The Wedding Day Timeline Builder That Helps You Plan Your Day Around Light, Presence, and Real Life
There’s a moment every wedding photographer knows — when the sun dips low, the music softens, and everything just feels right.
That moment doesn’t happen by accident.
Since 2016, I’ve built more than 120+ real wedding timelines — all designed around light, presence, and the kind of flow that lets you breathe and actually experience your day. Over time, I refined that system into a simple spreadsheet that made planning timelines easy for my couples.
And now, for the first time ever, I’m sharing it with the world.
👉 Introducing the editable Wedding Day Timeline Builder — a guided planning spreadsheet that helps you lay out your entire day around your estimated sunset time and what matters most.
(PDF + Google Sheets + Excel included.)
Why this isn’t “just another timeline template”
Most planning templates give you boxes and tell you to fill them in. This one gives you the logic behind what makes a timeline work. You’ll enter:
your wedding date + location
your estimated sunset time
whether you're doing a first look
…and the Spreadsheet guides you on when to place portraits, ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception events based on optimal timing for light, breathing room, and realistic flow.
Instead of giving you random times, the sheet builds your starting point:
estimated time for golden hour portraits
recommended ceremony start window
suggested placement of key moments (getting ready → portraits → ceremony → reception flow)
You simply adjust the specifics — and your day starts to click into place.
What’s inside the Timeline Builder
Your download includes 6 tabs inside the master spreadsheet (Google Sheets + Excel):
Timeline Input & Recommendations
Your wedding date, sunset time, first-look toggle, + recommended timing buckets.
8 Example Timelines
(first look + no first look, 8–10 hours of coverage)
Final Timeline Layout
A clean export you can send to vendors, print, or screenshot.
Family Formal Photo Shot List
A checklist designed to get people in and out as fast as possible.
Vendor Logistics Tracker
Contacts, arrival times, special notes.
Wedding Day Checklist
The “don’t forget” list: detail items, personal items, last-minute prep.
Who it’s perfect for
Couples planning without a full coordinator
Photographers building timelines for clients
Planners who want a golden-hour-centered schedule
Anyone who values presence > perfection
This planner helps you:
Avoid timeline chaos and rushed portraits
Build around golden hour (not the venue’s dinner schedule)
Keep everyone — vendors, family, bridal party — on the same page
How to use it
Enter your wedding date + location → the sheet grabs your estimated sunset.
Check the box: First look? Yes/No.
Use the recommended timing buckets to place your events.
Add your travel times or unique logistics.
Instead of guessing, you get a timeline that makes sense for real weddings, not Pinterest.
Where to get it
✨ Grab the Wedding Day Timeline Builder here: https://nicolekilday.com/wedding-timeline-builder
Once downloaded, it’s yours forever — editable, customizable, and reusable. It’s the exact tool I use for every wedding I plan — the quiet hero behind seamless days, soft light, and memories that feel like home.
This planner isn’t about perfection — it’s about presence. Because when the timeline takes care of itself, you finally have room to live inside your own story.
Even if I’m not the right photographer for you — I hope this planner helps you envision your day, kick-start the brainstorming knowing what your full day may or may not look like, and eases some stress while you plan. All my love to you. I am so excited to be able to finally share this with the world.
