Timeline Planning for
Elopements & Weddings
Putting Your Timeline Together
Every timeline is fit to the couple & no timeline is exactly the same. Most elopement AND wedding days factor in 8 hours of coverage, at least. Eloping doesn’t mean that your day will be short. I’ve had elopements with more coverage than weddings. Whether you are keeping it small or going big, your day should be a memorable experience. There are so many ways to fill in the time on your day. There are things to do, places to explore, adventures to be had. You should have room to breathe & room for possibility. The information & sample timelines below are meant to serve as a guide to you.
So excited to start planning an adventure with you!
Things to Consider
Time for Things Most Important to You
Your wedding or elopement day should focus on the things that are the most important to you. Make time for those them.
Time for Each Other
Don’t get to the end of your day and wish that you would have carved out more time to be with just each other.
You can find a few ideas here!
Cushion Time
It’s better to have too much time than not enough. You need room to breathe, room to be, room to love, room to enjoy. You may not need the extra time, but it’s there if you do.
Creative Space
The most beautiful photos truly come from moments that aren’t hurried or pressured.
Lighting
Depending on the season & the time of day, lighting can have a huge impact on your photos.
Locations & Travel
You might have multiple locations between getting ready, ceremony, reception, etc. Maybe your ceremony location requires hiking. Either way, travel time needs to be accounted for.
Activities
Maybe there is something a little extraordinary that you’d like to do together on your day.
You can find a few ideas here!
Vendor Contracts
Depending on your contracts, vendors may require your coverage to begin and end at a certain time. These are important to factor into your timeline.
Tips from Your Photographer on Hair & Makeup Artists
Remember your HMUA team are creatives. They need time to make their magic! You are their canvas. Please give yourself & THEM plenty of time for hair & makeup. It’s better to have extra time left than not enough. I have over 12+ years of shooting weddings & elopements, put this note on all of my timelines, talk about it with couples at the time they book, and still have clients/artists that need more time allocated to this. Let this be the most important of all things listed here!
Choose a HMUA team with bridal experience. They will be familiar with wedding timelines, know how to apply makeup that lasts & photographs well throughout the day.
Hire one team for everyone to keep the overall style cohesive and polished.
Prioritize artists who work efficiently as a team and that can handle the whole party. A one-person team can’t handle a large group. With 2-3 artists in rotation, things will run smoother & faster, which means more time for me to photograph you relaxed and glowing.
Trial runs are a must. This helps avoid surprises on the wedding day & gives you a chance to communicate what you like/don’t like/want changed. If you don’t feel like yourself, it’s going to impact your day.
Ask about touch-up kits to keep you photo-ready between portraits, ceremony, reception.
General
Eating (breakfast, lunch, snacks, dinner)
Hair & Makeup
Details
Getting Ready
Individual Portraits
First Looks
Wedding Party Photos
Family Photos
Couple Photos
Ceremony
Cocktail/Social Hour
Reception
AND anything else your heart desires.
Sample Elopement Timeline
This timeline is merely an example of what your elopement could look like. The most important thing to recognize here is the order of events and how much time has been designated for each thing. Your timeline will be customized to fit your day. This particular elopement timeline includes a few family tagging along.
Bride
7:00 am - breakfast/spend the morning however
8:00 am - bride begins hair & makeup
Friend, give yourself at least 3 hours for hair & makeup. Hair & makeup artists need time to make their magic! Plus, you just want to enjoy being pampered. Whether you are doing your own or having it done professionally, please make sure that you/your hair + makeup artists know they must be finished at the time noted below. It’s better to have extra time left than not enough and end up running behind schedule. Woohoo!
10:00 am - photographer arrives, shoot bride’s & groom’s details (1 hour)
bride has one hour left to finish hair & makeup
11:00 am - bride’s hair/makeup is done + start dressing (30 min)
a few shots of hair & makeup + a few shots in robe/jammies
whoever is helping bride get dressed, needs to get dressed first (if this needs to be me, I’ve got your back friend)
bride gets dressed
11:30 am - first looks with special individuals (optional) (15 min)
Groom
11:30 am - groom puts on pants & shirt only + wait on photographer to come shoot final touches (bridal portraits going on) (30 min)
11:45 am - groom detail shots + finishing up (15 min)
Game Time
12:00 pm - first look on site (15 min)
12:15 pm - bride, groom, & photographer load up (15 min)
12:30 pm - bride, groom, & photographer leave cabin for ceremony location (30 minutes)
1:00 pm - bride & groom pics part 1 (1 hour+)
exchange of any special gifts or letters (optional)
exchange of personal vows (optional)
will also get portraits of the bride & groom individually during this time too
we will also bring snacks/water so y’all stay nice & full
2:00 pm - family leaves to meet at ceremony location (30 min)
2:30 pm - bride, groom, photographer, & family meet/hike to ceremony location
3:00 pm - ceremony (15 min)
3:15 pm - family pics (immediate family of bride & groom: grandparents, parents, siblings + their spouses & children if any) (15 min)
3:30 pm - bride & groom photos part 2 (family leaves to get reception ready)
4:45 pm - sun has set; bride, groom, & photographer head back to cabin (30 min)
5:15 pm - bride, groom, & photographer arrive at cabin (good time to unload, go potty, get comfortable)
5:30 pm - mini reception begins
bride & groom private dinner (optional) (15 min)
bride & groom join guests & mingle
first dance(s) (optional)
cutting of the cake/dessert (optional)
mingle/dancing (optional)
bouquet & garter toss (optional)
last dance (optional)
7:00 pm - line up guests for sendoff (optional) (5 min)
You can “stage” your sendoff if you want to keep on partying or you don’t have to do a sendoff at all & your coverage will just end here.
