Free planning tool

Wedding-day timeline builder

Tell us when your ceremony starts and where you're getting married. We work back to when hair and makeup should start, forward to the first dance, and show you where the sunset falls so your couple photos happen in the best light of the day.

Your day

Wedding dateNearest town (for the sunset time)Ceremony startsCeremony lengthHours of photography7 hours starts with the groom, 9 with getting ready, 10 adds details and décor, 11 adds night portraits.Travel to the ceremony (minutes)0 if you get ready at the venue.

Hair and makeup: peopleArtists

Family photosBridal party photosPhotos of the two of youTravel to the reception (minutes)0 if it's at the same venue.

Your timeline

Choose your date to see the sunset time and the golden light for your photos. Photography from 12:30 to 21:30.

10:25Hair and makeup starts4 people, 1 artist: about 3 h 45 min. The bride goes last, so her look is freshest.
12:30Photographer arrives: getting-ready photosHair and makeup finishing touches, calm moments with your bridesmaids and family.
14:10Hair and makeup done
14:10Groom and groomsmen photosShort and structured, 30 minutes: final touches, portraits of the groom and a quick set with the groomsmen.
14:20Bride gets dressed
14:40Bridal portraits45 minutes once you're fully ready: portraits of you, with your parents and with your bridesmaids.
15:00Guests arrive and are seated
15:25Line-up and settle inA 5-minute buffer before you walk in.
15:30Ceremony starts
16:10Confetti and congratulations
16:25You join your guests for drinks15 minutes with your guests before the photos.
16:25Guests enjoy drinks and canapés
16:40Family photosGive your MC the list of family groups so they can call the names. Keep it to about 15 groupings.
17:10Bridal party photos20 minutes.
17:30Couple portraits1 hour, just the two of you.
18:30Grand entrance into the reception
18:40Welcome and grace
18:50Starters servedYour photographer takes a break while guests eat: nobody wants photos of themselves eating.
19:20SpeechesAbout 30 minutes. Ask your MC to keep each speaker to a few minutes.
19:50Main course
20:40First dance
20:55Cake cutting
21:05Dance floor opens
21:30Photographer leaves9 hours of photography.

From a wedding photographer

Décor and detail photos need everything finished. Ask your décor team to be done by 12:30, and have the dress, rings and stationery laid out.

Weddings run late, and photo time is usually what gets cut. Keep a 10-minute buffer wherever you can.

Sunset times are for the town centre. Check again a week before, and share this timeline with every vendor and your MC.

Your day

Hair and makeup: peopleArtists

Family photosBridal party photosPhotos of the two of youTravel to the reception (minutes)0 if it's at the same venue.

Your timeline

Choose your date to see the sunset time and the golden light for your photos. Photography from 12:30 to 21:30.

10:25Hair and makeup starts4 people, 1 artist: about 3 h 45 min. The bride goes last, so her look is freshest.
12:30Photographer arrives: getting-ready photosHair and makeup finishing touches, calm moments with your bridesmaids and family.
14:10Hair and makeup done
14:10Groom and groomsmen photosShort and structured, 30 minutes: final touches, portraits of the groom and a quick set with the groomsmen.
14:20Bride gets dressed
14:40Bridal portraits45 minutes once you're fully ready: portraits of you, with your parents and with your bridesmaids.
15:00Guests arrive and are seated
15:25Line-up and settle inA 5-minute buffer before you walk in.
15:30Ceremony starts
16:10Confetti and congratulations
16:25You join your guests for drinks15 minutes with your guests before the photos.
16:25Guests enjoy drinks and canapés
16:40Family photosGive your MC the list of family groups so they can call the names. Keep it to about 15 groupings.
17:10Bridal party photos20 minutes.
17:30Couple portraits1 hour, just the two of you.
18:30Grand entrance into the reception
18:40Welcome and grace
18:50Starters servedYour photographer takes a break while guests eat: nobody wants photos of themselves eating.
19:20SpeechesAbout 30 minutes. Ask your MC to keep each speaker to a few minutes.
19:50Main course
20:40First dance
20:55Cake cutting
21:05Dance floor opens
21:30Photographer leaves9 hours of photography.

From a wedding photographer

Décor and detail photos need everything finished. Ask your décor team to be done by 12:30, and have the dress, rings and stationery laid out.

Weddings run late, and photo time is usually what gets cut. Keep a 10-minute buffer wherever you can.

Sunset times are for the town centre. Check again a week before, and share this timeline with every vendor and your MC.

Why the sunset matters

The hour before sunset gives soft, warm light that flatters everyone. Midday sun is harsh: it makes people squint and puts dark shadows under the eyes. In Gauteng the sun sets around 19:00 in December but before 17:30 in June, and in Cape Town it sets close to 20:00 in summer. The same ceremony time can give you very different light depending on the month and the place.

How many hours of photography?

Seven hours usually starts with the groom getting ready and runs to the party. Nine hours adds the bride's finishing touches, ten hours adds the details and décor, and eleven hours or more adds a second photographer and night portraits. The timeline shows exactly when your photographer arrives and leaves, and warns you if they would miss the first dance.

Leave room to breathe

Hair and makeup almost always runs over, families take longer to gather for photos than anyone expects, and the speeches grow. Build in 10 minutes here and there. Share the final timeline with every vendor and your MC a week before, so everyone works from the same times.