5:00am – Bridal Party Makeup and Hair Begins | 3-5 Hours

Makeup and Hair is frequently the most underestimated part of the day when it comes to carving out the right amount of time.  This process can take anywhere from 2 to 5 hours depending on the style and group headcount, so be sure to alow enough time after you have had your consultation with your makeup artist and hair stylist.  Photographers usualy aren’t presend for this entire process and should be scheduled to arrive when the process is close to its completion.

8:30am – Photographer Arrives, Takes Photo of Details | 30 Minutes

You should have all your details ready for the photographers, all in one place.  For the bride, this would be things like her Sari or Lengha, all wedding rings, shoes, jewelry, etc.

9:00am – Prep Portraits | 10 Minutes

This is when your photographer will take photos of the finishing touches of makeup and hair, candids of bridesmaids, groomsmen and relatives as Bride and Groom prepare for their big day.  This is the perfect time to exchange gifts, if applicable to your timeline because everyone is fully dressed and dolled up for the day.

9:00am – All Hair and Makeup Complete

9:00am – Individual Portraits | 30 Minutes

Great time to snag some portraits of both Bride and Groom before they head out to their first look location spot.

9:30am – First Look | 30 Minutes

This is when you have the opportunity to experience a special moment with your soon-to-be-spouse.  The first look is a sweet and intimate time that your photographer will capture for you to remember the moment forever.  After the first look, you will go into your daytime session where your photographer will take your wedding portraits together.  It’s important to leave ample time for this session because this is where the majority of your portraits of just the two of you in your ceremony wear will be taken.

10:00am – Bridal Party Portraits | 30 Minutes

This Your photographer will take phtos of you and your bridesmaids together, portraits with each of your bridesmaids, photo of the groom and groomsmen, individual portraits with each groomsmen, and finally group portraits of the entire wedding party.

10:30am – Bride Hides Away for Baraat

At this time, the bride will return to her room, or will hide away while the groom has his Baraat.

10:30am – Baraat – Groom Gets on Horse, Procession Begins | 30 Minutes

This is a celebratory item in the Indian Wedding Timeline for the groom’s guest as they dance their way along the processional to the ceremony site.  Photographers will follow along to capture the vibrant celebrations as the groom rides in on his decorated white horse.  Red more about the Indian traditional of the Baraat here.

11:00am – Baraat Arrival at Ceremony Entrance

11:00am- Milni | 20 Minutes

At the end of the Baraat, the groom greets the bride’s family for the nilni ceremony.  Red more about the ritual and its significance in the Indian Wedding Timeline in this Milni Ceremony article. Before the groom can make his way to the Mandap he must remove his shoes.  Joota Chupai commences and the bride’s family begin to try to steal and hid the groom’s shoes in a mischievous and jovial act of Indian tradition.

11:20am – Groom Walks into Mandap

At this point in the timeline the priest prays to Lord Ganesh to bless the occasion and make the ceremony free of obstacles.  You can read more about the tradition of Ganesha Puja here.

11:30am – Bride Grand Entrance

The bride enters the ceremony site and is brought to the Mandap by her maternal uncle, or other relatives and bridesmaids.  This is known as the Kanya Aagaman which literally translates to “the arrival of the bride.”

11:30am – Ceremony Begins | 1 Hour

The Indian Wedding Ceremony consist of many different rituals below is a list of many of them .  Click the links to ready more about each part of the ceremony.

• Varmala
• Kanyadaan
• Vivaah Homa
• Hastmelap
• Mangalsutra
• Granthi Bandhanam
• Saptapadi or Mangal Fera
• Kalasha
• Laaja Homam
• Kansar Bhakshan
• Ashirwad

12:30pm  – Ceremony Ends

12:30pm – Vidaai | 5-10 Minutes

1:00pm – Lunch | 1 Hour

12:40pm – Family Formals at Mandap | 45 Minutes

At this point the Indian Wedding Timeline, your guest are eating lunch and it is time to take Formal Family photos with all of your extended family.  Be sure to have a list for your photographer of exactly who you want to include in these portraits and look at the Indeal Wedding Photography Timeline for suggestions on how much time to leave depending on the size of your family.

1:25pm – Couple’s Session | 50 Minutes

This is another opportunity for your photographer to get some more shots as a couple, except now you are a married couple!

2:15pm – Bride and Groom Downtime

3:00pm – Re-Do Hair/Touch-Up Makeup for Reception | 1 Hour and 15 Minutes

During this time your photographer will take details and prep shots of your reception outfit changes, so again it is imporatnt to have all these details in one place.

4:00pm – Get Dressed for Reception | 15 Minutes

4:15pm – Family Portraits | 45 Minutes

This is another opportunity to get photos with family in their formal wear for the reception. .

5:00pm – Photographs of Cocktail Details and Guests Mingling | 45 Minutes

5:30pm – Cocktail Hour | 1 Hour

During this time, your guests arrive at the reception and begin mingling with each other and your families.  Typically the bride and groom do not attend this cocktail hour because they are away taking more photos in their reception attire.

5:45pm – Nighttime / Reception Couple’s Session | 1 Hour

This is perfect time to get some of the sunset/nighttime shots.  Also good to get photos of just the bride and groom in the reception hall before guests enter.  Be sure to let your photographer know if you want to attend part of your cocktail hour to mingle with guests so that your Indian Wedding Timeline can accomodate this.

5:45pm – Photographs of Reception Details | 45 Minutes

6:45pm – Doors Open to Reception

Guests begin to fill the reception hall and take their seats to prepare for the entrances of the family, bridal party and finally the Grand Entrance of the newlyweds.

7:00pm – Grand Entrance

7:00pm-9:30pm Dinner, Programming, Performance, Speeches

This time in the reception is allotted for whatever programming you have planned.  Often times Indian Wedding Timelines there are multiple dancing performances by professional dancers, performers, and family.  This is a good time for speeches from family and the Maid of Honor and Best Man.

9:30pm – Open Dance Floor

It’s time for everyone to party! At this point, your guests are ready to stretch their legs and get their blood pumping.

10:00pm – Cake Cutting Ceremony/Dessert

This signifies to your guests that the reception will be ending soon.

10:30pm – Dancing continues

Dancing can continue for another hour or more at this point, it’s up to you how late you have contracted your vendors for and how late you would like to stay up partying and celebrating your marriage.

Wedding Reception Concludes

As your wedding reception concludes you may opt to have a grand exit in your Indian Wedding Timeline.