Even though you have a month until the wedding, you’ll want to get this written up and finalized so that you can provide it to your vendors and let your wedding party and family know how things are expected to happen the day of your wedding. Don’t wait to do this! Get it planned out now so you can be certain there is enough time for everything you want to do!
Keep the following in mind as you build your schedule:
Bride Makeup - 45-60 minutes
Bridal Party Hair - 30 minutes per person
Bridal Party Makeup - 45 minutes per person
Your stylists should start with your bridesmaids’ hair first while you work on your makeup, this way you can get the last minute ‘getting ready’ shots with your photographer.
The photographer should arrive an hour before the bride is ready to go. This gives them time to get photos of the details such as the dress and accessories as well as pictures of everyone getting ready!
Pre-ceremony photos should take 2-3 minutes per group so schedule accordingly, while first look photos can take up to an hour.
Your groom, groomsmen and ushers should arrive an hour and a half before the ceremony is scheduled to start while the bride should arrive an hour before. The exception to this is if there will not be pre-ceremony photos with the bride! Then she can arrive immediately before the ceremony.
An ideal ceremony is 30 minutes long and the gap between the ceremony and reception should be no more than an hour.
During the hour between the ceremony and reception you’ll want to take your family photos, bridal party photos and photos of the bride and groom. Save large group photos for the reception.
The receiving line should take about 15 minutes depending on the number of guests you have.
Your reception should be about 6 hours long with the first dance taking place right after you enter. The father-daughter and mother-son dances should immediately follow. Then you’ll have the welcome toast from the father of the bride or the couple followed by the first course and any bridal party toasts.
Two hours before the end of the reception you’ll want to have your cake cutting, followed by the bouquet and garter toss.