# A wedding photography checklist for before, during and after the day

> A reusable wedding photography checklist for before, during and after the wedding, with timings, a gear list and shot list, and how to track it as tasks.

Source: https://help.corehue.co/docs/guides/wedding-photography-checklist/

A wedding has more moving parts than any other job you'll shoot, and most of the stress comes from the small things: the family list nobody sent, the flat battery, the backup you meant to do on Sunday. Here's a checklist with timings that work for most weddings, and a way to turn it into dated tasks that remind you.

## Before the wedding

Timings count back from the wedding date. Stretch them for a destination wedding, squeeze them for an elopement booked six weeks out.

| When | What to do |
| --- | --- |
| At booking | Contract signed by both of you, deposit paid, date blocked in your calendar |
| 6 weeks before | Timeline call with the couple |
| 4 weeks before | Family formals list in, with names |
| 2 to 3 weeks before | Scout the locations you haven't shot before |
| 1 to 2 weeks before | Brief your second shooter |
| 1 week before | Confirm the final timeline with the couple or their planner |
| 2 days before | Gear check: charge, format, clean |

**Contract and deposit.** Don't treat the date as taken until both are done. If either is still outstanding a week after the couple said yes, a friendly nudge now saves an awkward one later.

**Timeline call.** Walk through the day hour by hour: getting ready, ceremony, family photos, couple portraits, reception. Ask about traditions, the no-phones moments and sunset time. Build in buffers, since hair and makeup almost always run late.

**Family formals list.** Ask for groups with names, not "Mom's side". Ten to fifteen groups at two or three minutes each is a realistic half hour. Ask who'll help you round people up.

**Location scouting.** Visit at the same time of day as the shoot if you can, so you see the real light. Note a wet-weather spot.

**Second shooter brief.** Send arrival time, addresses, the timeline, the family list, the shot list, dress code and how you want files handed over.

**Gear check.** Do it two days out, not the night before, so there's time to replace anything that's broken.

## On the wedding day

**Gear.**

- Two camera bodies, so a failure never stops the day
- Lenses for wide, standard and long, plus a macro for rings if you use one
- Flash and triggers for the reception
- Charged batteries, more than you think you need
- Formatted cards, plus a card wallet to keep used ones safe
- A printed timeline and family list
- Water, snacks and a small kit with safety pins, bandages and stain remover

**Timeline.** Keep it on paper or your lock screen, with the planner's number at the top. Arrive 15 minutes before your first call time.

**Shot list.** Keep it to the must-haves and let the rest of the day happen:

- Details: rings, dress, shoes, invitations, flowers
- Getting ready, both sides if you have a second shooter
- Ceremony: processional, vows, ring exchange, the kiss, recessional
- Family formals, in the order on your list
- Couple portraits, ideally near golden hour
- Wedding party
- Reception: entrance, speeches, first dance, cake, the exit

## After the wedding

| When | What to do |
| --- | --- |
| That night | Back up every card to two places, one of them off site |
| 2 to 3 days after | Sneak peeks, 10 to 30 favorites |
| First week | First cull |
| 4 to 12 weeks after | Full gallery delivered |
| After delivery | Album picks, proofs from your album designer or lab, any print orders |
| 1 to 2 weeks after delivery | Thank-you note or small gift, and a review request |

Don't format a card until the backup is checked.

## Setting it up in CoreHue

Each wedding becomes a project, and the checklist becomes tasks inside it with due dates.

1. Create the project, with **Project type** set to **Wedding**. The easiest moment is when you send the proposal: choose **More actions**, then **Add to project**, and create it there. See [Creating a project](/docs/projects/creating-a-project).
2. Open the project's **Tasks** tab and choose **New task** for each line of the checklist, with a **Due date** counted back from the wedding.
3. Open the tasks with several steps and add a **Checklist**.
4. Give each task a label, so your views can pick them up.

