We’re so excited to introduce our featured day-of coordinator for The Big Fake Wedding Chicago, Julie of Julie B Events. Julie does it all, planning to coordinating, so we asked her to share some of her wisdom. We’re so excited to have her taking over the blog today with great advice for all of our engaged gals! Today Julie is sharing 5 things to ask yourself when making your wedding day timeline!
Julie B Events is a wedding planning business in Chicago, IL. They provide full service wedding planning, partial planning, and day-of coordination. Their goal is to help engaged couples enjoy the planning process and execute the wedding of their dreams. __________________________________________________________________________________________
5 Key Things to Ask Yourself when making a Wedding Day Timeline
‘Time’ is a very valuable thing on your Wedding Day. The day goes by so quickly if you are not prepared and don’t have a timeline the day could easily slip by and some important parts could be missed. Having a Wedding Day timeline eliminates stress and the ‘unknowns’ of how your day will go. It also provides structure and guidance for all of your vendors that are a part of your day. You can share your timeline with your bridal party, vendors, or anyone who needs to know how your day will go.
Here are 5 Key things to ask yourself when creating a Wedding Day Timeline:
1. Do I have enough time allotted to Hair & Make Up?
This is really important, since this is the first thing that happens on your Wedding Day. It needs to begin and end on time. If it runs late, your day is already starting behind schedule. Here are a couple questions you should ask yourself when you are trying to figure out how much time hair and make up will take: How many people in my Bridal Party would like their hair and make up done? How long will it take each person? How many stylists will be working on us? Will hair and make up take place at a salon or on-site? Make sure to request a beauty schedule from your hair and make up artists. This will give you an idea of when you should start and end hair and make up.
2. Does my photographer and/or videographer have a second shooter?
If you would like pictures of both the Bride & Bridesmaids and Groom & Groomsmen getting ready you will either need to have a second shooter OR stagger the getting ready photos so that the photographer and/or videographer can capture both parties getting ready. If you do not factor this in you could miss out on some photos that you were hoping for.
3. Are we going to do a First Look?
If you plan on doing a First Look it is very important that you leave enough time for it, especially if you are going to an off site location. If the First Look shot is behind schedule it could push your ceremony time out. Consult with your photographer on how long it will take to complete the First Look as well as discuss any transportation time needed to get to the off site location.
4. How long will transportation take?
This is something that is often missed because it is easily forgotten about. If you are traveling on your Wedding Day (for example – Getting ready location to Ceremony Site to Photos to Reception site, etc) it is vital that you calculate the distance and time between each location. Factor that into your timeline. Also keep in mind if you are traveling during rush hour or a peak travel time, make sure to add some ‘cushion’ to give yourself enough time.
5. Will I have a receiving line?
Receiving lines always take longer than expected. You can have a Receiving line after the ceremony or prior to reception, this will take anywhere from 20-35 minutes depending on the guest count. Many guests are very excited to see you and want to stand and chat. An alternative is to greet guests during dinner, since this is a little more informal couples end up talking longer than they would in a receiving line. Greeting guests at tables could take anywhere from 30-45 min.
Once you get to dinner it is pretty smooth sailing from there. I always recommend reminding those that are doing a toast/speech to keep it under 5 minutes.
On your Wedding Day it is always better to be a little early than late, it will help take the stress away. You will be able to take a second and enjoy the moment instead of being rushed to the next thing.
Photo Credits:
_________________________________________________________________________________________
More from Julie B Events:
Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
