Pre-Ceremony Timing | Creating Timeline
By the time your guests arrive for your wedding, you’ll have had a full day of activities already behind you, and you haven’t even started the main event! There is so much that goes on before the wedding even begins, and it is critical that you budget enough time for it all to take place. Today we’re going to focus on some key ideas that will give you look into how we create your pre-ceremony timeline to ensure you arrive at your wedding on time and ready for the fun to begin.
When it comes to pre-ceremony events in particular, it is easy to forget all the elements that go into getting you to the venue on time. Whether you’re getting ready off-site or on-site, every moment counts. It’s important to remember to account for aspects like putting on your dress, leaving for the venue, and even just walking from your room to the ceremony site. You’ll also want to include eating in your timeline, even though it may sound silly, but in the rush of getting ready you’ll definitely remember to do it.
Giving yourself the time you need to get ready is another vital piece of your timeline. A lot of my couples are surprised by how early they need to start getting ready in comparison to their event start time. If you are getting your hair and makeup done professionally, you’ll need to allow about an hour for each person (depending on how many stylists you have). You definitely don’t want to be rushed and end up in a panic, so budgeting an extra half hour here and there will give you the wiggle room you need.
Don’t forget the other half of your couple! Each side of the bridal party should have a timeline of when they need to be ready and dressed at the venue. Our grooms and groomsmen tend to fall to the side when creating timelines (since it’s rare they do hair and makeup), but they need to know when to arrive at the venue along with the rest of the bridal party. If they are getting ready in a separate location, we are sure to calculate their arrival time correctly and give them enough time to get dressed as well.
As your wedding planner, we will handle the wedding day timeline for you, but in case you are wanting to get an estimate of timing way in advance, these guidelines will go a long way. When in doubt, give yourself a little extra time, and you’ll be calm and ready for your wedding day.
Don’t worry, we got you! ;-)