Free tool · Built from real Hawaiʻi weddings
The Hawaiʻi weddingtimeline builder
Pick your date. We'll do the sunset math.
Every Hawaiʻi timeline is built backwards from one thing: the sunset. Ours is calculated for your exact date, then wrapped in the same rhythm as the real island timelines we've worked from, from getting-ready to the last dance.
What 20+ real Big Island wedding timelines taught us
Sunset--
Golden hour from--
Light's gone by--
Your wedding day
Make it yours: tap any title to rename it, use − / + to move a moment 15 minutes, × to remove it.
5.0 ★ on Google
Real couples, real tears.
She fit in seamlessly with our photography team and planner and added so much joy to the day.
An absolute game-changer for me as a wedding planner.
Worth every penny and definitely one of the most valued vendors from our wedding day!
Let this be your sign to do it. I can promise you won't regret it!
The perfect hybrid between photographer and videographer.
She is a necessity. The time to bring her into your team was yesterday.
It allowed our friends and family who couldn't attend to follow along and feel part of the celebration all weekend long.
Ruchi was a bridal shower gift from my aunts and grandma, and let me tell you: BEST GIFT EVER.
It felt as if my childhood best friend had come to capture our special moments.
She even captured the tears of joy in my father's eyes during our father-daughter first look.
The 8 rules Hawaiʻi planners swear by.
Patterns from the real wedding-day timelines our team has worked with island coordinators at resorts, gardens and beaches across the Big Island.
Build backwards from sunset
Hawaiʻi sits close to the equator, so the sun drops fast and golden hour is short. Your sunset portraits should end at sunset, which means stepping away about 25 minutes before it.
Sunset portraits are sacred
The best coordinators write it straight into the timeline: don't cut photography short just to keep dinner on schedule. Dinner can wait 10 minutes; the light can't.
No daylight saving here
Hawaiʻi doesn't change its clocks, so sunset swings from about 5:45 PM in late November to about 7:08 PM in early July. A December and a June wedding need very different days.
Shoot the reception before guests arrive
Want clean table and floral details? Ask your planner to have setup finished 30 minutes before guests walk in, and to hold guests from dropping bags on tables until the details are captured.
Enter just after sunset
In most real timelines, the couple slips out of cocktail hour for sunset portraits, then makes the grand entrance 5–25 minutes after sunset, followed by a pule (blessing) and dinner.
Cut the cake early
A planner favorite: cut the cake unannounced, before sunset portraits, with just your parents and the good light. Keep toasts to 2–5 minutes, and plan last call 15–30 minutes before the music ends (often 9 or 10 PM).
Pad every move
Venue access windows, shuttles, church-to-venue drives, outfit changes and trade-wind veil wrangling all take longer than you think. Add 10–15 minutes around every location change.
Always have a rain plan
Island showers pass quickly, but your planner should have a covered backup and a decision time. Bonus: a light sun shower makes for magical photos.
Plan your layout like a pro.
What the best island floor plans have in common, from oceanfront lawns to ballrooms and after-party lounges.
Separate cocktail hour from dinner
A lanai or garden for cocktails and a separate reception space means your tables stay pristine for detail photos, and guests get a "wow" when doors open.
Dance floor hugs the DJ
Every great layout puts the dance floor right against the DJ, with the bar close but not blocking it. Energy stays in one place.
Give the cake some light
Put the cake table near a window or the open side of the venue, not tucked behind the bar. It photographs ten times better.
Face the ocean, then the tables
On oceanfront lawns, the ceremony faces the water at the edge, with long family-style tables set back so sunset stays in every shot.
Create little zones
A fire-pit lounge, a vintage-trailer bar, a selfie booth and a clear stage for the fire knife show keep guests moving and give us endless content.
After-party = high-tops + lounges
A central dance floor (disco ball optional but encouraged), high-top tables around it, low lounge seating at the edges and bars by the doors.
Welcome table at the door
Seating chart, lei and a remembrance table right at the entrance, where guests naturally pause (and where we capture arrivals).
A spot for your vendors
A quiet room or corner for vendor meals and gear keeps the team fed and fast, and out of your guests' photos.
Where content creation fits in.
When should my content creator arrive?
About 30–45 minutes before your photographer, during hair and makeup. That's when the giggles, the champagne pop and the "getting ready" reels happen.
What do you film during cocktail hour?
While you're doing family photos, we're grabbing guest interviews and well-wishes, the vibe, the drinks and the details, so you get to "attend" your own cocktail hour the next morning.
Do we need a planned last dance?
We love a staged last dance or send-off 10–15 minutes before your coverage ends. It guarantees a perfect closing shot for your recap reel, even if the party keeps going.
Can you cover the night before?
Yes, and it's a favorite. Rehearsal, rehearsal dinner and welcome party can usually be captured in one continuous 2–3 hour block, with 15–20 minutes of sunset portraits on the beach.
5.0 ★ on Google
Real couples, real tears.
We spent the morning after our wedding reliving every part of our favorite day.
Ruchi was a bridal shower gift from my aunts and grandma, and let me tell you: BEST GIFT EVER.
It felt as if my childhood best friend had come to capture our special moments.
She even captured the tears of joy in my father's eyes during our father-daughter first look.
We were BLOWN AWAY. She captured a whopping 950 photos!
We booked Ruchi for four hours, and she chose to stay the entire time simply because she was having so much fun.
She made everything feel effortless while capturing so many beautiful, candid moments.
Our friends and family could not stop raving about how kind and sweet she was.
By MIDNIGHT of our wedding day, Ruchi had already delivered over 1,300 pieces of content. Absolutely unreal.
I literally woke up the next day & it was uploading.
♥ 28 love notes · 5.0 ★ on Google
What couples text me the morning after.
Read the love notes →I've been having the best morning rewatching all of the videos you took, and I seriously can't stop smiling!
STOP. ARE YOU KIDDING ME. RUCHI! 🤯 IM FLOORED.
all your videos are beeeeautiful
Got your timeline?Let's fill it with magic.
Send it our way and we'll map every reel, photo and Super 8 moment to it.