Being rushed on your wedding day is the last thing we want! My photography style is documentary and true to life, and I love to capture the real moments as they unfold, but if everyone is rushed and in a panic, those real moments are not going to happen as easily. To enable us to have a relaxed day, you should be ready to go about 2.5 hours before your ceremony time. However, there are a lot of factors that affect this! Whether or not you do a first look, the size of the wedding party and families, and travel time between locations will all be factored in when I create your wedding timeline.

Having a timeline is KEY and I am here to help! There is so much importance to having a timeline. Your wedding timeline helps keep everyone organized and in the know of what is happening and when. It will help you and your boo, your wedding party, and your families be able to breathe, relax and fully enjoy the day as it unfolds. I work directly with all of my couples to create a custom wedding day timeline and to guarantee we maximize all of our time together!

Here’s my top 5 tips when it comes to wedding timeline planning:

Tip #1: Hair and Makeup

This is the ONE part of the wedding day that consistently runs off schedule. Tell your makeup/hair stylists that you need to be ready 30 minutes earlier than you actually do. Then we will be on time! Create a hair and makeup schedule so that everyone that is getting their hair and makeup done will know exactly when their time is.

Tip #2: Family Formal Wrangler

This is a job you can assign to someone who is not in family photos but knows your family well. I always ask for one family wrangler from each side so that they can grab the people we need for photos, and make family photos as efficient as possible! Also – have your officiant make an announcement after your ceremony on when and where you will be doing your family photos. It is a good idea to let your family know sometime before the wedding if they will be in the family photos. That way we do not have to go searching for anyone, and everyone is where they need to be!

Tip #3: Make Alone Time A Priority

Set aside some alone time on your day! This is SO IMPORTANT. With everyone you love in one room, and a lot of friends and family you may not have seen in a while, it is really easy for the day to fly by. I am sure you have heard that a thousand times already, but it is so true. Set aside some time in your day to be alone, just the two of you. Even if it is just 10 minutes! Be together, take some deep breaths, and soak it alllllll in.

Tip #4: Say Yes To A Wedding Planner

In my opinion, a wedding planner is one of the BEST vendor you can spend money on if the budget allows it! Peace of mind is priceless. Most wedding planners have a variety of options and levels of service. I am not saying you need a full-service planner by any means – even a partial or month-of planner would be great! If your wedding is larger than 50 people, a day-of coordinator at the very least is a must. Sometimes venues provide them, but make sure you ask how involved they will be on your day!

Venues have different levels of coordinators, so make sure that you know ahead of time if they will be taking care of you on the day of. A good coordinator will be able to take care of any questions or issues that arise throughout the day. The last thing you want to have to worry about on your big day is being asked a million logistical questions like why 4 chairs are missing, where the DJ can plug in their speakers, or what time salads are served at dinner.

In my experience, I have had couples ask a friend or relative to be their coordinator and it never ends well. They want to drink and have fun, too! Hire someone who does coordinating or planning for a living and has experience, trust me! It is worth it, you can thank me later!

Tip #5: Figure Out What Is Important To You!

Are you wanting more getting ready photos or are you wanting more of the reception party photos? Let your photographer know your priorities on your wedding day to guarantee they have time to document your priorities. Making sure to focus on what is important to you on your wedding day is the most important part. It will make your day go much smoother and overall fun! Which is the best part!

Are you still needing help figuring out what your wedding timeline could look like? I created a timeline template that will help guide you throughout the whole process. Click HERE to check it out for yourself! I am so excited for you and can’t wait to help you build out your perfect wedding timeline! Head to my contact form and we can make this official!

Photos are taken at Revival Wedding Barn