Our Top 5 Wedding Day Timeline Creation Tips

to ensure that you will actually have the time to enjoy your wedding day

Your wedding day is going to feel like the busiest day of your life. And instead of being stressed about the way it’s going to unfold, embrace the flow! We’ve captured 75+ weddings at this point and so we’ve got some experience when it comes to both the creation of timelines and the unfolding of them. Read on for our top tips!

Tip #1: Schedule hair and makeup to start earlier than you’d think

If you’ve hired a hair and makeup team to get you and your ladies glammed up for the day this tip applies to you. If you’re queen DIY glam then this bit can be more flexible! But for those it does apply to, realize that doing hair and makeup for 8-12 ladies is a tall task and it is usually the reason that the rest of the day falls behind schedule. It’s a real-life domino effect. If hair and makeup runs over there’s only so much time between then and ceremony time to get things done. And crunching that time is avoidable by starting your day earlier:) So get some sleep and caffeinate that morning because a wake-up call at 6:30AM to make it happen is likely.

Another tip in this area has to do with the order in which you should have people get done. You should definitely have yourself glammed somewhere in the middle of everyone else. The last people scheduled in either the hair or makeup chair should not be you, your mom, your sister, or your maid-of-honor. Because your other ladies can keep getting dolled up while you’re getting dressed with the help of your right hand women or off seeing your future spouse and taking portraits!

Tip #2: Anyone who is expected to be in formal portraits should be there 15 minutes before those are scheduled to start

Your parents and siblings are probably already at the venue with you from kickoff, but if anyone outside of that crew is expected to be in formal family portraits pre-ceremony it doesn’t hurt to tell them to arrive earlier than they are scheduled to start. Because life happens, someone forgets a tie, traffic is nuts, the parking sitch is complicated, whatever the reason people are more than likely going to show up later than they are told. So, avoid causing things to run behind by buffering in that time for them:) What’s the worst that happens? They get to hang out with the stars of the show a little longer? I’d call that a win!

Tip #3: Do a first look. And if you don’t want to, consider doing a “first touch” instead.

Doing a first look is not only beneficial when it comes to the logistics of a wedding day timeline. But it is also a way to have a more intimate moment together before the pressure of the ceremony! A lot of couples are much more emotional at a first look because they aren’t being stared at by a bunch of guests. There’s no pressure to be stoic, or have “Pinterest” tears and so brides and grooms tend to just completely fall into the overwhelming emotions of seeing each other in a special, private way!

And if doing a first look just is not for you, we get it! The aisle is your dream and we are here to make that happen! Consider doing a first touch with a private vow reading, backs turned instead. Not only does this give you a chance for those additional pictures together, but again it’s an opportunity to release some of that built up pressure and have a private moment together. Speak your intimate, personal vows to each other in private while holding hands and we promise the moment will be one you will never forget! We promise it’s so special!

Tip #4: Get yourself a wedding day coordinator

They are a blessing to EVERYONE. And they are different than a venue coordinator. Venue coordinators do just that, they coordinate the venue (which vendors are coming in and out, where they’re parking or storing their stuff) whereas wedding day coordinators do exactly as their named and coordinate the wedding day. They are someone who knows your wedding itinerary like the back of their hand and they are aware of your wedding day hopes and dreams and they are going to help make it happen for you!

Wedding day coordinators help us immensely because they are able to fetch people and things while we continue to document what’s happening. It’s such a bummer when we are photographing a beautiful happening but have to run off to grab someone or something for whatever’s next on the docket.

Tip #5: Go with the flow

No matter how much you pad your timeline or prepare your people, things will be off schedule one way or another. And that’s okay! We are there to document the day as it authentically unfolds. So our best advice in how to approach the inevitable restructuring of the day is to EMBRACE THE EBS AND FLOWS! It’s better to just sit back and enjoy the day, to get enthralled in all the love and merriment of the celebration while sporting smiles than to let yourself get stressed out about the details and wear a frown. Looking back on your wedding day you want to remember the joy, love, laughter, and excitement, not stress and anxiety.

Overall takeaway:

You can spend months planning your wedding timeline down to the minute, but it’s going to unfold however it wants to! The beauty comes from embracing that and truly enjoying the day as it happens!