- Get arrival times from your vendors
- Schedule hair & makeup to be finished 60-90 before pictures or ceremony
- Have guests arrive 30 minutes before the ceremony
- Have 2 people help gather family & friends during pictures
- After pictures give yourselves 15 minutes to freshen up
- Keep timeline simple & easy to read
- Give timeline to all vendors & venue ahead of time & have extra copies on the day of
- Add an emergency contact person on the timeline (not you & your fiance)
- Give up control of the timeline & trust your vendors
- Don’t sweat the small stuff. Weddings seldom go perfect
A perfect wedding timeline will make your day blissfully relaxing and stress-free.
With the right timeline, you can focus on enjoying the special moments like champagne toasts, walking down the aisle and kissing your husband while everything is flowing beautifully.
Here is the lowdown on how to keep this wedding show on track!
Getting Ready
Starting with the vendors include the arrival and set-up time and work hours. Include a venue contact person who will be onsite to help vendors if needed.
For the bride and groom and bridal party, make sure you start getting ready on time because trust me when I say you will be surprised how many interruptions can happen while you are getting ready.
Lay all your bridal accessories on the bed for the photo and video team, including jewelry, cards, gifts, perfume bottle, shoes, veil, and anything you want to be photographed (leave your dress hanging).
Time your hair and make-up to be finished 60-90 minutes before your need to leave your room for the ceremony, so you have time to get dressed, have photos, pop the champagne, and breathe!
Your maid of honor can have your back by fielding phone calls, greeting vendors, ordering room service, and handling family dropping by with questions. All these interruptions can add up and can cause you to be late.
The Ceremony
Have guests arrive 30 minutes before the ceremony starts.
If you provide non-alcoholic refreshments, they will happily mingle and take photos in the beautiful surroundings, and you don’t have to worry about lateness. There is always one, so if Uncle Joe is late as always, decide in advance if you would start without him.
Wow – you are married! After hugs and kisses from family and friends, it’s time for group photos. Have someone who knows everyone stand next to the photographer to help gather everyone. Make a list of must-have group shots ready to go to speed up the process.
Factor in 15 minutes for a bathroom break and make-up touchup before you go away for bridal party photos and couple portraits. So far the day is going perfectly – you have this!
The Reception
Consider doing speeches early as many people get nervous, so it’s nice they can say their lovely words and relax. Plus it stops anyone from having too many drinks before they address the crowd.
Have a safe place to keep your accessories and mementos in a designated box so they aren’t misplaced. Ask someone in your tribe to collect it at the end of the night.
Make your timeline detailed but easy to read and pass it to all the vendors, including the venue staff. Finally, add a contact person in case of an emergency and you are ready. Have a few printed copies on hand, as well as sending out digital copies.
When your best day ever finally rolls around, don’t worry if everything doesn’t go perfectly. Trust in your vendors and know they will do everything possible to make you happy.
If the macaroons are the wrong shade of pink or a little rain falls during dinner, don’t let it ruin the mood because you have married the love of your life. From today you always have someone to hold your hand.
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