Getting Ready Timeline
“Ok… I need help ya'll. I want to have a first look, but we are getting ready 15 minutes away from our venue, and I want to give time for my girls to get ready without feeling rushed. Our ceremony and reception are at the same venue, but I just don't know what time to tell everyone they should be ready by...”
This is what I read, or a version thereof, every single day. As I scroll through all of the different groups on social media, I get to see what all your concerns are. Time and time and time again, I read about making your timeline. We all want to show up on time, but we worry if there will be enough time.
So… here you go. Let's do this. Let's make that getting ready timeline.
Start with the Ceremony
and then work backwards
Start With the Ceremony & Work Backwards
First of all- We work backwards. Start from your ceremony start time. Let's say your ceremony starts at 4:00. This means your guests will start to be seated about 15 to 25 minutes before that. Let's say that they will probably start arriving…and chatting.. and talking about the excitement of the day by around 3:35 to 3:45.
You want to be hidden!
Hide Away & Refresh!
Take a moment to breathe, grab a quick bite, and refresh yourselves!
Get both of you hidden away!!! Your parents, your Maid of Honor, your Best Man… sure… they can be out chatting it up… but you two need to hide away! It helps build suspense. It helps build excitement. It also helps you stay on time! So hide like you’re playing a children’s game of hide-and-seek.
To avoid guests, try to hide away around 30 to 45 minutes before the guests arrive. (Using our mock timeline, this means you should be hidden by around 3:15 to 3:30.) Make sure there is a side room somewhere just for you and your bridal party to be tucked away - somewhere with a bathroom, a mirror, chairs, and a table. This room should have your makeup, your tissues, and of course water, champagne, and light snacks. (Talk to your caterer about a plate of charcuterie for this room! #thehudsonvalleychef) This is where you all get to breathe for just a minute before it all happens.
Lining Up…
Your Day-Of Coordinator is your ACE IN THE POCKET!!
The Line-Up
When do you line up? Your coordinator (don't forget your day-of coordinator!!) will work with the guests to get them seated in a timely manner. This Fairy Godmother (sent from God himself to make sure you don’t feel the stress) will be working behind the scenes to get your photographer, videographer, DJ, harpist, flute player, and every VIP Guest escorted to their seats and ready for you! Your coordinator is ensuring the officiant is ready, and the band is ready to play, and checking to make sure everyone is on the same page. Your day-of coordinator is your ace in the pocket while you are taking a moment to just catch your breath, snack, refresh your makeup (and pee!)! Your coordinator will come get you when it is time to line up- usually about 10-15 minutes before the ceremony start time (yes, it takes that long!). (So for our timeline, we are looking at around 3:45-3:50.)
PHOTO TIME!
Photos!
So now…. Photo time! Most venues will give you access to the grounds around 2 hours prior to your ceremony start time, which honestly … is perfect! If you’re doing a First Look, that should happen right away - first and foremost! Don’t waste that time! (For your 4:00 ceremony, your First Look should be at 2:00.) Your coordinator, that beautiful ace in your pocket, will coordinate the photographer, the videographer, the bride, the groom, and all of your VIPs to make sure you all know where you should be to make this moment just perfect!
What if everyone’s not ready?
Well - You probably should be. The bride can take her time, true, but you are the most important. The MUA, the hair stylist - they know. You come first. They spend the most time on you. Take your time getting ready, stress-free, but make sure they know you want to be done and ready by 1:45. (That 15-minute window is your key to stress-free planning, but we’ll touch on that another time.)
Your MUA (Make-Up Artist) will give you a timeline of how long it will take to get you ready. Use her timeline and work backwards from… say… 1:30ish. Same with your hair. Hair and makeup can usually be done around the same time because you are sitting still, but check with them first to see if they are comfortable with that. Hair may need to come first, so work with your stylist to ensure the best start time. This may be as early at 10:00am, depending on how complicated of a look you are going for. (Me personally? I have pin-straight hair and wanted curly hair on my wedding day! Talk about complicated!! They took hours, but I was on time and they were amazing!)
Someone driving you nuts?
Glamour shots! Talk to your photographer ahead of time. There is absolutely no room in your life for stress on your wedding day! If there is one person who is absolutely stressing you out, make a deal with your photographer that you can have them go do glamour shots. Talk to your MUA and hair stylist. Give them this heads up. They can do a basic simple look on that person, have the photographer take them out of the room, and get glamour shots of that person. Trust me - this works every time!
No matter what - Tell the gentlemen to be ready by 1:30 (they can be patient), your MUA you need to be ready by 1:45, your girls to be ready by around the same (if they can), your parents to be ready by 1:45 if they want to witness First Look (or 2:30 if you want that to be private), and then everyone else can be ready by 2:30 - cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents. They have their own responsibility to show up on time!
Alright back to the timeline…
Think About Where You’re Getting Ready
This is important. Some places have a green room for you to get ready. Some places make you book your room the night before. Think about where you’re getting ready. You probably want to be in and settled by around 8:00-8:30am. Have a light brunch ready in the room. (Mimosas, croissants, and fruit are classic and go a long way!) This is really the time you want.
So here you go …
