Your Nikah day timeline can get really overwhelming. There are so many considerations and as you’ve likely never planned a nikkah before, you may not know where to begin. 

This guide will help you get a rough estimate of how many hours to book your photographer, how much time is needed for certain portraits, and many other great tips.

I often work with my clients 1:1 to help guide them along this process, especially if they don’t have a Day of Coordinator. So I’m sharing this 1:1 info here so you can reference it at your own pace and anytime you need it.

While all nikkahs are different this info may not work for everyone, the information provided is pretty standard and can be tweaked to suit the needs of your special day.

First, here are a couple of rules for building your timeline.

HOURS

A typical nikkah day timeline for photography is 4 hours and it is the minimum hour requirement for many photographers including myself.

Day of nikkah timeline

• 10:00 am - Get Ready
• 11:00 am - The event stylist decors the venue
• 1:00 pm - Photographer arrives and takes pictures and video of the venue setup
• 2:15 pm - Guests, family, and the imam arrive
• 2:30 pm - The groom arrives and the ceremony begins
• 3:00 pm - Lunch is served
• 3:40 pm - Family portraits
• 4:00 pm - Bride & Groom portraits

ARRIVAL TIME

Photography will start when the groom enters the venue. Your photographer will arrive an hour before to get organized, set-up equipment and familiarize themselves with their surroundings. This is also when your photographer will get some shots of the decor and venue.

TRAVEL TIME

When creating your timeline, it’s very important to not forget your travel time budget- depending on where your nikkah is. Plan for traffic, in rural areas, if it takes you 10min to get from A to B, add another 10min to the budget.

This is to account for traffic, accidents, getting lost, etc.

Never plan everything down to the minute or you could run into big problems on your nikkah day, always have some leeway. For city and highway driving, don’t trust what google maps say, it changes based on the traffic.

Give even more wiggle room here, at least an extra 20-30min, the bigger the city the more wiggle room time you need.

Groom Getting Ready

PHOTOGRAPHY TIME BUDGET: 15 min

Have your shoes, watch, thobe, shawl/imamad, and any other details set to the side for when I arrive. During this time is when the videographer will get some shots of you getting ready.

Ceremony

PHOTOGRAPHY TIME BUDGET: 30 min

For the nikkah ceremony, 30 min is a pretty standard length. Again, add an extra 10 min buffer in the budget should there be any delays.

Family Portraits

PHOTOGRAPHY TIME BUDGET: 20 min

I do family portraits right after the nikkah because everyone you need will be easy to grab. If you can give your family notice that we’ll be taking pictures immediately after the ceremony, that will also ensure that no one wanders off. I’ll help you create a list of family portrait combinations before the big day.

Bride & Groom Portraits

PHOTOGRAPHY TIME BUDGET: 1 hour

Typically, I take pictures of the bride and groom the day before the nikkah, or after the nikkah family portraits.

PRO TIPS

• Make sure to include your family and friends in the planning
• If you want a mixed nikkah, specify which sections your family and close friends will be seating. (This is usually at the front, closest to the main stage).
• Make sure to get the right location
• Sometimes apple maps may take you to the wrong location. Google maps has proven to be more accurate in my opinion. I would suggest going to the venue the day before to familiarize yourself with the area.
• Communicate with your photographer
• If there's a last-minute change to your timeline or you're running late, let your photographer know so they can be aware and prepared
• Keep your head up and look at the camera
• I've noticed some grooms look down during the ceremony, it's hard to capture the moment you're saying "qabiltu nikkah" when you're hiding your face. Look up occasionally. Niin rag iska dig!