Wedding day timelines…dreaded timelines…

First, I want to say that a wedding timeline is THE GUIDE to your day and how things will operate. It gives you, your bridal party, and more importantly, the wedding vendors a way to know what will (or should) be happening and when! 

One key to having a great timeline is to be specific with regards to what will be happening, the more detailed it is, the BETTER!! I ALWAYS tell my people, “The more I know what's in your head, the better I can give you back your vision!” This is true for everyone – if we don’t know what you really need or expect then you’re going to be upset. 

Timelines are FOR SURE needed for the main event, but some couples choose to outline the day before or maybe even after depending on out-of-state guests, events surrounding the main day, etc. 

Think more bullet points of high-level details, enough to know what’s happening, but not so detailed it gets lost in reading it... 

Let me show you a BAD example: 

10:30 Bride arrives 

Here is a GREAT example: 

10:30 AM Bridesmaids arrive for hair and makeup session in the bridal suite 

And finally, here is an example that is just too much:  

10:30:00 AM Cindy, Jessica, and Ashley arrive so Brittany can do their hair with the portable kit, Brittany to make Jessica’s hair styled in up-do, and Adam will come and use moody makeup on Cindy but not Jessica because she is a light and airy look 

Now, the hair and makeup artist may need to know specific details about what each bridesmaid wants, but that’s not for the timeline...that’s just for those vendors/people. 

SO NOW THAT WE HAVE EXAMPLES....What are some TIMELINE TIPS??? 

For a happy hour or cocktail hour, you want it to literally be a solid hour, sometimes a bit more, that’s for wedding photos mostly.  

You’ll want to make sure there is adequate time for the wedding photographer to take images of the bridal party, formal family photos, a private session with just you two...let your photographer help with that part! 

Remember that a timeline is a general guideline and many times planners will either speed things up or slow things down depending on how the wedding or reception is flowing...so make a guide that allows for a bit of flow. 

Wedding photographers and videographers usually need 2-3 hours before the ceremony to get what they need for the images and video. 

DJs usually need a couple of hours to set up. 

Catering needs 3-4 before the wedding. 

Florists generally need 2 hours...depending on what they need to do and how big your space is that they are … floral-ing. 

Depending on the size of your bridal party, hair and makeup artists need 2-4 hours.  

Have built in wiggle room. SOMETHING WILL HAPPEN AT SOME POINT that you will want wiggle room for. 

Make sure that all the vendors will have the same timeline and they have it at least two weeks before the wedding if not before...That way if your vendors need to point something out or help you make any adjustments there is still time to do so. 

ANDDDD always remember I can help and provide you with a blank template to help get you started.