Wedding shot list the whole day, moment by moment.
This wedding shot list comes with the day already laid out: getting ready, details, first look, processional, vows, rings, kiss, family formals, toasts, first dance, cake and send-off. Mark what is a must, split shots between cameras, add the timeline and download a printable PDF or a CSV for your crew. Free.
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Take it on the day
To cut the film on the beat, use the BPM detector. And see how we help with wedding edits.
How to build your wedding shot list
- 01
Fill in the wedding
Add the couple's names, the date, the venue and the type of ceremony. Religious, civil or officiant-led: the list swaps the shots specific to each one, like the blessing of the rings or signing the register.
- 02
Tune the shots
Mark must-haves and nice-to-haves, pick a camera for each shot, move shots up or down, delete what won't happen and add the couple's requests. Put a time on each moment from the day's timeline.
- 03
Download it for the day
Download the PDF to print, with boxes to tick, or the spreadsheet to send to your second shooter. The list saves as you go and comes back when you open the page again.
What are the must-have shots for a wedding video?
The ones that never happen twice. The walk down the aisle, the groom's reaction, the vows, the ring exchange, the kiss and the recessional happen once, and no edit can rescue a moment nobody recorded. That's why they start marked as must-haves and print in bold.
Then come the shots that tell the story of the day: getting ready, details, family formals, the reception. They matter, but you usually get more than one chance. The starting list follows a typical US and UK wedding, with a first look, the processional, a cocktail hour, a grand entrance, best man and maid of honor toasts, parent dances, the garter toss and a sparkler send-off.
- Getting ready: the dress, hair and makeup, finished portraits
- Details: rings in macro, invitation suite, shoes, bouquet
- Ceremony: processional, walk down the aisle, giving away
- Vows, rings and the kiss, always from two angles
- Recessional with confetti or petals, family formals
- Reception: grand entrance, toasts, first dance, cake, bouquet
How to record clean audio for vows and toasts
In a wedding film, sound matters as much as picture: vows nobody can hear don't make the cut. The safe approach is two sources for every important line. A lav on the groom, recording before the processional, picks up his voice and usually the bride's too. A second lav or a recorder on the officiant picks up the readings, the address and the questions.
If the venue has a sound board, a recorder on its output captures the ceremony mics and, at the reception, the toasts through the DJ's mixer. Clap or slate at the start of each recording: the spike makes it easy to sync cameras and recorders in the edit. The audio checklist covers all of this, plus fresh batteries, a level check at the sound check and scratch audio on every camera.
How to split shots between two cameras
Type your cameras and who runs each one, separated by commas, then pick the camera for each shot. With two cameras, the most common ceremony split is one locked-off wide covering everything start to finish, and one roaming on faces: the groom's reaction, the vows, the hands at the ring exchange.
For moments with movement, like the walk down the aisle and the recessional, agree beforehand who stays in front and who stays behind. The spreadsheet has a camera column, so each operator can filter their own shots. If a camera leaves the list, its shots go back to any camera and nothing is lost.
| Moment | Cam A (locked off) | Cam B (roaming) |
|---|---|---|
| Walk down the aisle | Wide of the aisle | Groom's reaction |
| Vows | Wide of the altar | Speaker's face |
| Rings | Medium two-shot | Hands, tight |
| Recessional | Front of the aisle | Confetti from the side |
Religious, civil or officiant-led: what changes
A religious ceremony adds the officiant's homily or blessing, readings, hymns, the blessing of the rings and signing the register. A civil ceremony at a registry office or courthouse adds the declarations and the signing with witnesses. An officiant-led ceremony adds the couple's story and a unity ritual, like sand, a candle or handfasting.
When you switch the ceremony, only those shots change. Shots you added, the times and the cameras you picked stay where they are.
More than a shot list. Your wedding edit, done early.
Frequently asked questions
What should a wedding videographer film?
The day in order: getting ready, details, the first look if there is one, the processional, vows, rings, kiss, recessional, family formals, the grand entrance, toasts, first dance, cake and send-off. This list starts with every one of those moments and the shots inside each.
Is my list saved if I close the page?
Yes. We save automatically on every change, and when you open the page again your list is back as you left it. To share it with your crew or take it on the day, download the PDF or the spreadsheet.
Can I add shots the couple asked for?
Yes. Every moment has a field to add shots. You choose the priority and the camera, and you can move the shot up or down. Everything you add shows up in the PDF and the spreadsheet.
How do I print the shot list?
Download the PDF. It's split by moment, with the time next to each one, a box to tick for every shot and must-haves in bold. One folded page in your pocket covers the day.
Does the spreadsheet open in Excel and Google Sheets?
Yes. The CSV has one row per shot, with the moment, time, priority, camera and whether it's done. In Google Sheets, use File, Import.
How many cameras do I need to film a wedding?
It depends on the package and the size of the day. One camera can cover it, but the vows and reactions end up on a single angle. With two, one holds the wide and the other stays on faces. The list lets you split shots across as many cameras as you have.
After the wedding, the logging is on us. Vows and toasts as text, with timecodes.
Upload the ceremony and reception footage. We transcribe every word of the vows and toasts, mark the moments, make captioned clips, and you take the parts you pick into your editor.
See the result on your own recording before adding a card.