A Fail Proof Wedding Day Timeline

Wouldn’t you love to be able to create a wedding day timeline that was fail-proof–that insured everything happened exactly to plan? Of course brides and grooms would benefit from this (as well as waiting guests), but I know from experience wedding photographers would love it too. It’d mean that the time allotted for photos would never get cut into and that everyone–even down to Uncle Bob and Aunt Martha–would always be where they’re supposed to at just the right time.

So what does a perfect wedding day schedule look like? Well, I think it goes something like this:

1. Have hair done at the salon.
2. Forget veil and ask bridesmaid to go back to get it.
3. Have groomsman get lost on way to church.
4. Get stuck in traffic yourself.
5. Finally arrive at the ceremony and realize you forgot the programs.
6. Wait for florist to create an extra boutonniere as the other one got squashed by the ring bearer.
7. Make it down the aisle and exchange vows. Sigh with relief as you see the best man remembered the rings.
8. Exit the church, and turn around to go back and take photos.
9. Wait for Aunt Susan to stop talking to guests so you can get a picture with her.
10. Wonder why you decided to have 20 bridesmaids when you can’t seem to get them all in one place.
11. Leave for park, downtown, other picturesque place. Realize it’s pouring down rain. Make the most of it and have fun with umbrellas.
12. Make it to reception.
13. Greet lots of friends and family, enjoy the party. Wonder why you stressed yourself out so much before.
14. Dance the night away.
15. Go to sleep and wonder where the day went.

OK, maybe that’s a bit extreme, but the reality is there is no such thing as a perfect wedding day. Regardless of how well you lay your plans, there will always be unpredictable circumstances you can’t control. Now, one way of alleviating some of this stress would be to hire a wedding planner–like Sumer Schmitt of Simply Perfect weddings. But even the best event planners can’t control the weather, your guests, and plain ol’ human error. But, there are a couple of things you can do to give yourself an almost fail-proof wedding day time-line.

1. Be overly generous with your time-line. As a photographer, I can’t stress enough the importance of giving yourself more time than you think you will need for events. This goes not only for time you allot for taking photos–but for everything–from getting ready to driving to the ceremony site. Just when I think I’m going to see an “on-time” wedding day, something goes awry. But that’s OK, as long as you’ve planned ahead, little glitches are nothing to sweat over.

2. Know your priorities. When it comes down to it, what is most important to you on your wedding day? Obviously it should be getting married! How about when it comes to photos? Do you absolutely need a photo of you and Uncle Joe at the church or can you just take one at the reception? How important are photos of you and your new spouse together–more important than photos with bridesmaids and groomsmen? Decide before the wedding what is most important to you. I can’t work magic–ie, make absent bridesmaids appear or stop time. If you get short on time for photos, how do you want to use what you’ve got? Let me know (or whoever your photographer is), and I’ll make sure I focus on what’s important to you.

3. Lastly, Be flexible. This is simple but often so difficult to implement. Maybe when you planned to take photos you see it’s pouring cats and dogs. Of course, the sun decides to come out a few hours later. Are you willing to take a few minutes break at your reception to get some amazing photos? Were you going to take photos at a park only to find traffic on the road impossibly slow? Are you willing to divert to a different location to take your pictures? If you are willing to make changes and not let the unexpected ruin your day, your wedding day will be so much more enjoyable for you, and you’ll end up getting incredible images, too.

Of course, most of this goes for us photographers, too! As a photographer, you may just have to work with what you’ve got and create incredible images in not-so-incredible circumstances. But, how to do that is for another post.