#timing tips

With wedding season in full swing, we know planning is top of mind for many of you right now – and in the world of weddings (esp The Day), timing is key. How in the world can you figure out the do’s and don’ts of pulling all the pretty little details together of your special day and make the timing work? So get out your bookmarks, because this post is a keeper for sure – without further adieu - 6 mistakes of wedding day timing you shall know.

1. Not Scheduling Enough Time for Hair & Make-Up

Photo by Jamie & Sarah

When your hair and make-up team tell you what time they’ll need to start on the morning of your wedding, you’ll probably think they’re crazy. But it is true. In order to relieve some of that wedding morning stress, have the hair and make-up team come to your house or hotel room the morning of the wedding if possible.  It takes away the stress of traveling to or from the salon and allows your bridesmaids to immediately get into their dresses when their hair/make-up is done if need be.

So be sure to go first or second (especially if you have a large bridal party). Also, be sure to tell all of your bridesmaids exactly how much their hair and make-up will cost. 

2. Attending Your Final Dress Fitting Alone

Photo by John Li

This may seem like a small detail, but you’d be surprised how much time it can take to get you into your dress – buttons, lace-up backs – and your mom and/or bridesmaids will probably need some insight from your seamstress about how exactly to get you into it. If you go by yourself (or with someone who will not be there on the morning of your wedding day), even if you try to take notes and remember exactly what you were told at the shop, it’s still going to be difficult to explain. So, bring along all your girls if  you want to. Make sure they know not only how to get you into your dress but also how to bustle it if there is a train. And, if your dress has buttons all the way down, head over to the craft store and get a crochet hook to help with those notoriously small button holes that can be a challenge for newly-manicured fingers to button alone.

3. Not Having Everyone Get Dressed Early Enough

Photo by JR Magat

When should your bridesmaids and groomsmen get dressed? Before you do. What about your mother and father? Same answer. Ideally, about half an hour before you do. Why? So that when they are gathered around while you’re getting your dress buttoned/zippered, they’re not in their jeans and tank tops in pictures. So that when you father sees you for the first time in your dress the photographer can capture Dad’s reaction while he’s looking his best. 

4. Too Much Distance Between Ceremony & Reception

Photo by Gia Conali

This stresses everyone out – you as the couple, the guests and your vendors. There’s no doubt that you have found the most beautiful places for both of the events of your day, but do your best to make sure they are not over an hour’s drive away from one another.  

5. Not Planning Out Time for Family/Group Pictures

Family pictures are important.  Your wedding day is probably one of the few times in your life that you will have this particular group of family all in the same place at the same time. So,

decide how large you want the groups to be (just immediate family?

let them all know ahead of time and location.  We recommend scheduling this immediately following the ceremony. This way, family members look their best (pre-partying) and it saves the trouble of having to round all your family members up once the reception begins, which can be a difficult task.

select a few close family members (preferably ones that don’t also happen to be in the wedding party), to help round up the family on the day so that you don’t have to.  

if you have a particularly large or diverse family, don’t be afraid to make a list and give it to photographers.  

6. Cutting it Too Close with the Limos

Photo by Christophe Genty

Limos can be expensive, especially when you’re probably paying by the hour. So your instinct might be try to cut back and avoid paying an extra hour,  praying that it will work out.  How ever much you may think you’re going to save by cutting it close, it’s not worth it. You don’t want to be in the back of your limo starring at the clock and wondering if you’re going to have to find cash to give the limo driver if you end up going ten minutes over time.

This is your wedding day, a day you only get to live once and you definitely want to savor each and every moment. So why not schedule time to ensure that you can just sit back, relax and soak it all in.  We even suggest that couples set aside some time for just the two of you, time to just enjoy officially being husband and wife.  Believe us, you’ll be very glad that you did.