Giving it Time

Over the course of the year, we put together many wedding day timelines. In some cases, we begin this process several months in advance. A wedding is made up of many moving parts. From the time you get your hair and makeup done, to the last dance of the night, there are multiple pieces that come together to make your day extraordinary. During the planning process, you will start to see that all of these pieces will need to fit perfectly together to make the entire day run smoothly. 

Here are some helpful tips to get you started with putting together your wedding day itinerary:

1. Allow enough time for hair and makeup. Talk to your hair and makeup professionals about how much time you should allot for each person in the party then add 30-45 minutes to that total (or more). Be sure to count everyone—bridesmaids, flower girls, mothers, grandmothers—anyone getting their hair done with you and the bridal party. 

Photo by Cronin Hill Photography

2. Take travel time into consideration. If you have to be at the church or somewhere for photographs, make sure you have extra time to get from point A to point B. It is also helpful to know if there are any special events taking place in or around where your wedding is going to be. This way, you can avoid heavy traffic areas.

3. Discuss timing and locations with your photographer, this is very important! Planning out your photo locations and timing will reduce the chance of running late. Be clear with your photographers about your ideas in as much advance as possible. 

Photo by Seth Kaye Photography

4. Consider seeing each other before the ceremony. We have had a lot of clients decide to do what is known as a "First Look." The Bride and Groom have a moment before the ceremony to see each other and have photos of them and their wedding party taken early in the day. This frees up the couple and their wedding party to mingle during their cocktail hour.

5. Talk with your photographer about what family members you would like photos with ahead of time. Once they have a list of formals, they can estimate how much time it will take to get the shots you want. In addition—and this is crucial—let the family members know ahead of time that they are going to be in photos. Inform them of where they should be and when. This will cut down on wait time and keep the photo process running smoothly and more quickly.

6. Take a look at the big picture. When planning your ceremony start time, be sure to consider how that will affect your reception venue timing. If you have only booked the venue for 5 hours, plan around that. If your ceremony runs late and you arrive 30-45 minutes late, everything will run behind and you will end up feeling as though you didn’t got the most from your reception.

Planning a smooth flowing wedding day requires some careful thought and organization but the effort will ensure you have a day that stays on time and on budget. A wedding planner can help you with many of these details—from planning the entire event to day-of coordination.