10 Things To Factor Into Your Wedding Day Timeline

I recently stumbled upon this article on Wedding Wire and loved the points brought up so much that I decided to put my own spin on them from experience in five years of wedding planning in Bryan + College Station! If you have hired a planner|coordinator, these suggestions are likely already part of your wedding day timeline but, if not, these are absolutely things to consider! 

1. Eat a big breakfast and light lunch 
We all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and this is especially true on such a BIG, busy day! As noted in our previous post on Wedding Day Hair+Makeup Timing, you will need to factor in feeding your crew as you get ready! Yes, you will obviously feed them at reception, but if you are asking your girls to be with you at 9:00am to start hair + makeup, you should have food available for them {not to mention a few mimosas}! If hair + makeup will go into the afternoon hours, you'll need to provide a light lunch as well. You might not have time for a full bridal lunch the day of the wedding {consider doing this the day before the wedding} but you and your girls will need to eat a little lunch to keep you going for a very busy day ahead. 

The guys tend to start getting ready later in the day so having them meet up for lunch before they get dressed or providing a sandwich tray with a few non-alcoholic drinks in their "get ready room" is always advised. Most guys will be ready to drink as soon as they can so it is important to keep them fed so they don't get out-of-hand.  

Do you have an aunt or friend of your mother who is begging you to help out? This might be the perfect opportunity to have them assist you on wedding day! Have them order breakfast and/or lunch the week of the wedding, make sandwiches for the guys or have lunch delivered to the girls/guys while you're getting ready. They'll be excited to help you on your big day and you will have one less thing to worry about!  

2. De-wrinkle bridesmaid dresses + have guys try on their suits before wedding day
Bridesmaid dresses often come out of those bags pretty wrinkled! Have your girls steam them or leave them out of the bag the night before the wedding {maybe in a bathroom to catch the steam from a shower} to de-wrinkle them a bit before go-time! 

Another thing we experience is that rented suits don't always fit or are missing items and, if they aren't tried on at the store when guys pick them up, this can be a problem on wedding day. It takes just a few minutes to go in and try the suit on that has been rented to ensure it fits well and has all the necessary items {cuff links, ties, vests, etc}. This can really cause chaos on wedding day when a groomsman {or groom!} is running back to the rental company to get missing pieces for his suit!

3. Give a letter or gift
Talk to your future spouse before wedding day about giving each other a card and/or gift on wedding day. The last thing you want is to be empty-handed if you've been given a set of pearls or a new watch.  If nothing else, a sweet love note is a perfect option and a great keepsake to share with your children years after wedding day... These make great photo ops on wedding day! 

4. Pack up personal belongings 
Have your guys + girls pack up their personal items {clothes they changed out of to put on their wedding clothes, makeup bags, etc} and have those ready to go before the ceremony begins. Depending on where you're getting ready before the wedding starts, you might have to be out of the space before the reception ends. There's nothing worse than having to pull bridesmaids off the dance floor to remind them to get their personal items out of the bridal suite. It's best to keep these items in vehicles after the getting ready is done so that they don't have to worry about it later in the evening... 

5. Allow for a lot of cushion time  
When we tell brides at a timeline meeting that they will need six hours of get-ready time before the wedding starts and have to start photos two hours before the ceremony begins, they look at us like we have horns coming out of our heads! Trust me, to keep stress levels down and to get everyone where they should be on wedding day, there needs to be an abundance of cushion time! 

Add in extra time for travel if you are getting ready at one location then traveling to another location for the ceremony.  Tires could blow, you could run into traffic, have one of your girls running late... you never know! It's better to have more than enough time than to be stressing out about being late to your own wedding.  

6. Have enough photography + videography hours contracted  
We see all too often that our couples get down to timeline creation and realize they don't have enough hours contracted with their photographer or videographer to get all the footage they want of their wedding day.  We find that many of our clients go back and add more hours to their contracts with their photographers and videographers after realizing how long the wedding day actually is. If you want footage of hair + makeup application at noon but won't leave the reception until 11:00pm and want footage of your sparkler exit, you have to factor in additional hours to your existing 8 hour photographer contract.    

7. Cue sound check sooner
This is typically something your coordinator will take care of but if there isn't a coordinator, someone needs to work it out with the band or DJ that they are setup and ready to go before guests begin to arrive. Bands many times travel from out-of-town and don't do setup/sound check until they arrive. If they aren't playing the cocktail hour or dinner set at your reception, they could potentially be doing their sound check during dinner! This isn't a great experience for your guests.  It is important to have someone coordinate their arrival, setup, and sound check time so that it doesn't interfere with your reception.  

8. Opt for a first look or sunset photo session  
We are faithful believers in the first look but realize it isn't for every couple.  Those who do opt to see each other before the ceremony do take less time for formal photos following the ceremony and can get to their cocktail hour and guests sooner! If you are considering a first look, this will be helpful in building your timeline so decide if this is something you want to do before sitting down to construct your wedding day itinerary.  

We also love the idea of adding in time for sunset photos during the reception. This is the time of day when lighting is just right and photos are beautiful of a bride + groom! 

9. Do a private dance before the grand exit
While your coordinators are busy rounding up your guests for your sparkler or bubble exit, consider having one last private dance together on your wedding night! These private dances make for great photos and allow you a few more moments together before the wedding day ends.  It takes some time to get everyone in place for the grand exit anyway so this is a perfect opportunity for a final dance of the night.  

10. Soak it all in! 
The day goes by so quickly - take as many chances as you can to stop, look around and soak it all up. Check out those centerpieces that you so carefully designed or take a few minutes to gaze at your wedding cake before it's time to cut it... Look around at all the faces of your loved ones who came to support you on such a big day. Take a walk with your spouse or a trip inside the photobooth, play cornhole or whatever game you brought in for guests to play. Remember that it does go by in the blink of an eye so make as many efforts as you can to soak it all in!