 minutes over, so leave gaps rather than scheduling moments back to back. Keep your group photo list short: each group takes a couple of minutes to gather and photograph, so ten groups is about 20 to 30 minutes.
What is the 30 minute rule for weddings?
It's a planning rule of thumb: anything that takes 5 minutes on a normal day takes about 30 minutes on your wedding day. Getting into your dress, gathering a family group or moving guests from the ceremony to the drinks reception all take longer than you expect, so build in breathing space between the big moments rather than scheduling them back to back.
What is golden hour at a wedding?
Golden hour is the hour or so before sunset, when the low sun gives soft, warm, flattering light. It's the best time of day for couple portraits. In the UK, golden hour in summer falls late in the evening, often after the meal and speeches, so many couples slip outside for 15 to 20 minutes. In winter, the sun sets early in the afternoon, so an earlier ceremony leaves more daylight for photos.
How late is too late for a wedding ceremony?
In England and Wales there's no legal cut-off: since 2012, weddings can take place at any time of day, although your venue or registrar will set their own times. In practice, a ceremony after about 3pm or 4pm squeezes the rest of the day, pushes the meal and speeches later, and leaves less daylight for photos, especially in winter. Most couples choose between 12pm and 3pm.
Is 7 hours enough for a wedding?
For photography, seven hours covers most of a wedding day: typically from the end of getting ready through the ceremony, drinks reception, meal and speeches, or from the ceremony through to the first dance if your day runs to a tight schedule. It's my Half Day package plus one extra hour, £1,600 in total. If you'd like everything from getting ready to the first dance, my Full Day package has no time limit. Build your timeline above to see exactly what seven hours covers on your day.
What should we do in the week before our wedding?
Confirm your final timeline with your venue and every supplier, and share it with your bridal party. Send your photographer the list of group photos you'd like and the names of anyone who can help gather people on the day. Check the travel plan between your venues, and leave the last day or two free to rest. You can download or share your timeline from the planner above to send to everyone at once.
How long do wedding speeches last?
Most wedding speeches last 5 to 10 minutes each, so three speeches usually take 30 to 45 minutes in total. If you have more speakers or longer speeches, allow up to an hour. Speeches are traditionally after the wedding breakfast, but many couples now have them before the meal.
How long do wedding group photos take?
Allow about 45 minutes for confetti and family group photos straight after the ceremony. Each group takes a couple of minutes, so a list of 8 to 12 groups fits comfortably. A short, planned list keeps your guests happy and gives you more time to enjoy the drinks reception.
When should we do our couple portraits?
Most couples step away for 20 to 30 minutes during the drinks reception, while guests enjoy canapés. If you can, a second short session around golden hour, the hour before sunset, gives you the softest, most flattering light.
How long is a wedding drinks reception?
A drinks reception usually lasts an hour and a half to two hours, between the ceremony and the wedding breakfast. It's when your group photos and couple portraits normally happen, and when guests mingle, so it's one of the most natural parts of the day to photograph.