The wedding day timeline is one of the first things I discuss with potential AWP brides, and for good reason! You’ve been planning your wedding for months (if not years!), and having a timeline for the event is a critical way to ensure it’s everything you imagined it would be.

Don’t be fooled – even casual weddings need a timeline! Think of it as a roadmap or sanity check for your plans. Below are three HUGE reasons you need a timeline for your wedding day.

Epic Wedding Photos

The photo above would not have happened without a solid wedding day timeline. Period. I gave myself about an hour in the timeline to photograph details, such as the wedding dress, jewelry, and other special items. You might be thinking, “an hour to take a picture of some dresses?! That’s insane!”

Well, here’s how that hour actually went:
15 minutes: gather all seven bridesmaids dresses and the remainder of the bridal details
10 minutes: start shooting in the bridal suite, realize that the light just isn’t great, and decide to relocate
10 minutes: stop to check the radar, realize a massive storm is coming through, run outside to grab gear
5 minutes: wander the venue until I find this gorgeous window tucked away in a sunroom
10 minutes: rearrange the sunroom furniture to access the window, and hang the dresses
10 minutes: actually photograph details

See, absolutely everything takes longer than you might think on a wedding day. Just trust me when I say we need an hour for details. It’ll be worth it!!!

A More Laid-Back Wedding Experience

This might seem counterintuitive, but it’s true! Luck favors the prepared, and having a rock solid wedding day timeline created by a professional ensures that no detail is forgotten. You can relax and enjoy, knowing that there’s time dedicated throughout the day for everything that’s most important.

Remember, the timeline is simply a plan from which to deviate. We won’t literally have a stopwatch on, timing each event to the minute – that would be crazy! This is simply the best way to stay focused and ensure everything gets taken care of. By including addresses for each location, we’ll also be able to triple-check that there’s enough time to drive from Point A to Point B –  driving takes longer on a wedding day, too!

Helps Your Vendors Serve You Better

Help us help you! There are so many players involved in your wedding day, all working together around tight timelines and wanting to provide the best experience possible for you and your guests. A well-planned wedding day timeline ensures that we’re all on the same page. Imagine if the DJ wasn’t aware that you wanted to head straight into your first dance when you entered the reception, or if the salon didn’t realize you absolutely had to be ready to go by 2:30 in order to make it to your first look. It’d be chaos, and it wouldn’t make for a very good experience for you either!

Your vendors want you to have the most amazing wedding day possible, and the timeline goes a long way towards making sure all of the bases are covered.

I hope this was helpful! The timeline is one of the first things I work on with my AWP brides, so if you want that burden off your shoulders, let’s chat! Now booking 2019 wedding dates.