The Ideal Wedding Day Timeline for Beautiful Photos in Toronto & the GTA

Introduction

Your wedding day goes by in the blink of an eye, but the photos will last forever. One of the most overlooked parts of planning your wedding is creating a timeline that ensures your photographer has the time — and the light — to capture your day beautifully.

As a Toronto wedding photographer with over 20 years of experience, I’ve learned that timing is everything. From capturing the morning prep to the last dance, building a thoughtful schedule helps reduce stress and makes sure no important moment is missed.

Here’s my ideal wedding day timeline to guarantee stunning photos, especially for couples in Toronto, Thornhill, Scarborough, and Brampton.

Getting Ready

Recommended time: 2–3 hours before the ceremony

This part of the day sets the tone. Photos of you getting ready — the dress, the details, the laughter with friends — add context and emotion to your wedding album.

• Bride and groom prep should ideally happen in rooms with plenty of natural light.

• Have your dress, shoes, rings, and bouquet ready for detail shots.

• Allow time for candid moments (tears, hugs, jokes).

First Look or Couple Session

Recommended time: 45–60 minutes

If you choose to do a first look, schedule it about an hour before the ceremony. This gives you private time together and allows us to capture raw, emotional reactions.

• Choose a location with shade or even light (parks, courtyards, or gardens).

• Scarborough’s Guildwood Park and Thornhill’s Uplands Golf Club are perfect spots.

• After the first look, we can capture some couple portraits while makeup and hair are fresh.

Scarborough wedding photographer captures first look at Guildwood Park stone arch.

The Ceremony

Recommended time: 30–60 minutes

The ceremony is the heart of the day. Whether it’s a church in Brampton, a banquet hall in Thornhill, or a waterfront setup in Toronto, timing is essential.

• Plan for a mid-afternoon ceremony if possible — this sets you up for golden-hour portraits later.

• Ensure your officiant knows if you’d like time for post-ceremony portraits before guests leave.
  
  

Brampton wedding photographer captures emotional Hindu wedding ceremony.

Family & Group Photos

Recommended time: 30–45 minutes

Group photos can become chaotic if not well-planned. I recommend:

• Creating a list of family combinations in advance.

• Assigning a family member or friend to help organize people.

• Choosing one well-lit spot so we can move quickly.

In Toronto Botanical Gardens or Richmond Green (Richmond Hill), we often use shaded areas or stone steps for family groupings.

Family photographer Thornhill captures group wedding photo

Golden Hour Portraits

Recommended time: 30–45 minutes (ideally just before sunset)

This is the sweet spot for wedding photography. Golden hour — the time just before sunset — creates warm, glowing light that flatters every skin tone and makes backgrounds magical.

• Schedule portraits for golden hour whenever possible.

• Great spots in the GTA include Humber Bay Park (Toronto skyline views) and Gage Park in Brampton.

 Toronto wedding photography couple kissing during golden hour at Humber Bay Park skyline view.

Reception & Evening Photos

Recommended time: 3–4 hours

The reception is where the energy peaks: laughter, dancing, speeches, and joy.

• Include time for detail shots of your décor before guests enter.

• Make space for a short couple session outdoors if the venue has scenic lighting.

• Capture the first dance, cake cutting, and candid guest reactions.

Toronto wedding photographer captures bride and groom’s first dance at reception hall.

Sample Timeline for Toronto Weddings

Here’s how a wedding day might look in Toronto:

• 11:00 am – 1:30 pm: Getting Ready

• 1:30 – 2:15 pm: First Look & Couple Portraits (optional)

• 2:30 – 3:30 pm: Ceremony

• 3:30 – 4:15 pm: Family & Group Photos

• 4:30 – 5:30 pm: Cocktail Hour / Reception Starts

• 6:30 – 7:15 pm: Golden Hour Couple Portraits

• 7:30 pm – late: Reception Coverage
  

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FAQs

Q: What is the best time of day for wedding photos?
A: The best time is during golden hour — the hour before sunset. In Toronto and the GTA, this creates soft, glowing light that looks stunning in photos.

Q: Should we do a first look or wait until the ceremony?
A: Both are beautiful. A first look gives you private time together and more flexibility with the timeline. Waiting until the ceremony creates a dramatic reveal.

Q: How long should we set aside for family photos?
A: About 30–45 minutes, depending on family size. A pre-made list of groups makes this efficient and stress-free.

Conclusion

A thoughtfully planned wedding timeline doesn’t just reduce stress — it ensures your memories are captured in the best light possible. From Scarborough’s Guildwood Park to Brampton’s Gage Park, and everywhere in between, Toronto and the GTA are filled with incredible backdrops.

As your photographer, I’ll guide you every step of the way so you can relax, enjoy the day, and trust that every moment is preserved beautifully.

Ready to talk about your timeline? Contact me today.

Have cell phones ruined weddings?

With all the advancements in technology of today, and the huge increase of people on social media, cell phones have now become a major problem at weddings. It has now come to the point where wedding guests have told me (the bride and groom's hired photographer) that I am getting in the way of their shot. Also it has been increasingly more of a difficulty now to capture certain shots at specific key moments because of people blocking the good angles with their cell phone or tablet in the way. I have recently found a lot of brides and grooms these days opting for an "unplugged" wedding ceremony ie: no electronic devices allowed.

It's amazing to see how many people would rather watch the wedding ceremony through their devices as they are recording than seeing and enjoying it live.

Here is a piece of an article that I found online at the International Business Times:

From brides to photographers to priests, a backlash is forming against the great destroyer of wedding ceremonies. The smartphone sits at the center of almost everybody’s mobile life, so it’s only natural it would also infiltrate the modern wedding ceremony. But when guests are snapping selfies and posting their photographs on Facebook rather than focusing on what’s going on, it’s an aggravation for those who worked so hard to make the day a success.

And it’s not just a nuisance: The proliferation of phones at weddings is ruining the work of paid professionals who are tasked with capturing the perfect photos but all too often find themselves obstructed by aunts and uncles thrusting their devices in the air.

“The worst is when the bride comes down the aisle,” said Kenny Pang, a wedding photographer based in New York. “People will jump in front, stretch their arm out. I can’t move out of position and tell them to move back!”

An Italian Winter Wedding

Another beautiful wedding photographed by 2 Nyce Photography Neddy and Nikki D. Here are some photos of the day starting with the bride getting ready at her house 

And shots of the groom getting ready for the big day

This Is How To Trash A Dress

I always get excited when a bride tells us that she wants to trash her wedding dress. The most interesting part, is in the planning knowing that the white dress everyone admires on the wedding day will be getting trashed the next day. 

A Backyard BBQ Wedding

So the grill is fired up...bride is getting ready....

Just a Few Days Old

It's always special to capture those special moments of a baby's first few days after spending a long 9 months growing in the mother's belly. Here are a few images from a shoot I did a few days after the couple returned home from the hospital. 

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After a long shoot, the little one finally had enough of being posed for different shots.