3 Tips for Building Your Wedding Day Timeline | Wedding Photographer in Arkansas

So you’re getting married! Awesome! You have your wedding photographer and you’re in your Arkansas wedding venue. Even Better! Now what? Well, many couples don’t even know what a “wedding timeline” is, until they have to make one. 

A wedding timeline is just that! It’s the order of events that are going to take place on your wedding day. It’s everything from pictures, to ceremony, to cake cutting and even the time at which lights are turned on or food is served. All of it is important to know because it’s your day! Below, I’m listing out the top three most important tips for building that wedding day timeline. 

1. Make a list of what’s most important to you 

Ask yourself, “what moments did you always dream of for your wedding day?” And start writing down all the answers. Whatever the first things to come to mind, jot them down. When you look at that list, you’ll begin to see exactly how much time you’re going to need for your photographer to capture all these images. That’ll help you determine coverage and figure out what’s most important to you! 

2. Prioritize your time! 

Now, take a look at your list. Place all those things that are important to you in order of importance. Once you’ve done that, look at your top ones. Those are the ones that matter most to you! You will want to allocate more time for those than anything else! Something that I see happen all the time is that the bride and groom allocate time for things that aren’t as important to them. Let’s say, hypothetically, that the couple allocate an hour for family portraits, but only 15 minutes for husband wife portraits. What winds up happening is that they end up with a ton of images of family, but very few of the couple themselves. Which isn’t what they wanted. So, don’t be afraid to prioritize yourself by allocating time to your top 5 so you get the pictures you want!  

3. Golden hour for your husband and wife photos in Arkansas!   

Golden hour is a super important time period for all photographers! It is when lighting conditions are perfect. And taking pictures during this time creates immaculate images. All you have to do is Google “When does the sun set on [Insert your wedding date here]” and it will tell you down to the exact minute. Then, when you’re touring your venue, you want to keep in mind where the sun sets and if your wedding will be indoors, you should know if we have access to that natural lighting. Will there be windows so we can get access to plenty of natural light? 

Now, when you set your wedding, you have to ask yourself, “what’s the most important thing I want captured?” If the ceremony is the most important to you, and we have access to that natural light, you should schedule your ceremony for the hour before sunset! Or if the most important thing you want is dreamy husband/wife photos to hang up on the wall of your new home, then schedule those the hour before sunset instead!   

So there you have it! Here’s my top three tips for designing the wedding timeline! For those of you how want some more tips and tricks, check out my Wedding Timeline Guide. It’s perfect for any Wedding photographer in Arkansas and beyond, but I hope you like what you’ve seen here and decide to stick with me for your wedding photos!  

Emily Quigley is a wedding, engagement and newborn photographer in Northwest Arkansas. She’s been featured in Glamor and Grace, Aisle Society and several other online websites. Click here to get your booking today!

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