Who hasn’t thought “I NEED MORE TIME” on their wedding day (or heck, in general)? If you’re raising your hand, sit down, because you’re LYING.

Time is always an element we can’t ever get enough of, and on a wedding day, it’s no different. It seems like time goes three times as fast on a wedding day because of all the excitement, a little stress, and people! Throw a few drinks in there and an hour goes by every time you blink! For this week’s wedding tip, I decide to help with just that. Timing!

When you’re planning a wedding day timeline, the best advice I could give is to ADD CUSHION TIME! Sometimes the most simple things can take an extra 10-15 minutes and then all of a sudden, the whole morning is thrown off. I have seen “getting the bride in her dress” take almost 40 minutes because of a button malfunction. It’s a smart idea to add in an extra ten minutes here and there so that we have some wiggle room to work with! This way, if one part of the day gets thrown off by 20 minutes, I can help you compensate that time in other areas. There are so many different things to think about when you’re planning a wedding day and so here are some tips for the pre-ceremony timeline! I realize that every single wedding day is different and so not all of these tips will apply to every wedding day schedule. Something else to consider is that not EVERYTHING will go as planned, and I promise you, that is completely normal!!

BOUQUETS & BOUTS

You will need your Bouquet for your photos! Have them delivered to the room where the bride is getting ready. As for boutonnieres, be sure to have the florist or assigned person pin the gentlemen when the flowers arrive. Sooner is better than later!

TRAVEL TIME

Be sure to think about the travel time and TRAFFIC to and from your getting ready location and your venue! When in doubt, if a location takes five minutes to get there, add an extra ten minutes to account for “surprises.”

HAIR & MAKEUP

I encourage brides to have at least their makeup done before I start because who wants a ton of shots without their makeup on?! Nobody.

GROOMSMEN PREP

My second shooter will photograph the guys getting ready if they are getting ready in the same location as the bride or within 10-15 mins.

GETTING IN THE DRESS

I’ll instruct you to get into your dress close to a window and it would be fabulous to have your bridesmaids dressed when you’re getting in your gown! I recommend having mom’s get ready at this time, too.

I would love to hear your thoughts regarding topics you’re wanting to know more information on! I’d love to hear what past brides, mothers, grooms, etc think as well! Just comment below. :)