I have been shooting weddings for years and when simple things in the day run behind it causes a domino affect and can potentially throw the entire wedding day timeline off. While there is no guarantee that nothing will go wrong on your wedding day (because 9/10 times something will) there are ways to avoid major problems that can really ruin your wedding timeline. So here are some tips for your pre-ceremony schedule.

Travel Time

The number one problem time and time again is travel time! Be sure to always add in the possibly of traffic into your timeline. This should include the time it takes to get from where you will be getting ready, your ceremony venue, and to your reception venue if it is different.

Hair & Makeup

If you have a large bride tribe DO NOT hire one hair stylist and makeup artist to serve you all. That is a nightmare waiting to happen. I recommend having 1 vendor for every 3-4 people in your party. I also encourage that all bridesmaids are completely done and the bride should be finishing up hair and makeup once the photographer arrives. This way your photographer isn’t literally twiddling their thumbs waiting on you to get ready. It doesn’t take forever and a day to take detail shots. And who wants wedding photos with no makeup on?

Bouquets and Boutonnieres

Make sure you have your florist leave your bouquets and boutonnieres at the rooms where you will be getting ready. I say this because you don’t want to have to wait to start taking photos because you don’t have these items. You want to make sure you have them ready for your First Look if you decide to do one.

Getting In The Dress

You want to be sure that your bridesmaids are completely ready (hair done, makeup done, dress and shoes on) when it’s time to put you in your wedding dress. I say this because when we get those beautiful photos of them helping you put on your wedding dress you want them to look great and not half-clothed. Waiting on your bridesmaids to get ready is another big reason I see some schedules run behind.

Also PLEASE practice bustling your wedding dress. Make sure to have a bridesmaid with you at your last fitting when you pick up your dress and bustle the dress there so you aren’t fumbling around trying to get ready for your reception entrance.

Create Cushion

Lastly, to be sure that you have more than enough time for your wedding day, add some extra time in each moment in the case that something runs over. I recommend added an extra 5-10 minutes. It’s always better to have more than not enough.

Did you find this post useful, if so be sure to head to my blog to read more about my wedding tips.