The number one thing that adds stress to a wedding day is when the timeline gets off.

Are you wondering what timeline I’m talking about? 

Typically the photographer or the wedding planner will help you create a timeline of your entire wedding day. This timeline is important because it will help determine when/where your wedding party, vendors, family members, and guests should show up. We provide our couples a custom timeline of their day when they book with us. Because of our prior experience, we know what a wedding timeline should look like and how long it takes us to capture each section of the day to the best of our ability.

Despite providing a custom wedding timeline and providing our bride and groom with a few tips, the timeline still gets off sometimes, which is ok because we can do our best to make up the time lost.

But, there are definitely a few things that can help it stay on track…

1. Add an hour to the time you think it will take you to get ready (hair and makeup). It always takes longer than expected to get ready, and it’s one of the main reasons the timeline gets off. For example, if your timeline says you and your bridesmaids should be ready at 12:00pm, and you think it will take you all 3 hours to have your hair and make up done, start getting ready at 8am. It may sound crazy, but it’s better to be safe than sorry! Plus, getting ready with your best girlfriends should be fun! Turn some music on, pop some champagne, and relax through this part of the day!

2. Ask your photographer for guidance with the timeline! Like I said, Hannah and I already provide a custom timeline but not all photographers do. However, chances are, they’ve been to a million weddings and they know how long it takes them to get the photos you’ll want at the end of the day— sometimes that’s faster or longer than you or a planner expects.

3. Consider having a cocktail hour! Most weddings with large budgets have these, but even if you don’t think your budget will allow for it, remember you can keep it simple with sweet tea, lemonade and a good playlist! This time keeps guests occupied while you’re finishing up photos! You don’t want your guests getting bored because you want them to stay for the entire reception that you worked so hard on!

4. Stick to the timeline as much as possible but don’t freak out if it gets a little off. 15 to 30 minutes is fairly easy to make up.

I hope these tips help your day run smoothly!

-Chelsea