Buckle up engaged friend because this is going to rock your world AND calm your heart.
One of the most frequent causes of stressors I’ve seen when planning a wedding is yup ima say it:
THE TIMELINE (cue the dun dun duns!!)
How much time do you allot for the hairstylist and makeup team? When do we take photos with the bridal party? Do we have enough time to hang out before the reception?
I mean these are real questions you have right?!
Well enough has been said, let me throw 3 timeline tips your way when planning your big day below!
The Tips You Need to Have
#1: Let your vendors tell you how much time they need to execute their most perfect work
Instead of telling your hair and make-up team when they have to be done so that you can leave for photos, ask them how much time they need to do their best work! This will allow them to tell you how early they need to start and that typically helps avoid infringing on the photographer’s timeline!
#2 Create buffers
Let me walk you through an example. If you’re taking bridal party photos at 2:00, you will likely have all the fun photos of hanging out with your best friends done by 2:30. Instead of having family photos start at 2:30, have them start at 2:45 and tell your family to arrive early at 2:30.
Ooo are the gears turning? Let’s have another example: If you’re driving and it takes 8 minutes to get to the boho venue you have picked out, if you can, add 15 minutes for driving instead. This helps if you hit traffic lights and whatnot!
There’s nothing worse than planning for the bare minimum because then you feel rushed and STRESSED if things don’t go EXACTLY to plan.
#3 Your ceremony and dinner times determine a lot about how your day will be planned. Plan accordingly!
If you’d rather have all your family photos done before you walk down the aisle having a late afternoon ceremony (ex 4 PM) is going to serve you better than a 2 PM ceremony!
How about sunset photos? If you’re getting married in September or October, you will want to make sure dinner starts early enough to allow you to be able to sneak out for photos! If sunset is at 7 and dinner starts at 6:30, we might have a problem!
Final Notes
I think we’re getting it now. I can almost see all your questions and gears turning up there, friend!
WHEW! Take a deep breath that was a lot, huh!
If you feel more overwhelmed reading this, I have great news: if you hire a detail-oriented photographer or wedding planner who is committed to ensuring you have a timeline that fits your specific wedding day dreams, you won’t have to worry about planning this out alone.
They WILL take care of you!
If this was helpful or you have more Q’s, email us at @ hello@ivanamssanphoto.com! I’ll also send you a sample timeline to get you going!!
