Every couple asks us the same question a week before the wedding: how much time do we actually need? After more than 500 weddings across Chandigarh, Mohali and Punjab, we can tell you exactly where the day runs smoothly and where it always slips.
This is not a planner’s timeline. This is what the day looks like from behind the camera.
How long each part really takes
Getting ready — 30 minutes of photography
The photography itself is quick. The problem is never our side of it; it is when the ready time starts. Build a buffer before this, not after.
Milni and baraat — around 2 hours
This is one of the most photogenic parts of the day and it cannot be rushed. Elders being greeted, the dhol, the families meeting for the first time — 2 hours is normal, and trying to compress it only means losing moments.
Phere — 1 to 3 hours
This depends entirely on your panditji and your traditions. Ask him in advance for an honest estimate. A 3-hour ceremony with a timeline built for 1 hour is the single biggest reason couples end up with no time for portraits.
Reception — 3 to 4 hours
Stage greetings, family groups, speeches, the first dance. Guest count decides everything here.
The three places every timeline slips
1. Makeup takes longer than anyone plans for. Confirm your finish time with your artist in writing, and then plan your day 45 minutes later than that. Also ask upfront how much time they need for their own content — most artists shoot reels and behind-the-scenes clips, and that time is real time. When it is planned for, nobody is waiting.
2. Meal service does not follow your schedule. Once food service begins, moving anyone — you, your parents, your bridal party — becomes very hard. Schedule your family group photos and couple portraits before dinner starts, never after.
3. Couple portraits get whatever is left over. This is the one we see most. By the time everything else finishes, we are handed ten minutes for the photographs you will actually frame and hang on your wall. Ten minutes is enough for a few safe frames. It is not enough for the images you saw in our wedding portfolio and booked us for.
What we ask for: one hour
One uninterrupted hour for the two of you. Not one hour squeezed between two rituals — a real hour, blocked in the schedule like any other event.
In that hour we can move to two or three different spots, let you settle into being in front of a camera, and actually work with the light instead of fighting it. This is where the candid, unposed photographs come from, every single time.
If you can, place it around sunset. Chandigarh’s light in the last hour before sundown is the softest you will get all day. It is the same light we chase on a pre-wedding shoot, and it is worth planning your day around. If your ceremony timing makes that impossible, tell us early — we plan our lighting differently rather than discovering the problem at 9 pm.
Our team on the day
We bring 3 photographers and 3 cinematographers to a full wedding. That is what lets us cover the bride’s side and the groom’s side at the same time, keep a camera on the parents while the couple is being photographed, and catch the reactions happening behind the main moment.
It also means we are never the reason your day is running late. We work around your rituals, not the other way around.
A timeline that actually works
| Time | What’s happening |
|---|---|
| Morning | Getting ready (photography: 30 min) |
| Midday | Milni and baraat — 2 hours |
| Afternoon | Phere — 1 to 3 hours, confirm with panditji |
| Before sunset | Couple portraits — 1 hour, blocked |
| Evening | Family groups, then dinner service |
| Night | Reception — 3 to 4 hours |
Three things to do this week
- Ask your panditji how long your ceremony will run. Write the number down.
- Ask your makeup artist for a finish time, then add 45 minutes to it.
- Block one hour for couple portraits before sunset, and tell your caterer that dinner service starts after it.
Do these three things and your wedding photographs will look different. We have seen it on both sides too many times to call it a coincidence.
Planning a 2027 wedding in Chandigarh or Punjab? We would be happy to look at your timeline with you before you lock it in. Get in touch →
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