How to plan your wedding timeline to prioritize elevated experiences for your guests and yourself.

Weddings in 2024 are WILD. Prices are high, expectations are high, and “inspiration” is endless. Truthfully though, nothing matters on the wedding day except that you are getting married and celebrating with your people. I am a big supporter of planning your day to be slow paced, experience forward, and present. Here are the five things I would do to create the perfect wedding timeline as a laid-back couple.

Add a welcome party

The actual wedding day flies by quickly and many couples leave without even saying hi to every guest. A welcome party is the perfect way to have a casual connection point with your guests the night before. Since many of my couples are planning destination weddings, this makes even more sense since everyone comes into town one to two days before the wedding. As a photographer, I believe welcome party imagery makes for some of the sweetest. People’s guards are lower, the timing tends to be right at sunset with beautiful lighting and the couple actually gets to hang out with their people!

Take out the unnecessary traditions

With all the things you see on TikTok and Instagram it can be easy to think you need to stuff you reception with 1000 traditions because it’s just “what you do at a wedding”. Many of my clients choose to say no to all or some of these common to-dos and instead hang out and eat. These include, but aren’t limited to: garter/bouquet toss, lots of speeches, formal dances, photos with every table, anniversary dance, cake cutting, etc. I am a firm believer that you should include it if it’s sentimental to you, but that nothing is a MUST. I love working together with couples to build the photo timeline to reflect how you want to feel on your wedding day.

Get ready together or do a first look

Besides the day flying by, many people don’t get to spend much time with their spouse. When you don’t see each other until the ceremony you end up going almost the full wedding day not talking. Many of my couples opt to either get ready together or do a first look around noon. This first look allows for you and your partner to hang out all day, take necessary family and wedding party portraits prior to the ceremony, and let yourself relax from being “on” much sooner.

Attend cocktail hour

Another benefit of the first look is making space for the ability to attend your cocktail hour. Many of my couples structure their day with small batches of couples portraits that are 10 to 15 minutes each. Once the ceremony ends they’ll take their remaining extended family portraits, a handful of couples portraits, then join their cocktail hour with the guests. It’s the perfect way to grab a drink, chat, and eat some of those yummy hors d’oeuvres that you paid for. We will sneak away from true sunset portraits a little later, but you don’t have to worry about that.

Later end time or after party

The last thing that I have been loving is an extended reception for late night snacks and more dancing or an after party at a secondary location. This is especially popular in places like SF or Santa Barbara where noise ordinances make for really early end times. These after parties are often just the friends, as many family members head home, and have a much more casual vibe similar to the welcome party. Some groups go rowdy with it, some sit and play board games. The whole purpose to spend more time with the people you love! Often these make for wildly happy images and will be looked back on fondly.

All in all, your wedding weekend in yours! Choose to do things that make you happy and prioritize what you actually want to do. Nothing is non-negotiable except for exchanging vows! I hope you get to plan a wedding that feels how you imagined. If you’re looking for a photographer that prioritizes presence while still directing when needed, send me a hello.