Why You NEED a Wedding Timeline (and why you must stick to it)
I speak for most wedding planners when I say this: I swear we are not totally crazy. Bear with me, this is going somewhere…
If you’ve worked with a wedding planner, whether from a bridesmaid’s perspective or in preparation for your own big day, we’ve probably sounded like broken records, drilling one thing into your head on repeat: You must have a wedding timeline.
Trust the voices who have seen tens, if not hundreds, of weddings — some smooth and successful, some hectic and head-cut-off. You must have a super-detailed, well-thought-out wedding timeline in order for your big day to run smoothly.
There are a million reasons why, and here are a few of them.
A timeline keeps your wedding vendors on budget.
If caterers are waiting around and your officiant goes into overtime, your wedding budget will be blown out in a way you didn’t see coming. A wedding timeline ensures everyone is on the same page, so you can plan your budget accurately and respect your vendors’ time. Plus, this way, you won’t have to pay vendors for having to stay later than you’ve originally booked — because you were so on top of it with your timeline. ;)
It keeps the entire day on track.
If the very first moment of your day starts late, the entire day could be off — and that has ripple effects through every service booked, every vendor hired, and every moment scheduled. Not having a timeline is the most clear-cut way to end up disappointed with the flow of your day, so put the work in ahead of time to nail down each minute and hour. It’s beyond worth it!
It allows you to capture your dream photos and videos.
Just like your wedding planner, your wedding photographer has absolutely been-there-done-that — which means we should trust their wisdom and opinion. When you discuss the photos and videos you’d love to capture on the big day, they will be able to allocate the exact amount of time required to make your dreams a reality.
Do them (and yourself) a favour, and don’t cut off your photo time early… and definitely don’t show up from your ceremony late! Having a proper timeline in place will help you avoid wedding photo disappointment, one of the most disheartening feelings in the world.
Plus, having a timeline is absolutely essential for ensuring your photographer and videographer are able to capture every moment of your special day: from getting ready through to your bouquet toss, and a few fun snaps from the rest of the night. Decide ahead of time when you and your wedding party will begin getting ready, and plan the exact time the photographer will call it a night. This is essential for budget-friendly and perfect-photo reasons!
Tip: 8 hours is generally not enough for your entire day’s worth of photo and video. I recommend booking at least 10 hours with your photographer — and that comes straight from the mouths of brides who wish they’d done this differently!
Most importantly, you have to stick to it!
What’s the point of having a plan if you don’t stick to it? The same is true for your wedding timeline, where there’s not much room for veering off course. To ensure your timeline is executed flawlessly, share it with all the important players before the big day. I recommend emailing your timeline to:
All vendors, caterers and people you have hired
Your entire wedding party
Your MC and anyone who will give a speech
Important people, including parents and siblings
Your decor set-up and take-down team
Your partner… of course!
Timeline planning sounds stressful, but it doesn’t have to be. Call on me to be your right-hand woman through every moment of the planning process. Go enjoy your dress fittings and cake tastings while I handle the number crunching (AKA the part of your planning you probably just don’t feel like doing). I want you to soak up each minute of your engagement and stop sweating the small stuff.
Get in touch, and I’ll build a timeline that guarantees a flawless wedding day.
Photography: Dane Roy Photo