The timeline for your wedding day is one of the most important pieces of paper on to have with you at all times on your wedding day. It will tell you, your bridal party and your vendors where to be and when. If you’ve hired a wedding planner or a day of coordinator (commonly referred to as a DOC), their services should include creating a timeline for you and you won’t have to worry about it. I also recommend making sure your photographer has a copy of this timeline as well as the Maid of Honor and Best Man. After All these are the individuals who will be with you at all times throughout the busy day. I once photographed a wedding and the flowers were not delivered in time. No one had the contact information for the florist but me. We were able to contact the florist and ensure they were en route and able to make the delivery.
If you choose to not hire a wedding coordinator, here are some must-have events to include on your wedding day timeline:
*The time the church and/or reception hall or event space opens. Your set-up team and any vendors making deliveries will need to know when they are allowed to start decorating or drop off rental items.
*The time the linens will be placed on tables and chairs. The rest of the table cannot be set until the linens are in place. Make sure that the linens are being delivered early enough in the day so that everything can get set correctly and on time.
*Floral delivery time. Centerpieces generally need to be set prior to your tableware. Also make sure that you arrange for your flowers to be delivered before your photos begin so that you have your flowers in place for your pictures. There’s nothing worse for a photographer who enjoys photographing those details to walk into the reception area 30-minutes before the guests and bridal party to find the table settings lacking. There is a large amount of photography and remembrances that is ultimately missed.
*The time the reception tables will be set. (See above.)
*Hair and makeup times for you and your attendants. Be sure to include the location of the salon and stylists if being done off-site.
*When photos and video begin. Many photographers and videographers now offer packages which range from 5-10 hours of event coverage. If you have opted for fewer hours, choose which end of your wedding you want more memories of and adjust their arrival times accordingly. For example, you may decide you want them to arrive earlier to capture more getting ready shots and leave the crazy dance photos for your friends’ point and shoots, or you may want to skip the prep photos and have your photographer snapping shots of you and your groom making your grand exit instead.
*Time you leave for the ceremony from the location you are getting ready. Don’t make your driving estimates based on how long it takes you to personally drive from one location to the other. Look up the route on Google maps and add an additional 20-30 minutes. You may arrive earlier but it’s better to be early on your wedding day than to have your entire wedding party stuck in unexpected traffic.
*The time guests will begin to arrive. Plan for the first guest to arrive about 30 minutes early, sometimes more. Some people are prompt, and it is better to have everything ready before then.
*The time the ceremony begins.
*The time the ceremony ends.
*Cocktail hour start time.
*The time the doors for the reception open, if in a different location than the cocktail hour.
*The reception grand entrance and introductions.
*The times the formal dances will take place.
*The times the toasts will take place. I prefer to schedule the toasts earlier in the reception as opposed to later on because it allows your best man, maid of honor and whomever else may be speaking to relax sooner. During the salad course or between the salad and main course can be a great time because it doesn’t keep your guests waiting to be fed and it doesn’t reduce the flow of the evening into choppy segments.
*The time meal service will begin. This ensures that food is served hot. There is nothing worse than guests who complain about cold food.
*The time of the cake cutting.
*The time you and your fiance make your grand exit.
*Last dance and the time your guests must leave. Some guests will want to stay and party the entire night allowing the caterers to become upset with you.
*And finally the time that all vendors must be packed up and have left in order to avoid any overtime charges from the venue.
These are some major points to include, and with these on the timeline, the other events will be able to fall into place more naturally.
