Planning your wedding timeline is one of the hardest things to do without a planner or coordinator. We will be able to help you no have to think about a thing and get everything you want to done without feeling stressed out or anxious. When planning a timeline, there are hundreds of factors to consider to make sure that you have a day that is perfect for you. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do, but adding in some of these extra elements are definitely great ways to make sure you have a lovely wedding day.

Buffer Time

This is one that I ensure that all of my couples have to make sure their day doesn’t start off on a bad foot. When I budget 30 minutes for you to change into your attire after getting ready, I really want to make sure you don’t have to feel rushed into your wedding day without also giving you too much time to feel anxious. I will always shoot for travel time to be near the longest amount of time it could possibly take to account for the time it takes to load yourselves into your shuttles. When you have your guests seated for the reception after cocktail hour, there is definitely a buffer that will be necessary before you start any grand entrances or get dinner started. There are many moments of your day that really could benefit from having some additional time built into your day so that you don’t feel rushed, your vendors don’t end up needing extra cash for overtime, and you can actually enjoy yourselves.

2. Plans for Breakfast and Lunch

One of the most common things that couples forget to factor into their day is that you have to eat something usually before your ceremony if you’re going with a typical 3-5pm ceremony time. You definitely need to keep in mind what and when you are eating, and it’s especially important to have this in the timeline if you are going somewhere to eat or needing someone to go and pick it up for you.

3. First Look

I will always advocate for a first look because it really does make your wedding day so much smoother and relaxed. You get to get nearly all of your photos done before the ceremony starts so that you can factor in other things into your evening such as joining your guests at cocktail hour without adding in additional hours in between and being forced to pay your vendors for that time. You can also add in more time alone with your partner this way and make sure you have intentional, special moments together for your wedding day.

4. Grand Exits

This one is more dependent on your values for your wedding day, but some of my favorite photos from a wedding album are where you have your closest family and friends line up for a fun grand exit shot. This can include items or just have everyone cheering, but they definitely have an energy like no other. Many people will “stage” this after the ceremony when you have finished any remaining family photos for the ease of the logistics. Here is a blog post that I wrote about some of the commonly used items for a grand exit if you’re interested in this!

5. Time Alone

Along the lines of the first look, scheduling in some time alone with your partner is some of the best times you may have on your wedding day. You may or may not be with each other for the majority of the wedding, but having some time before the ceremony, during cocktail hour, or at the end of the night scheduled together will really ensure that you don’t end up missing out on soaking up the moment together. You can also ask your caterers if they will set your dinner in a separate location so that you both can actually enjoy each other’s company instead of people coming up to you during your meal.

6. Sunset Photos

Having sunset photos scheduled at the appropriate time for your wedding day will ensure you have a beautiful variety of couple’s portraits into you wedding photo album. Making sure that you don’t just wing this and actually choose an appropriate time with your photographer will make sure that the photos are the best quality and that you don’t get caught up in conversations when it is actually in the timeline.

7. Bustling Dress

I usually add in a time to make any adjustments to your attire just to make sure we know generally when this should be done. If you want your dress bustled before the grand entrance, or if you want to wait until dinner to bustle so that your grand entrance is more dramatic, it’s important to know when you’ll want to call over your planner/coordinator or other dedicated family/friends for this task.

8. Last Dance

This moment is really meant for the two of you to really soak in one final moment before your wedding day is over. Your band or DJ will play the “last song” and tell your guests to start heading out, and then they can play a “last dance” for you to both share one more dance before the end of the night. I personally did this for our wedding day, and I was so glad that we could really have the final dance to ourselves and really be so excited about finally being married.

Your wedding day timeline is really important to keep the day on track, but it’s also important to schedule in important times and moments that you really want to have happen for your wedding day. Your timeline is the gateway to ensuring that your priorities for your wedding day are actually happening and you can end the day without any regrets. I definitely recommend looking at your wedding timeline and seeing what is important for you to have happen on your wedding day.

If you need some help putting together your timeline, you can reach out to me here and I can help you put together a timeline for the perfect wedding day with you!