Sample Wedding Timeline
This timeline is merely an example of what your wedding day could look like. The most important thing to recognize here is the order of events and how much time has been designated for each thing. Your timeline will be customized to fit your day.
Note: Not all brides only have bridemaids & not all grooms only have groomsmen. The bride & groom often have coed groups, hence the use of “clan” below.
Bride + BriDAl Party
8:30 am - bride + her gals/guys begin hair & makeup
Friend, give yourself at least 3 hours for hair & makeup. Hair & makeup artists need time to make their magic! Plus, you just want to enjoy being pampered. Whether everyone is doing their own or having it done professionally, please make sure their appointments do not interfere with yours & that they all know to be finished at the time noted below. It’s better to have extra time left than not enough and end up running behind schedule. Woohoo!
10:30 am - photographers arrive, shoot bride’s & groom’s details (1 hour)
one hour left to finish hair & makeup
11:30 am - hair/makeup is done + start dressing (45 min)
a few shots of hair & makeup + everyone in their robes/matching shirts
bride’s clan gets dressed
bride gets dressed + (enter name) to help bride in dress
12:15 pm - first looks (with bride’s clan & other special individuals) (15 min)
first look with bride’s gals/guys
first look with (enter name) (make sure they are dressed & ready)
exchange of any special gifts between the bride’s clan or parents (optional)
12:30 pm - bridal portraits (30 min)
grab bouquets & dry them off with towel
1:00 pm - bride + bride’s clan pics (30 min)
1:30 pm - lunch/potty break (photographers head over to groom) (30 min)
2:00 pm - bride gets ready for first look with groom (hair & makeup touchups) (30 min)
Groom + Groom’s Party
1:00 pm - groom + groom’s guys/gals get dressed + wait on photographers to come shoot final touches (bride + bride’s clan getting photos together) (30 min)
1:30 pm - groom & groom’s clan finishing up (15 min)
get coordinator to help pin boutonnières at this time
1:45 pm - groom + groom’s clan pics (30 min)
2:15 pm - groom portraits (merge into first look) (15 min)
Game Time
2:30 pm - first look + bride & groom pics (1 hour)
exchange of any special gifts or letters (optional)
exchange of personal vows (optional)
3:30 pm - full wedding party pics (30 min)
3:30 pm - family arrives to venue dressed & ready (wedding party pics going on)
please make sure to give clear instructions to family as to where they are to wait until time for family photos
4:00 pm - family pics (immediate family of bride & groom: grandparents, parents, siblings + their spouses & children if any) (30 min)
4:30 pm - send everyone back to rest before ceremony + start getting shots of ceremony/reception setup (guests begin arriving) (45 min)
Ceremony/reception areas need to be completely decorated by this time + your wedding cakes on display. We know of course that the actual food will not be put out until closer to the time the reception begins, but we want to make sure that we can get great shots of decor/setup before guests start filling up the venue!
5:15 pm - photographers get in place & procession lines up
consider asking officiant to announce no phones/cameras during ceremony accept photographers
consider asking officiant to announce before procession that only the first two rows stand when the bride comes down the aisle (bride can see family & groom can see bride more clearly)
5:30 pm - ceremony (30 min)
(enter name) walking bride down aisle
consider asking your officiant to step to the side right before he announces the big kiss so we can get a clear shot
give each other a kiss when exiting the ceremony, about halfway down the aisle OR even have your guests throw some confetti while you exit the ceremony
6:00 pm - reception begins
bride & groom sneak away for sunset pics (optional)
bride & groom private dinner (optional)
announcement of the wedding party + the bride & groom (optional)
first dance(s) - bride & groom, bride & dad, groom & mom (optional)
cutting of the cake/dessert (optional)
toasts (optional)
mingle/dancing (photographers eat)
bouquet & garter toss (optional)
last dance (optional)
8:25 pm - line up guests for sendoff (5 min)
give each other a kiss when about halfway down the line
8:30 pm - reception ends
Timeline Revisions
Sometimes, we have to shift some things around before your day. I try to make sure we’ve revised your timeline at least twice before then. Once we’ve finalized the draft, I’ll email it + a condensed, top-of-the-waves version of a timeline to save as your phone background the day of.
The most important thing to remember is that your timeline is a guide. Even on the day of, things can happen (weather, running a little behind, wardrobe malfunction, etc.) that we might have to work around or through. A timeline is not meant to dictate every moment of your day. I want you to live in those moments, make memories, soak up the unexpected, & keep the focus on the stuff that really means the most.
XO, Dakota