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HOW TO CREATE A GREAT TIMELINE FOR YOUR DAY

Planning your day can feel overwhelming. We totally get it. After photographing so many weddings/elopements, we have found what works best. And notice, we don’t say perfect timeline. We don’t because things can change and being able to go with the flow is one of our biggest things. For your day, we not only help you find great vendors to work with, but we will always help navigate the timeline for you two. A timeline can make or break your day and the flow of it.

We want you to feel the day organically and not feel pressured to do something when it doesn’t feel natural and want it to flow in the way that it should. We don’t want you to have to rush from one thing to the next.

Lots of venue weddings will push you to do certain things at certain times and there is not much leeway to the timeline. We are here to help you create a timeline that makes YOU both feel amazing at the end of the day, because it’s YOUR day.


When think about your day, what do you want? Here are some things to think about:

WHAT DO YOU WANT YOUR DAY TO FEEL LIKE?

Do you want it to be more relaxed and chill? We want to help you plan the day you want without all the crazy hustle and bustle. We want you to feel good about your day and want you to be in the moment. We aren’t going to be posing you nonstop. We want to be like a fly on the wall the majority of the time and want the day to be relaxing for you both.

If you want to go with the flow without any hassles and time restraints, we are here to help you create that.

WHERE DO YOU WANT TO GO ON YOUR DAY TOGETHER?

Do you want to hike to an epic location on your day? Do you want more of the outdoors, mountains, waterfalls in your day? Are there certain locations that mean a lot to you both? We are here to help you select the perfect place for you two.

We have traveled all over and have been to some amazing spots over the years (Moab, Bryce, Zion, Rocky Mountain National Park, Grand Canyon, The Great Sand Dunes, Glacier National Park, Dolly Sods, Shenandoah National Park, Blackwater Falls, Cannon Beach, Yosemite National Park, Sequoia National Park, Bonneville Salt Flats, Denali, Matanuska Glacier, Banff, Jasper, Whitehorse, and many more places).

We would love to help create an adventure for you; one that you will never forget.

WHAT TIME OF YEAR DO YOU WANT IT ALL TO HAPPEN?

The time of year can affect what is accessible, especially in the mountains. You never know when it will snow in some locations. We have been in Bryce/Zion in May with it snowing. It snows in the mountains sometimes in Alaska and Colorado during the summers. There can be snow in many places in Colorado during all times of year too, especially on 14ers.

The time of year can affect the amount of light during the day, what you can wear, how easy it is to get to certain locations, and the overall feel of the day. If you are freezy, you won’t be happy, but there are ways to keep you warm (snuggling included).

We can help you select the best time of year for your day.

WHAT VENDORS DO YOU NEED/WANT?

We can help you find other vendors for your day and will try to make it as easy as possible for you. We can help you find other vendors for your day and will try to make it as easy as possible for you.

If it’s an elopement or intimate wedding, you still might want florals and greenery. You might still want hair + makeup, but you might just want to do it yourself too. If you are having an elopement, you might still want a catered dinner for you two (which is amazing and you should have something special to celebrate). You also might want some live music. You also might want to have your day captured by a videographer as well. We can help you figure out all the things you want or need.

Most of our couples are from out of town, so we always try to help as much as we can to make your day simple and without any stress at all.

Did you know that you may not need an officiant? It all depends on where you get married. Colorado is one of those states where you can self-solemnize. Other states that also allow it (but have rules that we can help with): Pennsylvania, Illinois, Wisconsin, District of Columbia, California, Maine, Nevada, Kansas

SAMPLE TIMELINES

Here are a couple different timelines that can get you at a starting point; one for an intimate wedding and one for an adventure elopement and one for an all day adventure elopement/intimate wedding.

ADVENTURE ELOPEMENT TIMELINE: 8 HOURS

1:30p

  • Photography begins
  • Getting ready images of couple

3:00p

  • We drive + hike to first look location (can be dressed before or when we get to the spot)

4:30p

  • Couple gets dressed (if they aren’t yet)
  • First look

5:30p

  • We hike/head to ceremony spot (if different)

7:30p

  • Sunset photos
  • Hike back

9:00p

  • Campfire photos
  • Dinner photos

9:30p

  • End of photography

INTIMATE WEDDING TIMELINE: 8 HOURS

1:30p

  • Photography begins
  • Last minute hair and makeup touch-ups
  • Candids of bride with family + friends nearby
  • Candids of groom with family + friends nearby

3:00p

  • Couple dresses
  • Photos of each alone

4:00p-5:00p

  • Hike/travel to first look spot
  • First look

5:20p

  • Photos of any family nearby and/or party (if there is one)

4:45p

  • Head to ceremony spot
  • Ceremony details
  • Last minute moments

5:30p

  • Ceremony start time

6:00p

  • Any family/party photos

6:20p

  • Sunset couple photos
  • Drive/Hike to spot if needed

7:30p

  • Any announcements, entrance with first dance
  • Dinner begins
  • Speeches during dinner

8:45p

  • Any other dances
  • Cake cutting (if you choose to do one)
  • Nighttime photos of couple

9:30p

  • End of photography

FULL DAY ADVENTURE ELOPEMENT/INTIMATE WEDDING: 12 HOURS

11:30p

  • Photography begins
  • Last minute hair and makeup touch-ups
  • Candids of bride with family + friends nearby
  • Candids of groom with family + friends nearby

1:30p

  • Couple dresses
  • Photos of each alone
  • Candids with any family/friends nearby

2:00p

  • First Look

2:50p

  • Family photos
  • Wedding party photos (if there is one)

3:30p

  • Wedding guests and couple hike to ceremony spot

4:30p

  • Ceremony

5:00p

  • Family photos
  • Wedding party photos (if there is one)

5:15p

  • Couple photos

5:40p

  • Hike back to trailhead

6:30p

  • Drive to dinner spot

7:00p

  • Dinner and any other happenings

10:00p

  • Sparkler photos
  • Bonfire photos
  • Star photos

11:30p

  • Photography ends

If you have something more epic in mind (i.e. camping and longer hikes, jeeping, flying to remote spots on the top of mountains, more events over more days, etc), we also have the option for full day and multiple day coverage. We are here to help create an epic day for you.

We are Shannon+Jake Gray and we are here to make your day what you want it to be.

Let’s chat!