How to Create Your Wedding Day Timeline

Weddings are supposed to be perfect, magical and fun. However, some brides experience otherwise. Often, this is due to insufficient planning and disorganization in her wedding day timeline. That’s you still don’t have one right now, you should grab your pen now and start taking notes.

Having a wedding day timeline is helpful in so many ways. From having a seamless transition of events to staying on top of all the happenings. In fact, even guests can benefit from having a well planned timeline. All that being said, it means that even running almost 15 minutes late can throw off the whole entire day, especially if you reserved a venue within a specific time frame.

If you have a wedding coordinator or planner with you, this task should be like a breezy walk in the park. However, if you have opted for day-of coordination, you probably need to create a timeline of your own. To help you, here are some of our tips as well as a sample timeline to have the perfect wedding day.

Helpful Tips in Creating Your Wedding Day Timeline

• Jot down the times you are already familiar with
  You’ve probably attended other weddings as well or maybe even binge watch a lot of wedding videos on Youtube while waiting through for your wedding day. This being said, prior to beginning to fill the timeline and create divisions, you should concentrate on the times you currently know. The start of the ceremony, the reception, and the finish time are usually included. After you’ve added these crucial elements, it’ll be much easier to construct the timetable around them.
• Consider your day’s key moments
  One of the most vital factors in creating your timetable is the moments you consider the highlights. This will also help your photographers create a timeline of their own to adhere to what you have created. With this, here are some of the things you might want to consider:Do you want to have a first look before the ceremony? If that’s the case, you can also do family/bridal parties and/or formal couple photos beforehand! After the ceremony, it will take less time away from your guests.Do you prefer having a traditional ceremony or a modern one? Generally, ceremonies take only 15 to 20 minutes unless you’re going for a religious ceremony which is typically longer.

  Would you like to have a photoshoot during the sunset? The simplest approach to learn the sunset time is to look up the location of your wedding and the date; it will tell you exactly when the sun will set, down to the minute. Plan to take sunset shots with your photographer or have a particular occasion to capture the sunset on your wedding day.

• Talk to your photographer
  What about the videography and behind the scenes footage? Have you collaborated with your photographer and videographer on which of the most important moments you want to be intricately documented?  That being said, you always have to get the advice of your photographer before deciding on a schedule for photography coverage. This is due to the fact that photographers, in most cases, have their own timelines. Apart from that, they also have their own creative style that would be best effective if they work according to their time. That’s why it’s important to talk to him/her to get the most important information. Allow your photographer at least 15 minutes before the guests arrive for dinner/reception so that you can capture all of the nuances. Moreover, try to be considerate of your photographers. For instance, keep the list of family and group photographs to roughly ten groupings as they might take a long time if there is a long list. Aside from that, you can also let your guests enjoy the rest of their time if you decide to group them. Furthermore, group photography typically excludes images of just the bride and groom, as well as the wedding party. So, it can take up to 5 minutes to complete each of the listed groupings. So, be ready!
• Always allot time allowance for every hour/s
  Take a deep breath and savor the moments. The last thing you need to be concerned about is running out of time. On the wedding day, most brides don’t allow enough time for makeup and hair. Tip: Allow yourself more time than the hair and makeup artist suggests. The length of time it takes for hair and make-up to dry varies greatly.Then there are the robe photographs with the bridesmaids, the getting in dress shots, the finishing touches, the shoe shots… If you want your bridesmaids to participate, set aside at least 30 minutes for this. Consider whether your dress is lace-up or has a lot of buttons. Are your wedding ceremony and reception taking place at the same location? Is the trip to the place going to take an hour or 15 minutes? Make more time for it!
• Inform your wedding coordinator and vendors of your timeline
  When you’re done creating your timeline, your vendors as well as your wedding coordinator are all aware of the timeline you have created. Although this is the last stage, keep in mind that it is crucial as they are the ones who will make your day seamless. After all, why would you go do all that to create the perfect timeline if you don’t share it with the individuals who will do everything they can to make your wedding great, right?

  Sample Wedding Day Timeline

  7:00 AM           Wake Up the Bride
  7:30 AM           Breakfast
  8:00 AM           Hair and Makeup
  11:00 AM          Husband and Wife’s Exchanging of Gifts
  12:00 PM          Bride and Groom Lunch Snack While Everyone Gets Dressed
  1:00 PM            First Look 
  2:00 PM            Couple Portraits
  2:30 PM            Family Portraits
  2:45 PM            Guests Portrait 
  3:00 PM            Travel to the Ceremony Venue    
  4:00 PM            Commencement of Ceremony
  5:00 PM            End of Ceremony (Depending on its type) 
  5:15 PM            Travel to the Reception Venue
  6:00 PM            Start of the Reception (Cocktail and Appetizer) 
  6:10 PM            Wedding Party Begins with Couple Entrance and Introduction
  6:15 PM             First Dance of the Newlyweds
  6:25 PM             Dinner Blessing & Service
  6:30 PM             Sunset Photography
  6:45 PM             Toasts for the Newlyweds
  7:00 PM             Family Dance
  7:15 PM             Cake Slicing
  7:30 PM             Couple’s Dinner
  7:45 PM             Speeches 
  8:00 PM.            Opening of Dancefloor
  8:45 PM             Bouquet Toss and Garter Removal
  9:00 PM             Party Time!
  10:45 PM            Last Dance of Newlyweds
  11:00 PM            End of the Reception, Couple Exit