Imagine waking up in your silk white pajamas, the bright morning light gleaming on your face, having that feeling of butterflies and peace knowing you get to say “I do” today and start your forever with your person. That’s right, it’s wedding day! As the bride, we don’t want you to worry about anything other than feeling like you’re the prettiest person in the world, despite the many things and pieces that go into creating the masterpiece that is your wedding. To create less stress for you, the tool that is the wedding day timeline will be your best friend, along with us as your wedding planner of course! Let’s get into the key components of crafting a seamless timeline for your wedding!

OVERVIEW OF DAY

Before we dive into the details and specifics of the day, it’s important to look at things from a distance to get some perspective. You may be wondering, where do I even start? But we understand and are here to help! A good flow for the day typically consists of starting with getting ready in the morning, moving into photos and your first look, coming to the main event of the day, the ceremony, enjoying cocktail hour afterward, celebrating with dinner and the reception, and something we don’t want you to worry about but must include in the timeline, is clean up! This is what we like to call your bird’s eye view and the key components that are necessary to include in the timeline of the day, for which we can break down even further! Some things we also take into consideration when crafting the timeline is having a photo shots list, which pictures the bride and groom want on their day, and using a minute for each photo as a rule of thumb. We also account for the whereabouts of each person, looking at the details of what the happy couple is including in their ceremony, like the addition of personal vows. So, let’s get started!

SUNRISE TO CEREMONY

In looking at the overview of the day, this next portion is here to highlight the first batch of events, also known as sunrise to ceremony. And by sunrise we mean when you are ready to wake up, because you as the bride need your beauty rest! A good flow for the day looks like alarms going off, bridal party getting pampered, groomsmen partaking in an activity, allotting time for transportation, getting dressed, moving into photos and then the ceremony of your wedding day! A tip we have for you here at Riding Tandem is starting with the ceremony start time, then working backward in your day, as the ceremony time dictates the times of everything else!

SUNSET TO SENDOFF

At this point in the day, you’re officially married! Let’s just pause and celebrate that! In this portion of time, it traditionally looks like cocktail hour for the guests, while the happy couple takes some time to sign the marriage license, take photos as a married couple along with your loved ones, the bustling of the bride’s wedding gown, and prepping for the grand entrance into the reception space. Through the reception, the couple is welcomed into the space, followed by a prompt dinner flow and toasts, factoring in a considerable amount of time for special dances and the open dance floor, the bouquet or garder toss, and cake cutting with other desserts. The end of the night brings a sentimental and joyful sendoff to the newlyweds as they embark on their new life together, which means congratulations are in order! The cleanup part of the night is something to be delegated to your day-of coordinator, who will oversee the timely seamlessness of the day!

So, let’s recap! The timeline is more or less a templated order of events that creates the foundation for a wedding day flow. We even have created a Timeline Template to use as a resource for extra help! Some last tips we have for you, is the distribution of the timeline! Make sure your coordinator, photographer and/or videographer, DJ, and the catering captain know the ins and outs of the day as they are the key players. So, we don’t leave you surprised, here are some potential delays we have found that might deter timeliness which include hair and makeup, family photos, food readiness, lengthy toasts, and miscommunication. We want your day to flow seamlessly, so let someone take care of this for you, so you’re able to wake up with the only thing to worry about, is saying “I do.”