July Wedding Timeline
Summer weddings offer one of the very best benefits to me as a wedding photographer – a late sunset time! Things often run behind on a wedding day, which means less time for portraits. A later sunset time means I get the opportunity to sneak out, usually during dinner service, and get a bonus sunset session with the newlyweds, which just means more awesome photos for you!
Planning a wedding day timeline is about creating this buffer time – and when planning your own timeline, there are a few questions you’ll need to know in advance.
What time is the July sunset?
The end of June and the beginning of July have the latest sunset times of the year. For planning purposes, we’ll go with an 8:00 PM sunset time.
Will we be having a first look?
A first look is when the couple getting married see each other before the ceremony. This entails a private meet-up between the two of them (and me, of course!), followed by family photos and wedding party photos.
The biggest pro to a first look, in my opinion, is it’s insurance on your wedding day if things run behind. I’ve seen it all on wedding days – rings forgotten in a hotel room, relatives running late, mishaps when trying on the wedding dress that put the day behind. A first look ensures that even if things run significantly behind, you’ll have completed many of your “must” portraits prior to the ceremony, and I can focus on making more fun, creative portraits after the ceremony!
I always leave this decision up to couples – but I will not I think it’s not quite as crucial for summer weddings as it is winter weddings. This is because the later sunset time naturally creates some of that buffer time for you. However, if your priority is lots of portraits and pictures of you around your venue, I’d highly recommend incorporating a first look into your wedding day! The article below has some more info on the pros and cons!
Everything You Need to Know About a Wedding Day First Look
What time is our ceremony?
Often, this is dictated by your venue. 5:00 is the most popular ceremony time I see, but I often see an earlier ceremony time for late fall and winter weddings. For this July timeline, I’ve chosen 5:30 PM since the sun is setting later.
Is there travel required on our wedding day?
If you have separate getting ready, ceremony, and reception locations, you’ll want to account for at least twice the amount of travel time Google Maps says it will take. Plan on it taking longer to coordinate large groups of people, particularly if you don’t have one mode of transportation for everyone.
How many hours of wedding day photography coverage do we need?
While many wedding events can run 12 or more hours, from a strictly photographic perspective, I don’t stay the entire day. I start as those getting hair and makeup are in the final stages, and wrap up photography 30 minutes to half an hour after your last major reception event. Sometimes this aligns with the end of your reception; other times I leave a few hours before the end. This is because covering the dance floor for 2 hours, while fun, can be monotonous and not generally a good use of your wedding budget.
In general, for weddings taking place in one location with around 100 guests, I plan on 8 hours of coverage. For weddings with multiple locations and larger wedding party and guests, it may be in the 9-10 hour range.
Important Parts of Your Wedding Day Timeline
Getting Ready: 1 1/2 Hours
First Look: 30 Minutes
Separate Wedding Party Photos: 30 Minutes
Ceremony: 30 Minutes
Family Photos: 30 Minutes
Combined Wedding Party Photos: 30 Minutes
Married Couple Portraits: 30 Minutes
Grand Entrance: 5 Minutes
First Dance: 5 Minutes
Family Dances:10 Minutes
Toasts:10 Minutes
Bouquet or Garter Toss: 10 Minutes
Cake Cutting: 5 Minutes
Exit: 5 Minutes
July Timeline with First Look – 5:30 PM Ceremony
1:15 – 3:00 Photography starts / getting ready images and details / couple getting dressed
3:00 – 3:15 First Look
3:15 – 4:30 Wedding couple / wedding photos
4:30 – 5:00 Family Photos
5:30 – 6:00 Ceremony
6:00 – 7:00 Cocktail hour starts / any remaining family or wedding party photos
7:00 – 7:10 Grand Entrance
7:10 – 7:15 First Dance
7:15 – 7:30 Toasts
7:30 – 8:30 Dinner Service
7:45 – 8:00 Sunset portraits with newlyweds
8:30 – 8:15 Family Dances
8:15 – 8:30 Cake Cutting
8:30 – 8:45 Bouquet toss / garter toss
8:45 – 9:15 Open Dancing
July Timeline without First Look – 5:30 PM Ceremony
1:45 – 3:15 Photography starts / getting ready images and details / couple getting dressed
3:30 – 4:15 Pictures of bride: individuals, with bridesmaids, with immediate family
4:15 – 5:00 Pictures of groom: individuals, with groomsmen, with immediate family
5:30 – 6:00 Ceremony
6:00 – 6:15 Combined immediate family photos
6:15 – 6:30 Combined wedding party photos
6:30 – 6:50 Newlywed photos
7:00 – 7:05 Grand Entrance
7:10 – 7:15 First Dance
7:15 – 7:30 Toasts
7:30 – 8:30 Dinner Service
7:45 – 8:00 Sunset portraits with newlyweds
8:30 – 8:15 Family Dances
8:15 – 8:30 Cake Cutting
8:30 – 8:45 Bouquet toss / garter toss
8:45 – 9:15 Open Dancing
Wedding Articles & Resources
Wilson Creek Winery Wedding
Temecula Engagement Photo Locations
Everything You Need to Know About Getting Married in Temecula
Old Town Temecula Engagement Session
16 Amazing Temecula Wedding Venues
