Your wedding day is one of the most exciting days of your life. It also can be very overwhelming! Having photographed more than 450 weddings, I've seen couples stress over little things during their wedding day that could have been avoided with a wedding day timeline. Of course, even the best-laid plans can run off course. The important thing is to have a foundation for your wedding day timeline. Having that baseline will allow your day to go so much smoother! Your wedding day goes so quickly, having a thoughtfully planned timeline allows you to make the day about you, your new spouse and your love. Make sure you keep reading and there will be a special surprise at the bottom of this post.
As you approach your wedding day, you will have already finalized your ceremony location, the reception venue, your menu and made choices about gowns and florals. But don’t forget to plan out your wedding day timeline. Keep in mind, a wedding planner or venue coordinator will most likely create and work with you on the timeline. But if you're on your own, it is so important that you create one of these yourself.
Here are some of my best tips for creating a unique wedding day timeline. And at the bottom of this post, you will find a link to download a timeline guide to help you with planning your day.
Tip 1: Things to Consider when Creating your Plan
In order to start planning a unique wedding day timeline, there are a few things to consider. With a wedding, there are so many moving parts and small details that it’s hard to keep them all straight! Here are a few things to make sure you consider when you’re pulling together your timeline.
Logistics:
As a New York wedding photographer, I know how a bad traffic situation can put a whole wedding timeline sideways. If you have your heart set on getting your hair done at a specific location in the city, make sure to schedule your appointments so you can make it to your ceremony on time.
Portrait Priorities:
Tip 2: Start Earlier than you think
Your wedding day is a long and wonderful day. But there is no such thing as getting ready too soon. As a general rule, plan to start your wedding day prep 7 hours before your ceremony start time, if you plan on having a first look. If you aren’t having the first look, plan on 5 hours. Remember, it can take upwards of 90 minutes for a bridal updo and professional makeup application. If your bridesmaids are also getting their hair and makeup professionally done at the same time-- that can add even more time. A full portrait session, including the couple's portraits and family photos, will easily take over an hour. Give yourself plenty of time.
Tip 3: Your “Getting Ready” Schedule
Getting ready pictures are a wonderful way to document and capture the beginning of the story of your wedding day. Plan to have the photographer arrive as you are getting the finishing touches to your hair and makeup. Having pictures of a makeup artist putting the finishing touches on your eye makeup is far more elegant than pictures with your hair teased into a pile on top of your head. Having your wedding day look 90% completed will make you feel more relaxed as you are getting photographed.
Tip 4: Pad in Extra Time, then Pad in More
Throughout the wedding day, there are going to be things that come up that might not have been added to your timeline. Here are a few things you might not think of to add to your wedding day timeline:
Tip 5: Be Considerate to your Guests
It might seem like a good idea to take a few hours between your ceremony and reception to get all of your pictures taken. But remember your guests! Don’t make them wait all day to celebrate with you. Try not to have a wide chasm of time between your ceremony and your cocktail hour.
Similarly, don’t make your guests wait too long to eat. Dinner should be served 30-45 minutes once the reception has started. Your cocktail hour might have a delicious spread of snacks, but a real meal is important to combat those cocktails. If you are having multiple speeches, consider having them while people eat, or between courses.
Tip 6: When in Doubt
When in doubt, trust your vendors. Your venue may have wedding coordinators on staff. Of course, as a wedding photographer, this is what I do. If you have questions or need help in making sure your wedding day timeline is realistic, I am happy to help. It is my pleasure and my privilege to be trusted with your special day.
