When does your wedding start?

Im hoping to do a first look and getting most of the couple portraits then. Everything is in one location. I plan on setting aside 15-20 min after the ceremony for newlywed photos and want to join cocktail hour after but will review with photographer the timeline I came up with. Event is from 5-10:30pm.

We are having a destination wedding, and to make it easy and convenient for everyone both the ceremony and reception will be at the hotel we and our guests are staying at. We won’t be doing a first look, so prior to the ceremony we will be doing photos with our respective wedding parties and families, then all the rest of the pics will be done during the first 30 mins of cocktail hour. We aren’t huge on posed photos (we prefer natural photos that “tell the story” of our wedding, rather than a bunch of pics that are staged) so we aren’t worried about getting them done in 30 minutes. After which, we will join our guests for the second half of cocktail hour. Our ceremony will be at 5:00pm, then cocktail hour with heavy hors d’oeuvres from 5:30-6:30. Dinner at 6:30, then drinks, dance and shenanigans til 10. Since it is a destination wedding we did not want to waste the entire evening in the hotel, so we made sure it ended at 10, which is when the nightlife there is in full swing. We all plan to hit the town until the wee hours of the morning!

We are doing photos during cocktail hour I’m planning on walking down the aisle at 4:15

Prior to canceling and deciding to elope 😆 … Yes! We were doing first look pics in order to join in on most of our cocktail hour. The reason was that we didn’t want to pay for a major portion of our wedding (and cocktail hour entertainment), yet not be able to enjoy it. Additionally it was more important to us to spend time celebrating with guests than away taking a bunch of pics (that almost never get looked at after the 1st anniversary anyway 😕) We also didn’t have a wedding party. So that cuts down on lots of additional photography time as well. The wedding was at 2:30 and all in one location.


Although we’re eloping now, we’re stills doing first look pics. However those are taking place at the hotel and then the ceremony is on the beach in a different area of Waikiki (about 10 mins away) and starts at 4:30. We’ll take pics on the beach after the ceremony and have dinner reservations afterward.

We are not doing a first look, we are letting our guests enjoy cocktail hour while we get our photos done.

I had a goal to make it to Cocktail Hour! We did First Look and we're able to get all pictures done during this time. The photographer told me the the list I provided of pictures to get done during First Look was the best he's ever seen. Be organized with you list and you will be able to enjoy Cocktail Hour!


Our wedding was 5:30pm - 11:30pm. And I was done at then end of the reception.

We did a first look about three hours before our 5 pm ceremony. Ceremony, cocktail hour and a half and reception were at the hotel we and most of our guests were staying. Reception was just dinner so it was only three hours.


My day started at 8 so I could greet my dress steamer and fix a busted manicure issue!

We're doing a first look. Our ceremony is scheduled for 5 pm. I want to have all our pics done before except maybe couple portraits during golden hour, we want to be able to enjoy cocktail hour and talk with our guests so that we're able to enjoy dancing during the reception.

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A list for first look? Like a Pinterest of first look poses?

View Quoted Comment At list of all the groupings of pictures with each person in it. We went right down the list and was able to knock all of them out. I can message my list to you if you would like, let me know.

My first wedding, I really wanted to not do a first look so he could see me the first time coming down the aisle, and our pictures sucked because I felt rushed and just wanted to get in to the party. Sooo this time around, we are doing pictures ahead of time so we can take our time!

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Yes, please!

We are doing a short cocktail "hour" in order to start dinner early. Already worried we won't get as many photos because of it.

I went into this initially against doing a First Look but we ended up caving so we're doing one before the ceremony, then Bridal Party pics. Our ceremony starts at 6pm, cocktail hour starts at 6:30. We'll do some family pics then make it to the reception by 7pm. Our reception ends at 10:30pm. Everything is in the same location.

Hi ! My ceremony was at 5 in a city hall and then at 6 at the church.

We had a "first look" at 3.

Our reception started around 8-8:30, and it was over at 3.30 am.