A wedding day timeline is absolutely the most important piece to planning your wedding!
You can find THE dress, and have the perfect flowers and decor but without a well planned timeline your wedding day can feel hectic and unorganized, not just to you but also to your guests. That is why we are writing a series of blog posts focused solely on helping to ensure you understand the elements that make a fluid timeline and a smooth wedding day.
The contracts that you sign with your wedding vendors (wedding venue, photographer, caterer, etc.) are extremely important because they outline the services that are being provided. The first contract that we take into consideration is your wedding venue. Why? A wedding venue that includes the whole wedding weekend from rehearsal on Friday for example to breakdown/clean-up on Sunday will be much different from a venue that allows 12 to 15 hours total.
Photo of one of our wedding day timelines from a recent event
Knowing how many hours you have onsite will dictate how much man power is needed to set-up and break-down as well as what time you should start the ceremony in order to have time for dinner and dancing before having to turn the music off and start breakdown.
What you need to know about your wedding venue:
- How many hours are included in your venue/site rental
- If you are having your ceremony and reception at separate locations make sure to factor in the time it takes to travel between locations especially if your photographers/videographers or any other vendors are traveling between sites.
- Does the venue allow you to have your ceremony rehearsal the night before? If not, what is an alternative date when you can access the site to rehearse?
- Can any set-up be done before or after ceremony rehearsal (tables and chairs placed etc)
- What time can vendors begin set-up?
- What time must music be turned off/down (if any restrictions apply)
- What time must all guests exit the premises, and all clean up be completed?
- Can any items be left to pick up the following day?
Next we will be talking about how to make the most of your photography coverage. Catch Part Two or subscribe to our updates to get all of the latest blog posts!
~ Happy Planning!