I know that for a wedding photographer, keeping track of all the details that you need to know to help plan the timeline for your wedding clients can feel like a full-time job. What if I told you there’s a way to make it simple, seamless, and stress-free? Using Dubsado, (my favorite photography business app) you can set up a system that saves you hours of work and ensures every precious moment of the big day is captured effortlessly. Plus, it helps you create an incredible client experience and makes you look super organized too! Talk about a win/win.
Here’s a step-by-step tutorial to creating your perfect wedding photographer timeline in 60 seconds or less!
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1️⃣ Create Your Wedding Day Timeline Questionnaire in Dubsado
Before we can automate the creation of your wedding photographer timeline, we need to create a detailed questionnaire. Use Dubsado to craft a form that gathers all the essential details from your clients, such as:
- Hair and make-up start time
- Bride getting dressed
- Groom getting ready
- Ceremony and reception start times
- Ceremony and reception locations
- First look location and time
- Key moments they want captured (e.g., first look, cake cutting)
- Family photo lists
- Vendors
This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it’s a good start. Just make sure that everything you want captured is entered into a short answer field on your Dubsado questionnaire. (You can only link short answer and date fields to smart-fields.)
By gathering this information upfront, you ensure nothing gets missed, and you’re prepared for the big day.
Once your questionnaire is completed, you’ll want to make a list of all questions on your form so you can make a corresponding smart-field in the next step.
Tip: I recommend asking that this form be sent a few months ahead of the wedding with a deadline to be completed well ahead of the wedding. Add at least one reminder a few days before the form is due and another one after the deadline if it’s not completed you can easily do this in your Dubsado workflows, by using the send form action to send the form 2-3 months ahead of the wedding. Then use the after form is not completed trigger to schedule reminders 2 weeks after form is not completed and 3 weeks after form is not completed.
2️⃣ Use Smart-Fields to Work Smarter, Not Harder
Smart-fields are one of Dubsado’s best features that help photographers save time. These fields automatically pull specific answers from your questionnaire and keeps them in your CRM for reference. Not only that, but you can use them to customize emails, forms, and to-dos. (Keep that in mind for step 4.)
You’ll want to create a smart-field for each question you asked on your questionnaire in step 1 that you want to add to your wedding day timeline.
For example:
- Bridal hair and make-up start
- Bride getting dressed
- Groom getting dressed, etc.
Once you’ve created all the smart-fields, move on to step 3.
3️⃣ Map Smart-Fields in Your Workflow
Once your smart-fields are ready, map them into your questionnaire. This links the information directly to your workflow, making it easy to organize and access later.
For example:
- Use the smart-field for ceremony time to populate your timeline automatically.
- Add notes to clarify what each smart-field represents for even greater clarity.
4️⃣ Automate a To-Do to Send Yourself the Wedding Photographer Timeline
Now, it’s time to let automation do the heavy lifting! Add a To-Do task in your Dubsado workflow that creates a timeline for the wedding day.
Here’s how to make it work:
- Use the smart-fields you’ve mapped to fill in details like event times and key moments.
- Include text to describe each event, such as “First Look” or “Family Photos,” so it’s clear and easy to follow.
- Add the couple’s name and wedding date to the top of the timeline using the client name and project date smart-fields.
This automation ensures everything is organized and ready to go.
5️⃣ Save the Wedding Day Timeline to Your Notes App
Finally, copy the completed wedding day timeline into the notes app on your phone. This gives you quick, easy access to the schedule throughout the day, so you can stay on top of every moment without fumbling through papers or emails.
And just like that—you’re DONE! 🎉
Why This System Works
This method not only saves time but also helps you stay professional and prepared. By streamlining your process with Dubsado, you can focus on what you do best: capturing beautiful moments for your clients, and less on chasing down all the details of each clients wedding day timeline and keeping them all organized in one place. Plus, once you do the work of setting this all up once, it runs on repeat for every single client without you having to lift a finger.
Ready to Save Even More Time Booking and Managing Photography Clients?
Ready to take the stress out of booking and managing your photography clients and streamline your business even more? I’d love to help! Book a free discovery call with me, and let’s create a system that works for YOU. Together, we’ll save you time, wow your clients, and elevate your photography game so you can book more clients and collect even more 5-star reviews.
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