Mastering Your Wedding Day Timeline

Wedding day has a lot of moving parts. Multiple vendors arriving for set up, trying to find the parents or the groom for first looks, getting the bridal party on site for group photos, the list goes on and on. Creating a wedding day timeline is crucial for a smooth and memorable event, all around! Everyone plays a crucial part to make the day go off without a hitch and having a master timeline that can be shared with all family, bridal party, and vendors is what will make or break your big day!

Start Early

Begin planning the timeline as soon as the wedding date is set. This allows for adjustments, accommodates vendor schedules, and helps in avoiding last-minute stress.

Consult the Key Players

Coordinate with the wedding planner (if you don’t already have one, GET ONE! They will be your timeline hero), vendors (photographer, florist, caterer, etc.), and the venue to align schedules and expectations. Creating a shared document of the timeline is best for everyone involved. I found using Google is the most helpful as you can share the document with whomever you’d like and designate them as a ‘viewer’ or an ‘editor’ of the document based on their role(s). 

Break Down the Day

Morning Preparation: Include time for hair, makeup, and getting dressed. Factor in extra time for any unexpected delays.

Afternoon Preparations: Allocate time for ceremony setup, pre-ceremony photoshoots, and any last-minute adjustments.

Evening Events: Sequence the ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner, speeches, and dancing. Estimate how long each segment will take to create a realistic timeline.

Travel & Multiple Locations

Are you having your ceremony at the church and the reception at an off site location? That travel time between both locations needs to be factored in to eliminate stress. Sidenote, don’t forget to also think about how you are getting from ‘point A’ to ‘point B’ with offsite locations. Whether it’s a salon in the morning, or a church for the ceremony, arrange travel plans and allow the time (add an extra 5 minutes for good measure) for it. 

Consider Your Photo/Video Team(s)

   Consulting with your photo & video team prior to the big day is crucial!  Each photographer/videographer works differently and you want to respect their system by checking with them to make sure your drafted timeline matches theirs for those essential moments—getting ready shots, family portraits, couple portraits, and candid moments.

Communicate the Timeline

   Not only is it important to share the timeline with your vendors to make sure those key players are on the same page, it’s just as important for your family & bridal party! Now, 

they don’t need the full extensive timeline, that’ll just confuse them, instead, distribute a ‘skeleton’  timeline with the main events. Better yet, make separate timelines for the guys and the girls because they guys don’t need to know hair and makeup starts at 8am at the salon. Keep it simple for your crew! A clear, shared schedule helps everyone stay organized and informed.

Be Flexible

   Adaptability is Key. Acknowledge that unforeseen circumstances can occur. Include some flexibility in the timeline to manage unexpected delays or changes. These things can happen, and most likely do happen on wedding day! It’s normal and makes it so much easier to ‘roll with the punches’ when you planned ahead!  (I reference this again at the bottom of this blog to reiterate how important this step is!) 

Second Set of Eyes

   Practice Makes Perfect! Consider a ‘timeline rehearsal’ where a friend or family member walks through the timeline to identify potential issues and smooth out any wrinkles.

Delegate Responsibly

Assign specific responsibilities to trusted individuals *if you do not have a coordinator.* These point people can be assigned to tasks such as managing the vendors upon arrival & delivering their tips, getting a plate of appetizers for you while you’re busy getting photos, bustling your dress, holding on to your phones, teardown of decor at the end of the night…the list goes on. Delegation helps manage the flow of the day and in turn, takes less stress off your plate! 

Bonus: create a document where all of these ‘point people’ are added with their responsibilities & their phone number that can be shared throughout the planning process so everyone knows the gameplan on wedding day. 

The ‘Aftermath’

Wrap-Up Time! Account for time needed for farewells, packing up personal belongings or decor, and any post-reception activities like an after-party or sending-off celebrations.

Review and Adjust

Periodically review the timeline during the planning stages, and if necessary, make adjustments based on updated information or changing requirements.

You will be surprised how crunched the day can look after your timeline is all said and done. Remember, although it’s important to fit in all of the photos, first dances, cake cutting, etc etc. It’s ALSO important to enjoy your day! Be flexible and let the day pan out like it should. Yes, yes, I know, “easier said than done Brooke.” But really, you prepped and planned this timeline minute by minute to avoid chaos and catastrophe so as long as you have a ‘point person’ to hold you all accountable to stay on track with those times, the rest of the day will fall right into place as it should!  

MORE IDEAS TO CHEW ON: 

• Allow ‘cushion’ time throughout the day. These buffers help for any unexpected delays or setbacks to still keep you right on time without any stress!
• Save time to bustle the dress before the grand entrance. No bride wants to be rushed straight from photos after the ceremony into the line to prepare for the grand entrance into the reception. Allow time for a bathroom break, drink and/or snacks if needed, and to bustle the dress with a few of your bridesmaids to get the job done quickly and efficiently!
• MAKE the extra time for a quiet moment between you & your husband/wife. Whether it is right after the signing of the marriage license, or right before grand entrance, or better yet, both of those times! This day is about the two of you. So often you get caught up in the ‘hustle and bustle’ of the day. More often than not, the two of you spend more time apart talking with guests, getting swept away for photos, dancing with friends out on the dancefloor, and you don’t get to truly enjoy one another and remember what the day is all about. So take that time. I highly encourage it. Out of anything you take away from this blog (besides hiring a coordinator tee hee), it should be this. Make the time for one another at least once, hopefully multiple times, throughout the day.

📸: Out of the Woods Photo