A working template for a single-day wedding with a first look. Duplicate it for each wedding, then move the times to fit the day. The point is not the exact clock times — it is that every block has a photography reason attached, so when the couple asks to cut twenty minutes you know exactly what it costs.
| Time | Block | Why it is here |
|---|---|---|
| 11:00 | Arrive, shoot details and the empty room | Dress, rings, invitation, shoes. Shot before anyone disturbs the space. |
| 11:45 | Getting ready | Reactions matter more than the makeup. Wide of the room, then close on hands. |
| 13:00 | First look | 20 minutes. Long lens, second angle from the second shooter. |
| 13:30 | Couple portraits, part one | 30 minutes while the light is even. Do not use all your portrait time here. |
| 14:15 | Wedding party | 20 minutes, two rows maximum. |
| 15:00 | Guests arrive, ceremony space wide | Last clean frame of the room. |
| 15:30 | Ceremony | Aisle, waiting face, rings, kiss, guests, recessional. |
| 16:15 | Family groups | 25 minutes. This runs long every time. Protect it. |
| 16:45 | Drinks reception, candids | Room set shot goes here, before guests are seated. |
| 18:00 | Sit down, speeches | Shoot the listeners as much as the speaker. |
| 19:30 | Golden hour, couple portraits part two | 15 minutes. Non-negotiable. Check sunset time, not the schedule. |
| 20:30 | First dance, then dance floor | Bounced flash. Stay past the polite phase. |
| 21:30 | Night portrait, then wrap | Optional, 10 minutes, worth it. |
Family groups run long because nobody knows who is in the photos. Fix it with a named list and a named person, not with more time.
Golden hour gets cut because it sits after dinner and dinner runs late. Tell the couple at the planning call that this block produces the photo they will hang on the wall, and put it in the printed schedule.
Getting ready starts late because hair and makeup always finish behind. Build in twenty minutes of slack before the first look and you never have to say anything about it.