Things to Consider When Planning Your Wedding Timeline

Is your whole day taking place at one venue, or are you planning to drive to different locations throughout the day?

Going to different locations throughout your day can be great and give you a variety of looks for your day! When planning your timeline, you will want to consider your drive time, and how you will be commuting to the different locations. Are you taking a party bus? Are you taking several vehicles? How many people are going? How easy is it to find parking? All of these cut into your time. 

If you’re getting married in an urban area, a party bus is a great option for transporting your whole wedding party. You also won’t have to worry about finding parking since the bus driver will be able to drop you off exactly where you need to be. Your photographer can tag along on the bus to capture some fun candid moments as well! 

If a party bus or trolly isn’t an option financially, then over communicate with your wedding party when they need to be ready, where they need to be, and where to park.  It’s really a shame to have to pay your photographer, while you’re waiting for your wedding party to show up for photos. 

Factor in time to wrangle your wedding party together

Just a little reminder, herding a wedding  party and guests is a lot like herding cats! Don’t get me wrong, no one is ignoring a timeline just to be rude, but they’re here to party and celebrate you! Sometimes that means not being the most attentive to where they’re supposed to be and when to be ready. Have your planner, or even your photographer help out by giving people a heads up when it’s almost photo time.



Also, factor in time if you need to clean up the getting ready space before you leave for the day as well. It just takes time, especially when there are so many people involved. Planning a little buffer space in your timeline will help your day go more smoothly!

Plan time to bustle your dress!

This is one that is overlooked by so many couples! Some bustles are super simple and take a few minutes, but most are tricky and take some time! I tell my brides to plan 10-15 minutes to bustle their dresses. When you go to your final dress fitting, take a video of the seamstress showing how to bustle the dress. This should help the process be more efficient!

How will dinner be served?

I know this may seem like something silly, but it’s something to be considered when scheduling how many hours you’d like your photographer present. Family style? Buffet? Plated? Are there multiple courses? How many guests are you feeding? Talk to your caterer and ask them how long it should take to serve all your guests (including your vendors).

Will there be toasts or a blessing given?

Is the person speaking a “talker”? Have you given them a time limit? Will it be short and sweet? Is there a guest who may want to get up and “say a few words” (or a lot of words). Give each person speaking a 3-5 minute time slot. This will get them to be heart-felt, but also give you enough time to get through the reception formalities during your photographer's scheduled time.

You don't have to play the whole song for your first dance

Think about it, most weddings have the first dance, and then two dances with parents. If each song is a minimum of 5 minutes long, that is 15 minutes! Save some time, and only play the first verse and one chorus of each song.

Don't forget, it's YOUR day!

Again, all of these are suggestions and things to consider when planning your timeline! Of course, make the day custom to you! If you want to do something out of order, omit something entirely, or add something fun and fresh into your timeline then do it! Chat with your vendors about your ideas for the day and they can realistically tell you if they're able to make that vision come to life! Trust your vendors, and know we are all here to make your day be as magical as you imagined!