Can I just be honest for a second? I feel like as photographers this part of wedding planning is our bread and butter. We love timelines!! Give me a soapbox, because I could preach about their importance all day long.

I think that some people who don’t attend as many weddings as we do, might question our motives a bit.  Some might think that we love timelines because we want to take alllll the photos… which isn’t necessarily wrong.  Though for me, I have a much more important reason for why timelines matter.

Now before I continue on dear bride, I want you to think for a second… how do you want to feel on your wedding day?

*insert long pause here so that you can dream about floral details and twirling in your beautiful gown next to that handsome guy of yours.* You’re welcome ;)

Now I want you to think about how feeling stressed would ruin that beautiful vision you just had!!

Because here is the tragedy of a poorly planned wedding timeline —

it either makes you feel rushed or like you’re missing out…

… and neither of those feelings have any place on your wedding day!

I want nothing more than for you to enjoy this special celebration.  There should be places and spaces to soak it all in.  You should have time to laugh with your bridesmaids that morning.  You shouldn’t been in a hurry to finish up portraits with your groom.  There should be time to visit with your guests — the people who’ve loved you and supported you all the way ’til this day!  More often than not, a bad timeline can be the culprit in making some of the best parts of your wedding day feel strained.

Did I tell you I think timelines are important? ;)

So here you have it, my wedding day equation for minimum wedding timeline must-haves:

30 minutes for Family Formals  ||  30 minutes for Wedding Party Portraits || 30 minutes for Bride & Groom Portraits

I don’t have a preference of when they happen throughout the day, but having this time set aside gives us plenty of time for twirling, rather than rushing through!

Because ultimately the photos I take of your wedding are going to reflect how you felt.  I don’t want you to look at your images 10 years from now and say, wow, remember how we just got into a tiff before this was taken. I want you to say, I loved every part of my wedding day!

Because even the prettiest pictures can’t beat that.

Happy Thursday, friends!