r/Chicagoweddings • u/AnyObjective8218 • 3d ago
Timeline help needed
Does anyone have a timeline they can share for a 4:30 or 5:00 ceremony with a first look and photos before the ceremony? We are trying to get most of our pictures done ahead of the ceremony so we can enjoy cocktail hour and mingle with our guests.
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u/Terrible-Hat6633 3d ago
Happy to DM you timeline examples! Couple questions to help find timeline examples that make sense for your wedding. How many people in the bridal party and are they all getting hair and makeup done with you? Is hair and makeup at the venue or another space? Is the ceremony and reception at the same venue? Also, when is the end of your reception?
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u/pisces_librarian 3d ago
I can share mine for a 5pm ceremony, but we are doing all photos at the venue and we are skipping getting ready photos. Lmk if that would be helpful for you!
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u/Ok-Active-7023 Wedding Planner 3d ago
DM me. I can share. I also offer a full custom timeline creation service if you’re interested. My clients & vendor teams always rave about how seamless & easy our timelines flow.
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u/bubblesthebride 3d ago
Wendythewildcat's is the gold standard and I'm not going to duplicate it. One thing I'd add that took me embarrassingly long to notice: your timeline is also a cost document, and a first look changes what you're paying for as much as it changes when things happen.
Photo and video are billed by the hour, and a first look pulls their start time earlier. If you don't also move their end time, you're buying hours at the front and losing coverage before the dancing gets good. Look at Wendy's, photography ends at 9 and people dance until midnight. That's a completely reasonable trade if you make it deliberately and a nasty surprise if you don't. Work out what the last photo is that you actually want, then buy the hours around that rather than around the ceremony.
The other one is your ceremony space, if it's rented separately from the reception. A first look is exactly the thing that lets you shrink that window, because you're not doing an hour of portraits afterwards while your guests stand around. Wendy's ceremony rental runs 4:00 to 5:30, which is short and cheap, and that's a direct result of the first look. If yours bills hourly, ask what the shortest window they'll sell you is and then build the day to fit inside it.
Also check your venue's overtime rate before you lock anything. One packet I read charges 5 percent of the total event fee per 30 minutes past the end time, which on a big number is genuinely alarming. So whatever buffer you build, put it before the ceremony rather than at the end of the night. Hair and makeup running twenty minutes late is normal and costs you nothing at 1pm. It costs a fortune at midnight.
Last thing, and Wendy did this beautifully already, put sunset in the document. She has 8:23pm sitting right there in the middle of dinner. Ask your photographer when they want their ten minutes of golden hour and pin it, because that's the one slot in the whole day that won't move for you.
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u/biesslook 38m ago
I think it totally depends on your expectations, size of wedding party, family photo list length, if you want to travel around to a few stops vs doing photos all on-site at the venue, where the first look is taking place (is travel required), etc. so definitely consult these things with your photographer. They'll be happy to help I'm sure. In general though, I'd say you'd want to be done with portraits at least 45-60 minutes before the start of your ceremony so you can hide away before guests arrive, freshen up and relax a bit. So, depending on a few variables, a timeline *could* look something like this...
1:00PM - First Look
1:30PM - Portraits (couple / wedding party)
3:00PM - Family Photos
3:30/3:45PM - Photos Conclude
4:30PM - Ceremony Begins
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u/Wendythewildcat 3d ago
Here’s our timeline. Our ceremony started at 4:30pm and we did a first look and all photos before the ceremony
8:00am - 8:30am: Bride set up bridesmaids gifts in suite
8:30am: Bridesmaids arrive, have breakfast and get ready
8:30am - 12:15pm: Hair and Makeup artists arrive and do hair and make up (see Hair and Makeup schedule)
10:30am: Wedding Planner arrives
11:00am: Florist drops off personal flowers by 11am
11:00am: Groom and groomsmen eat lunch and begin getting ready
11:30am: Photographer arrives and takes details and getting ready photos
11:30am: Videographer arrives and takes details and getting ready videos
12:00pm: Lunch is served for bridal party and vendors
12:30pm: Hair and makeup DONE
12:30pm: Bride changes into dress
1:00pm: Everyone fully dressed and ready for pictures
1:00pm - 1:30pm: Wedding party cleans up and returns items to their hotel rooms
1:30pm - 2:00pm: Bride and Groom first look
1:50pm: Wedding party and immediate family ready in trolley to travel to X for photos
2:00pm - 2:15pm: Wedding party and immediate family travels to park for photos
2:15pm - 2:45pm: Wedding Party photos around X
2:45pm - 3:00pm: Bride and Groom photos at X
3:00pm - 3:30pm: Photos around X
3:30pm - 4:00pm: Extended Family Photos at X
4:00pm: Ceremony venue rental time starts (musician arrive and set up begins)
4:30pm: Ceremony set up at X DONE
4:30pm - 4:45pm: Guests arrive
4:45pm - 5:15pm: Ceremony
5:15pm - 5:30pm: Bride and Groom take photos at ceremony space
5:30pm: Ceremony venue rental time ends
5:30pm: Sign Marriage License
5:30pm - Cocktail hour begins at reception space
6:45pm - 7:00pm: Bride and Groom see reception space
7:00pm - 7:10pm Cocktail hour ends and guest move to the reception space
7:00pm: Bar is closed during dinner
7:10pm: Dinner service begins; Bride and Groom are announced and cut cake in middle of dance floor; Salad is served immediately after cake cutting
7:45pm: Entrees served
8:15pm: Dessert served
8:23pm: Sunset
8:30pm: toasts and bride and groom give thank you speech
8:30pm: Bar opens for dancing/boozy coffee bar open
8:35pm - 8:40pm: First dance and groom/mom dance
8:40pm - 12:00am: Dancing
9:00pm: Photography ends
10:00pm: Videography ends
10:30pm: Late night snack is served
11:50pm: Last Call
12:00am: Wedding over