Here's how the checklist above maps onto tasks:

| Task | Due | Checklist steps | Label |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Timeline call | 6 weeks before, with a time | | Wedding prep |
| Family formals list | 4 weeks before | | Wedding prep |
| Scout locations | 2 weeks before | Each venue, wet-weather spot | Wedding prep |
| Second shooter brief | 10 days before | Arrival, addresses, timeline, family list, shot list, dress code, file handover | Wedding prep |
| Gear check | 2 days before | The gear list above | Wedding prep |
| Shot list | Wedding day | The shot list above | Wedding prep |
| Back up cards | Wedding day | Card 1, card 2, off-site copy | Editing |
| Sneak peeks | 3 days after | Pick, edit, publish, send | Delivery |
| Cull and edit | 6 weeks after | | Editing |
| Deliver full gallery | 8 weeks after | Export, upload, check on phone, publish, send | Delivery |
| Album proofs back | 3 weeks after picks | Picks in, proofs sent, changes, sign-off, order from lab | Album |
| Thank-you and review | 2 weeks after delivery | | Follow-up |

Create the Wedding prep label from any task's **Labels** menu by typing the name. **Editing**, **Delivery**, **Album** and **Follow-up** are already there. Checklists hold up to 100 steps, so a long shot list fits. You add steps once the task exists, by choosing **Open** on the note that appears. See [Creating a task](/docs/tasks/creating-a-task) and [Adding a checklist to a task](/docs/tasks/adding-a-checklist).

Some tasks wait on the couple, like the family formals list or album proofs. Move those to **Waiting** once you've asked. They still go overdue, so you'll know if something hasn't come back. See [Tracking tasks on a board or list](/docs/tasks/tracking-tasks-on-a-board).

For reminders, a good default is an email the day before and an in-app nudge on the day. Give the timeline call its own **1 week before** reminder so you have time to book it. See [Setting up task reminders](/docs/tasks/task-reminders).

## Reusing the checklist for every wedding

CoreHue doesn't have task or project templates, so there's no button that copies this set into the next wedding. What works in practice:

- **Keep a master list.** Save the task table above in your notes app, or bookmark this page, and add the tasks when you create each wedding's project. Switch the project's **Tasks** tab to **List** and use **Add a task** at the foot of **To do** to type the titles one after another, then give each a date. Twelve tasks take about ten minutes.
- **Paste the checklist steps from your note.** Steps go in one at a time, but the field stays ready after each Enter, so a seven-step brief takes under a minute.
- **Keep one standing gear check.** Create a Gear check task with no project. After each wedding, reopen it, untick the steps and give it the next wedding's date.
- **Save a Wedding prep view.** Filter **Labels** to Wedding prep, group by **Project** and sort by **Due date**, and each wedding gets its own column of prep, nearest first. See [Saving task views](/docs/tasks/saving-task-views).

For how the wedding moves across your board, see the [photography client workflow](/docs/guides/photography-client-workflow). For a whole season with weddings, commercial jobs and admin side by side, see [Running your studio with projects and tasks](/docs/guides/running-your-studio-with-projects-and-tasks). The family formals list is easiest to collect in a questionnaire, and [Writing questionnaires clients actually answer](/docs/guides/questionnaires-that-get-answered) has the questions.

## Frequently asked questions

### What should be on a wedding photographer's checklist?

Paperwork and payment, a timeline call, the family formals list, a second shooter brief, location scouting and a gear check before the day. A shot list on the day. Backup, culling, sneak peeks, gallery delivery, album proofs and a thank-you with a review request afterwards.

### How far in advance should a wedding photographer plan the timeline?

Have the first timeline call about four to six weeks before, then confirm the final version a week out, once the venue and suppliers have settled their times.

### What gear does a wedding photographer need?

Two bodies, lenses covering wide to long, flash with triggers, plenty of charged batteries and formatted cards. The second body matters most, since there are no retakes.

### When should a wedding photographer send sneak peeks?

Within two or three days is common. A small set of 10 to 30 photos keeps the couple happy while you work on the full gallery.

### How long does it take to get wedding photos back?

Four to twelve weeks is typical, depending on the season and how many weddings you're editing. Tell the couple a range in your contract and aim to beat it.