Catering: Hey! Just wanted to check in to see what time the cermony starts so I can time having apps ready for cocktail hour?
Hair and Makeup: Are you having a first look? When does everyone in the wedding party need to be done with hair and makeup? Where are you getting ready and how early do we have access to the area to start?
Photographer: I would love to capture some photos of you guys at golden hour, do you know when dinner service is so we could maybe sneak away for a few minutes?
Future MIL: What time do I need to be at the ceremony site?
Entertainment: When do you have access to the venue so we can bring in our equipment and set up?
!!!STOP!!!
Looks to me like you need to start putting together your day-of wedding timeline! A robust wedding day timeline that outlines all of the details is so important. It communicates to all your vendors, guests, and family members when and where they need to be to ensure everyone is on the same page to make your day successful! Where do you even start to organize a timeline that makes sense?!?!
Have no fear, if you do not have a planner helping you put your timeline together, follow these simple steps to successfully start creating your timeline and help relieve some of the stress and feel prepared to answer your vendor's questions.
Select a program/platform you would like to get organized on. Word, Google Sheets, Xcel, etc. I prefer Xcel or Google Sheets for timelines
Start with the stuff you know, for example - when does the ceremony start, how long is cocktail hour, when do you have access to the venue and so on. Each of these times can be found in each of your vendor's contracts!
Here is a general wedding day timeline template for reference:
9:00 AM | Hair and makeup starts
11:00 AM | Access to reception venue
1:00 PM | Hair and makeup done
4:30 PM | Ceremony starts
5:00-6:00 PM | Cocktail hour
10:00 PM | Guests out of reception venue
11:00 PM | Vendors out of reception venue
3. Then start adding in other vendors with their contracted duration of the hours they will work. Photographer, Videographer, Entertainment, etc. You can find this information in their contracts as well!
9:00 AM | Hair and makeup starts
11:00 AM | Access to reception venue
11:30 AM | Florist arrives for set up
12:00 PM | Photog starts with getting ready photos
1:00 PM | Hair and makeup done
1:30 PM | Videographer starts at ceremony site
2:00 PM | Florist done at ceremony site
3:30 PM | Musicians arrive for ceremony
4:00 PM | Florist done with reception table decor
4:30 PM | DJ arrives for set up
4:30 PM | Ceremony starts
5:00 PM | DJ ready for cocktail hour
5:00-6:00 PM | Cocktail hour
9:30 PM | Videographer done
10:00 PM | Photographer done
10:00 PM | Guests out of reception venue
10:30 PM | DJ done
10:30 PM | Florist returns for tear down
11:00 PM | Vendors out of reception venue
4. Then you can start adding in other elements that you want to be sure are included on your wedding day but don't necessarily have a time limit to them. First dances, cake cutting, golden hour photos, etc.
Sample Day of Wedding Timeline
9:00 AM | Hair and makeup starts
11:00 AM | Access to reception venue
11:30 AM | Florist arrives for set up
12:00 PM | Photog starts with getting ready photos
1:00 PM | Hair and makeup done
1:30 PM | Videographer starts at ceremony site
2:00 PM | First look
2:00 PM | Florist done at ceremony site
3:00 PM | Wedding Party Photos
3:30 PM | Musicians arrive for ceremony
4:00 PM | Florist done with reception table decor
4:30 PM | DJ arrives for set up
4:00 PM | Guests start arriving for ceremony
4:30 PM | Ceremony starts
5:00 PM | DJ ready for cocktail hour
5:00-6:00 PM | Cocktail hour
6:15 PM | Announcement of wedding party and first dances
6:30 PM | Dinner service
8:00 PM | Cake cutting
8:30 PM | Golden hour photos
9:30 PM | Videographer done
9:45 PM | Last song played
10:00 PM | Photographer done
10:00 PM | Guests out of reception venue
10:30 PM | DJ done
10:30 PM | Florist returns for tear down
11:00 PM | Vendors out of reception venue
5. Your timeline will be an ever-evolving document and the more up to date it is the better off you will be. Start with what you know and work through to the details - you've got this!
Curating your wedding experience is a beautiful part of the process. Make sure to enjoy it!
<3
Professor P
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