There is SO much when it comes to planning a wedding, especially when it comes down to the timeline of the day. How much time should you allow for everything??
It’s daunting to even know where to start, but I would recommend the best place to start is the ceremony time, once you have this confirmed everything else can fall around it. Then allow for a few buffers here and there in case anything runs over (which it normally does!!)
Here are a few tips to think about when planning your wedding day timeline…
Don’t underestimate how long getting ready takes!
Allow 50% more time for your hair and makeup than you originally anticipated on the big day. This will ensure you have plenty of time for everything else and that if you over run – you’re not late! If you’d like bridal/bridal party portraits please make sure everyone’s completely ready in plenty of time (allow about 15-20 minutes for these depending on how many bridesmaids you have!)
Don’t forget travel time
Don’t forget to take into account travelling time from your Bridal Prep location to your ceremony and allow for buffer time in case there’s any dreaded traffic – particularly for city weddings! Then also remember to allow for the guest’s travel time from the ceremony to the reception!
Have a longer drinks reception!
Your venue/caterer may suggest a 1.5 hour drinks reception. Now this is fine, but I HIGHLY recommend extending it to 1 hour 45 mins or 2 hours (2 hours is perfect!!). A slightly longer drinks reception allows you to fully enjoy this part of the day, chat with your guests, drink some bubbly and have some of those delicious canapés you’ve chosen. As well as getting plenty of beautiful photos!
The time really does go by SO quickly. You don’t want to feel rushed at this part of the day, and by the time you’ve done confetti (10 mins), been congratulated and greeted by your guests (15 mins), done group photos (30-40 mins) and done your couple portraits (15 mins) you won’t have much time to enjoy your drinks reception if you only have 90 minutes and you’ll likely feel a bit rushed.
Speeches
Try keep each persons speech to 10 minutes or less or people might start to get hungry!! I also recommend you do this BEFORE you eat your dinner. This is because if you’ve got anyone who’s doing a speech who is really nervous about it, they might not eat their dinner! I do NOT recommend doing speeches in between courses. This is really difficult for the kitchen to time and it doesn’t flow very well for your guests on the day!
And my favourite…Sunset!
If we’re lucky we may be blessed with a gorgeous sunset/golden hour. If the lighting is looking amazing outside, after you’ve had your meal I might grab you for literally 5 minutes (I don’t want to take you away from your guests for too long!!) to get some quick snaps of you guys in this incredible lighting. This time can result in some incredible photos and allows for you two to have some alone time to SOAK it all in and enjoy it (with me creeping in the background with my camera lol)