Wedding Planning in Colorado: Creating Your Wedding Photo Timeline

Need some help with your wedding planning in Colorado?

For me, a wedding photographer is more than someone to take beautiful pictures. (Although that’s absolutely happening!) I also believe that your wedding photographer should be someone you’re super comfortable with, someone who feels like a friend and can help guide you through the day. Because as wonderful as they are, wedding days can feel like a lot!

I want you to have the very best, most magical experience on your wedding day, which is why one of the services I provide free to you is wedding timeline planning! 

Wedding Planning in Colorado: Resources from Your Photographer

While the timeline is where I provide the most hands-on assistance with your wedding planning in Colorado, I also strive to serve you with the best experience and provide as much education as possible!

In addition to help with planning your wedding timeline, you can also expect:

Location Guide so you can choose the perfect place for your complimentary engagement session with your booked wedding package

Style Guide to help with outfit planning and color schemes for your engagement session

Wedding Day Experience Guide to assist you with all the details as you plan your big day!

I have had great feedback from my clients with these guides, and all of them are completely free for you to use. They are resources that are here to serve you, inspire you, and hopefully make things just a little bit easier.

Let’s take a closer look at just one of these:

Wedding Day Experience Guide

This is a resource designed to assist you in planning every step of your wedding day from a photography perspective! It’s full of things like:

• Tips and tricks for perfect lighting
• First look vs. no first look
• Wedding photography ideas for each season
• What to do in case of rain
• And MORE!

These types of free resources are meant to be a support that you can use however you see fit, and are primarily for you and your sweetheart to use independently to create the perfect day and feel at ease.

Wedding Day Timeline Planning

When it comes to planning your wedding timeline I’ll be much more hands-on with you through the process. You’ll have plenty of guidance from me so that we can make sure we’re on the same page and have all the details worked out. This will make your day go so much more smoothly so you can just enjoy the moments!

Here’s how wedding planning in Colorado works as far as timeline:

First, I’ll have you fill out a wedding day questionnaire. This gives me a better idea of what you’re hoping to include and what you want your special day to look like.

Once you’ve completed the questionnaire I’ll create a draft timeline for your Colorado wedding day. I’ll draw on both the details you’ve provided as well as my own knowledge and experience as a wedding photographer to design a timeline that will let us fit in everything we need without feeling rushed!

After I’ve created your draft wedding timeline, we will schedule a meeting so we can go over it together and make any tweaks or adjustments. I want it to be perfect for you!

Here’s a sample of what a typical wedding day with Whitney Marshall Photo might look like:

A Typical Colorado Wedding Day Timeline

Details and Getting Ready Portraits

For a full day’s wedding coverage (8 hours or more), I often start the timeline with capturing your wedding details (such as your wedding invitations, rings, florals, shoes, jewelry, etc.). We will also get dress detail photos and shots of your wedding venue too. These details will bring back so many memories years from now!

Once we’ve captured these details, we might next transition into bridal portraits (as the bride is putting on her wedding dress, jewelry, and makeup) and the groom’s getting ready portraits.

First Look

If you’ve chosen to do a First Look, this is probably the time we will move into capturing that first sweet moment between the bride and groom. I love letting the happy couple soak in that moment together while I capture the expressions on their faces and just the love and joy that is such a special part of that time.

We can also use this time to capture first look moments with any other members of the family you’d like, such as with the bride and her father.

Family Formals

After the First Look it might be the perfect time to do some family portraits. (I can create and adjust your timeline to have family formals captured before or after your wedding ceremony, depending on your preference.)

Wedding Ceremony

Then, it’s the moment everyone has been waiting for! The wedding ceremony is such a peak event, and I always allow for at least 30 minutes of your wedding timeline to be dedicated to the ceremony portion of your big day.

After the ceremony, depending on whether we did the majority of your family portraits beforehand, we can capture any last-minute family formals and wedding party portraits.

Just Married Portraits

And then comes one of my personal favorite parts of the day: Just married portraits with the bride and groom! (I especially love when we work these into the schedule right at sunset for that perfect, golden hour lighting!) I usually plan for at least 20-30 minutes to capture beautiful, romantic photos of the bride and groom together as husband and wife.

Party Time

Last, but certainly not least, it’s time for the party! Your timeline will end on a high note with all of the fun moments to be captured at your wedding reception, from first dances, cake cutting, open dance floor, exit, and more!

I am so very excited to help you with the details of your wedding planning in Colorado! If you want to feel like a friend is capturing your big day, and have someone to guide you through the process, then get in touch and let’s set up a time to chat!

I can’t wait to get to know you and document your story!