Most couples book 10 hours of photo and video, usually running from about noon to 10 PM, which covers the end of getting ready through the start of the party. Plan for a 15-minute first look, about 90 minutes of couple and wedding party portraits, 20 to 45 minutes of family formals, and at least 45 minutes for photo and video to set up the ceremony. Then pad every transition with buffer time, because that's what keeps the day on schedule and keeps you relaxed.
How long does everything actually take?
That's the question sitting under every wedding day timeline. After 11 years as a Vancouver wedding videographer and photographer, my honest answer is usually a little longer than you'd guess.
Here's the thing. A good timeline isn't about cramming more in. It's about leaving enough room that you actually get to be at your own party. And if you're the kind of couple who wants that party in your photos and film, the timeline is where it starts.
Below is a sample schedule, plus the reasoning behind every block.
What does a 10-hour wedding day timeline look like?
Most of my couples book 10 hours, roughly noon to 10 PM. This sample is loosely based on real weddings I've shot, built for a couple who wants the celebration on camera and does a first look.
What's Happening
12:00 PM ~ Photo and video arrive. Hair and makeup wrapping up. Details and flat lays.12:45 PM ~ Getting dressed, then travel to your first look spot (with buffer)1:30 PM ~ First look (15 minutes)1:45 PM ~ Couple and wedding party portraits (90 minutes)3:15 PM ~ You tuck away. Photo and video set up the ceremony (45 minutes).4:00 PM ~ Ceremony4:30 PM ~ Family formals (20 to 45 minutes)5:15 PM ~ Cocktail hour, with you actually in it6:15 PM ~ Grand entrance, then cake cutting6:30 PM ~ Dinner, with speeches spread between courses Around sunset ~ Golden hour portraits (15 minutes)8:30 PM ~ First dance, formal dances, all-couples dance8:45 PM ~ Dance floor opens10:00 PM ~ Coverage endsHere's the same day without a first look. Same 10 hours, but portraits move after the ceremony and you miss most of the cocktail hour.
What's Happening
12:00 PM ~ Photo and video arrive. Hair and makeup wrapping up. Details and flat lays.1:00 PM ~ Getting dressed, getting-ready moments with your people2:30 PM ~ Travel to the ceremony (with buffer)3:15 PM ~ Photo and video set up the ceremony (45 minutes)4:00 PM ~ Ceremony4:30 PM ~ Family formals (20 to 45 minutes)5:00 PM ~ Couple and wedding party portraits (90 minutes) while guests are at cocktail hour6:30 PM ~ Grand entrance, then cake cutting6:45 PM ~ Dinner, with speeches spread between coursesAround sunset ~ Golden hour portraits (15 minutes)8:30 PM ~ First dance, formal dances, all-couples dance8:45 PM ~ Dance floor opens10:00 PM ~ Coverage endsYour times will shift with your ceremony, venue and season. The blocks and the buffers are what matter.
How many hours of wedding photography and videography do you need?
For most couples, 10 hours.
At 8 hours, something gets cut. Either it's the morning prep, that calm before the chaos with your favourite friends, family and wedding party. Or it's the evening. If we're filming prep, we miss most of the party.
Ten hours lets you have both. Twelve is when you get pretty much everything.
If you're weighing hours against budget, my pricing guide breaks down what goes into cost.
When should your Vancouver wedding photographer and videographer arrive?
When most of the makeup is done. Not all of it.
We usually show up once the couple, or a few people in the wedding party, are wrapping up hair and makeup. Nobody needs two hours of footage of foundation going on.
If there's time to kill, that's when we get the details. Flat lays, stationery, and all the intentional decisions you made over months of planning.
Should you do a first look?
Here's how it changes your day.
If you do a first look, give it 15 minutes. That sounds like a lot for one moment. But it covers getting to the spot, mic'ing up the groom, posing and positioning, and letting the moment unfold without rushing it.
Then do your portraits right after. That way, once the ceremony's done, you're not disappearing. You get real time with your people at cocktail hour.
No first look? Then portraits happen after the ceremony, usually a 90-minute session, and you join cocktail hour late. Totally doable. You just get less time with your guests.
Planning a winter wedding with outdoor portraits? Move them earlier in the day. The sun goes down much, much earlier.
How long do wedding portraits and family formals take?
For couple portraits and the wedding party together, plan for about 90 minutes.
Family formals depend on your guest count. They can take 20 minutes. With a bigger list, they can take 45.
Preparation is what makes the difference. Send a list of every grouping to your photographer and your planner ahead of time. Get an MC, or someone who knows everyone, to call out names. And ask your officiant to announce right after the ceremony that family portraits are happening, so people stick around.
That last one sounds small. It really helps.
How much setup time does a Vancouver wedding videographer need before the ceremony?
Ideally 45 minutes. Thirty at the absolute minimum.
Ten minutes isn't a plan, especially for video. We're setting up tripods, placing microphones, and still trying to capture beautiful imagery of the space before guests sit down.
Thirty minutes is high stakes. Teams with a lot of experience can handle it well. A newer team can get it done in half an hour too, but you'll likely get fewer shots, and maybe no backup audio. That's a bigger deal than it sounds, and I wrote about why audio matters here.
With 45 minutes, we can set up, get the shots, and not rush anything. Photography is a little easier to set up. Video needs that time.
What's the best reception order for photos and video?
It depends on your caterer more than you'd think. Are they plating? How is service running? Sort that out between your caterer, venue and planner. A planner can really help here.
The order I love is entrances, then cake. Speeches get spread throughout dinner, so guests have time to eat and mingle (and hopefully so we get to eat too). Then first dance, formal dances, and straight into the party.
One move I'd steal for any wedding: I see it mostly at South Asian weddings, where every couple in the room gets invited to join a slow dance. That puts enough people on the dance floor that you can kick off the party right after. Western weddings could totally adopt this.
As for golden hour, 15 minutes is plenty for beautiful portraits. Half an hour is kind of overkill, in my opinion. Unless that's what you want. No problem.
Does having one photo and video team change your timeline?
Yes, and mostly in ways you'll feel before the wedding.
The planning gets simpler, because you're working with one team instead of coordinating two. Portraits move faster, because the photographer and videographer already know how each other works. And the ceremony runs smoother, because we already know each other's positions.
If you're curious, I wrote more about how photo and video work as one team.
What's the most common wedding timeline mistake in Vancouver?
Not adding buffer time.
Say you're heading from your hotel to Swaneset Bay, and Google says the drive is 10 minutes. Make it 15.
Around here, travel is where timelines fall apart. If you're going from Richmond or Vancouver to Surrey, the Alex Fraser Bridge can be a big time suck. Getting around Vancouver around 3 PM can be a real pain too.
And if you're leaving a downtown venue for somewhere else, that gets really tricky. Plan for it before the day, not on the day.
Those extra minutes keep you from running late. And running late is what stresses couples out. It doesn't just cost you time. It costs you the enjoyment of your own day.
If you're planning a wedding that's built for the party, and you want photo and video on one team, book a discovery call here. Promise I'll make it easy.
So pull up your draft timeline. Where's the room for you to actually enjoy it?
-Shyah
