My Secret to the Smoothest Wedding Day
Want the inside scoop as to what my number one tip for the smoothest wedding day possible? Your timeline. Something that might strike a bit of fear in your heart but I promise you - it’s worth it. Send it to every vendor, bridal party member, family and friend you need to so everyone is on the exact same page.
Image: Avodah Photo + Cinema
My top timeline - building tips:
Start With Your “Big” Items
When does your ceremony start and how long does it go for? Pop that in, and work around that. Next, add in what time you’d like cocktail hour and dinner to start, by consulting your caterer. Find out how long hair and makeup will take, how much time you need for photos and how long you caterers suggest for dinner etc and build your timeline from there.
Factor in Travel Time
You may have your day running to minute, but don’t forget to include travel time! Even if you’re walking from one end of your venue to the other, it always pays to allow some time to get yourself there with no stress.
Figure Out Your Priorities
A packed dance floor? The most amazing photos? Figure out you + your partner’s top priorities on your wedding day to ensure you have enough time in your timeline for those parts in particular. If you want an epic dance party, ensure your first dance is early enough so that you don’t run out of time. If photography + cinema is at the top of your list, allocate a little bit more time to your portrait shots and other photos throughout the day so you know that nothing will be missed.
Pop in Some Extra Padding
Cos s**t goes wrong.
Add in some extra time here and there as contingency - in case one aspect runs over, you hit traffic, or you’re having so much fun out taking photos that you want to keep doing that for a bit.
Factor in Time for Sunset Shots
Even if you think you don’t want them, add them in. Sunset shots are divine but require very intricate timing to hit that golden light properly. Chat to your photographer to see what they recommend, and if you don’t end up wanting them - more free time with your guests!
Make Time to Eat + Hang Out With Each Other
This one sounds dumb, but we see couples time + time again who get so caught up in the joy of their day that they either forget to eat, forget to be with each other, or both! Intentionally carve out 10-15 minutes in your day to actually eat the gorgeous meal you paid for, and another 10-15 minutes to just hang out with each other! This could be right before entering your reception or just after your sunset photos - whenever you can sneak it in.
Place a Time Limit on Your Speeches
Give your guests a 2-4 minute limit for their speech, and allow for 5. This just ensures that you’re able to place a pretty solid time allocation, plus your guests don’t have to sit through 45 minutes of childhood stories from Uncle Dave (and so you don’t have to sit through 45 minutes of childhood stories from Uncle Dave!)
And Ditch the Open Speeches
Logistically, they’re a nightmare! No one could opt to speak, and then there’s 30 minutes of allocated time wasted. Or (although very unlikely) every single person invited to your wedding couple speak - there goes the timeline for the rest of the evening! If you can, find out in advance who wants to speak (or ask who you’d like to speak!) and go from there.
Factor in Your Vendors
Often, your vendors will have limits on how long they’re around for. So before you schedule your getting ready shots for 8am and your first dance photos for 9pm when your photographer’s package is only for 8 hours - something’s gonna give!
And there you have it! A couple of points to note:
It is super unlikely that your timeline will run to the minute throughout the whole day. But by having one, you’re mitigating the risk that something will go wrong.
I’d highly recommend having someone to actually enforce your timeline. Whether it’s a professional (highly recommend!), or at the very least a bridal party member, family member or your MC, give your timeline to a couple of people to make sure someone’s keeping an eye on it.
Happy planning!
Lauren x