This wedding timeline calculator aims to help build the perfect tailored timeline for your event.
It complements deeper pieces of information on each element you should learn before using the calculator (see here).
Time to complete:
If you know what you want, It’s pretty straightforward and should take about 10 min to complete.
But if you are unsure, It might also raise some (essential) questions and take much longer.
In such a scenario, I recommend, again, reading the previous article mentioned above (which is a very long article).
The question that it will answer:
This Taylor-made timeline will answer complex questions (which the answer is often “It depends on what you want to do”), such as:
- How many hours of wedding coverage do I need?
- How many hours before the ceremony should I start to get ready?
- How much time do I need for the group photos?
Table of Contents
Disclaimer: Limits of this tool
Like every tool, this tool has some limits.
I listed the more common part of the day and their micro-events that take place on the “typical mid-west wedding day“.
Therefore, you might have a specific micro-event or a cultural tradition that won’t be represented here.
For instance, this timeline builder might not be appropriate for other cultural weddings, such as Indian and Chinese, just to name a few.
Nevertheless, I have added some “‘other thing sliders” that you can use to adjust to your needs.
You can also add pieces of information for each part.
The typical wedding day I am using as a base.
On a typical wedding day, each part of the event has a specific duration. Here is a breakdown of the duration of each part:
- Preparation: 3h00
- Bride and Groom: 1h00
- Group: 1h00
- Buffer time: 30 min
- Ceremony: 30 min
- Cocktail hour: 1h30
- Dinner: 2h30
How to use this tool
It’s a straightforward, linear use. You need to accomplish each step one by one.
- Select the parts of the day you want and set their order
- For each part, allocate some time to each micro event you select.
- Set the Ceremony time of the day (mandatory; see explanation below).
- Display and Export your timeline.
1/ Select the Events you desire and set their order
Set the order in numerical order, from 1 for the first element of the day to the last one.
If you don’t want an event, just set it to N/A.
You Must select the Ceremony, even if you are not planning to host one. In such a case, you can set its value to 0 at the next step.
Click on the Set This Oder Button.
2/ Enter the duration desired for each mico event of the day
You now have displayed all the parts of the day that you want with a preset duration for each micro-event.
You can reset all the duration to 0 to start from scratch.
Adjust the time of each micro-event you plan using your common sense (and the previous article mentioned earlier).
For instance, if your bridal party is composed of only one member on each side, you will need less time than if you have a total of 20 members.
Match the time your caterer offers for the Dinner and the Cocktail time.
For instance, if you have a 2-hour cocktail hour, but you only need a few specific events, match this 2-hour time by adjusting the time allowed for candid shots during cocktail hour.
At the end of the table, you will notice that you have the total duration display. This should answer the question: how much time for photography do you need?
Important: Do not be overoptimistic, greedy, or petty about the time allowed for each element, or you will end up with a timeline that is too short, which means a bad day.
3/ Enter your ceremony starting time
By default, I have set the ceremony time to 4 PM (or 16:00), so please adjust it to your desired time.
If you have no idea your ceremony time, be aware that it’s often between 15 and 17 hours, depending on the season, your dinner time, and how long you wish to mingle with your guests during the cocktail hour.
NB: depending on your browser, the time entered will be in US format (AM. PM) or international format 24H.
The result of the table will always be in international 24H Format.
4/ Generate your timeline
Click on the button “Calculate Timeline” to generate your Timeline table. This one will include, in chronological order, the starting time for each category of the day and each micro event.
You will also have the ending time of the photography coverage and its total duration during the day.
5/ Record your timeline
My informatics skills could be improved, and I am still determining how to save all this information for the future. So, for now, it’s your job to save it, and you have a couple of options! 😀
Click on the COPY Button; it will copy/paste all the tables generated.
You can also simply select what you want, copy it, and save it somewhere precious.
Click on Send By email: You can send the detailed timeline table by email (for some computing reason, I can’t send everything with the sending button).
Click on Print the Page
You can print the entire page in a .pdf document (click on the print button, and when you need to choose the printer, click “save as a .pdf”).
Share your timeline with your photographer for his feedback.
Let’s Go!
Step 1: Choose the Sections of Your Wedding Day to Include in Your Timeline
Category | Order |
---|---|
Preparation Partner 1 | |
Preparation Partner 2 | |
First Look | |
Partners' Photo Session | |
Partners 1 and their Party | |
Partner 2 and their Party | |
Partners and Entire Party | |
Family Photos | |
Ceremony | |
Cocktail Hour | |
Dinner | |
Party |
Step 2: Allocate Duration for Each Event of the Day
I have pre-filled the sliders with values to provide you with a general idea of a typical day (imagining a wedding where everything takes place at the same location, with a first look, with 100 guests, and a bridal party of 12 people).
You can use these as a starting point and adjust the settings to suit your requirements.
Alternatively, you can reset all the sliders to 0 and create your perfect day from scratch.
Total Time of Photography Coverage: | 0 hours and 0 minutes |
*Consider all kinds of delays:
- Someone being late
- Going inside/outside
- You, answering people solicitations
- Elevators
- Issues with an outfit
- Something was forgotten in the car
- Something was forgotten at the hotel
- Packing and unpacking
Step 3: Let’s Calculate your timeline!
The duration will be useful for appreciating the timeline's coherence (so, that's the version you want to share with your photographer/planner). But it might be visually cumbersome the result.