# Wedding day timeline template with sneak-peek delivery slots

Short answer: build the day around the ceremony time, add a 10–15 minute buffer before every move, and plan three or four sneak-peek drops at the natural pauses — after getting ready, after the couple portraits, during the evening and at the end of the night. Below is a full timeline for a 2 pm ceremony (shift every time to suit your day), plus who receives what at each drop.

## How to use it

1. Replace the example times with your day: start from the ceremony time and work outwards. Check travel time between locations and the sunset time for evening portraits.
2. Agree the sneak-peek slots with the couple when you plan the day — how many frames, when, and where they'll appear — so they know what to expect and when to look.
3. Share the timeline with the planner, venue coordinator and second shooter at least a week before, and keep a printed copy in your bag on the day.
4. Fill in the recipients table so everyone who gets photos — couple, guests, planner — is agreed in advance, including what guests should never see.

## Timeline (example: 2 pm ceremony)

Times are an example. Bold rows are sneak-peek delivery slots: pick the frames, check them, send, and get back to shooting.

| Time | Part of the day | What to cover | Delivery slot |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 10:30 | Details | Dress, shoes, rings, invitation suite, perfume, flowers, heirlooms. Shoot before the room fills up. | — |
| 11:00 | Getting ready — couple 1 | Hair and make-up finishing touches, candids with family and wedding party, getting dressed, reading a letter or opening a gift. | — |
| 11:30 | Getting ready — couple 2 (second shooter) | Suit and accessories, buttonholes, wedding party candids, a quiet portrait. | — |
| **12:45** | **SNEAK PEEK 1 — getting ready** | **Pick 5–10 frames: two or three details and the best candid from each side.** | **Couple only, private link. Nothing in a state of undress.** |
| 13:00 | First look (optional) and wedding party | First look or a letter exchange, then quick wedding party groups while everyone is fresh. | — |
| 13:30 | Ceremony venue | The room or space before guests arrive, guests arriving, the partner waiting at the front. | — |
| 14:00 | Ceremony (about 30 min) | Processional, both reactions, vows, rings, first kiss, signing, recessional. | Keep shooting — photos deliver while you work. |
| 14:30 | Confetti and congratulations | Confetti exit, hugs, the receiving line. | — |
| 14:45 | Family formals (about 30 min) | Work through the agreed group list — largest groups first, ask a family member to call names. | — |
| 15:15 | Couple portraits (about 30 min) | Relaxed portraits close to the venue: walking, close-ups, a wide with the location. | — |
| **15:45** | **SNEAK PEEK 2 — ceremony and portraits** | **Pick 10–20 frames: the kiss, confetti, two or three family groups and your best portraits.** | **Couple. Planner and venue only after the couple has seen them.** |
| 16:00 | Drinks reception | Guest candids, entertainment, the couple mingling, kids, the venue in use. | Open the guest gallery here (approved frames only). |
| 17:00 | Room reveal | Tables, place settings, flowers, cake, before anyone sits down. | — |
| 17:30 | Entrance and dinner | Grand entrance, first course. Eat when the guests eat — nobody wants photos of chewing. | — |
| 18:45 | Speeches | Each speaker, and reactions from the couple and the people being mentioned. | — |
| **19:30** | **SNEAK PEEK 3 — the day so far** | **Top up the guest gallery; send the couple a few speech reactions.** | **Guests (live gallery) and couple.** |
| 20:00 | Cake cutting and first dance | Cake, first dance from two angles if you have a second shooter, the dance floor filling. | — |
| 20:30 | Golden-hour / evening portraits | 10 minutes outside — set this from the sunset time on the day. | — |
| 21:00 | Party | Dance floor, details lit at night, the send-off if there is one. | — |
| **21:30** | **SNEAK PEEK 4 — end of the night** | **Your favourites of the evening, ready for the couple to share the next morning.** | **Couple; guest gallery stays up.** |

_Allow 10–15 minutes of buffer before every move between locations. If the ceremony runs late, take the time from the drinks reception, not the portraits._

## Who receives what

Agree this with the couple before the day. It decides which gallery or folder each set goes to.

| Recipient | What they get | When | Where |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Couple | Curated sneak peeks: 5–10, then 10–20, then evening favourites | At each sneak-peek slot | [Private gallery or shared folder] |
| Guests | Approved frames from the drinks reception onwards — no getting ready, no unflattering frames | From the drinks reception | [Live gallery link / QR card on tables] |
| Planner and venue | A few frames of the room, details and the couple, with credit | After the couple has seen them — ask first | [Shared folder] |
| Second shooter | Nothing to deliver: their camera feeds the same shoot | — | — |
| Your archive | Every RAW and JPEG from every camera | All day, as you shoot | [Your Dropbox / Drive / server] |

## Before the day

- [ ] Ceremony time, locations and travel times confirmed with the couple and planner
- [ ] Sunset time checked for evening portraits
- [ ] Family formals list agreed, with a family member to gather people
- [ ] Sneak-peek slots, frame counts and recipients agreed
- [ ] Couple's gallery or folder created and the link tested — And the guest gallery, if guests get one.
- [ ] Phone signal checked at the venue (or a plan for no signal)
- [ ] Camera clocks synced (yours and the second shooter's) — So both cameras' shots sort into one timeline.
- [ ] Timeline sent to the planner, venue coordinator and second shooter

## Sneak-peek rules of thumb

- Send the first sneak peek before guests start posting their phone photos — that's when yours get shared the most.
- Fewer, better frames beat a big dump. Check every frame for closed eyes and awkward expressions before it goes out.
- Phone-sized JPEGs (around 2048 px on the long edge) are plenty for sneak peeks; keep full-size files for the final gallery.
- Never put getting-ready frames in a guest gallery. Guests see the day from the drinks reception onwards.
- Say in your contract and welcome guide that sneak peeks are unedited or lightly edited, so nobody expects final colour on the day.

---

From https://cloudtether.app/resources/wedding-day-timeline-template — free to use, share and adapt.