Over the years we have seen some sticky situations that have totally derailed the timeline of the day. Here are some mistakes to avoid when planning your wedding timeline to help avoid stress!
- Having unrealistic expectations. Ouch, I know this one hurts. But this is an important one, which is why I have listed it first. When planning your timeline it’s important to keep in mind that everything takes time. Communicate openly with your photographer so that they can give you feedback on how much time they’ll need. This might mean you’ll need to add hours of coverage to accommodate for the added photo requests!
- Not adding fluff time. Tucking in fluff time really comes in handy if things get off track so that you can make up time later if needed. Add 5 or 10 minutes here and there to accommodate for this!
- Hair and makeup running over. Avoid this by communicating a clear “hard stop time” to your hair and makeup team long before the wedding day. Additionally, if your hair and makeup artists offer trials, this is a great time to work through any hiccups instead of on the wedding day!
- Getting stuck in traffic/finding parking. Add 15 minutes to any travel time needed on your wedding day.
- Flowers not arriving in time for portraits. Communicate clearly with your florist when florals will be needed. Personal florals (bouquets and boutonnieres) should arrive when your photographer arrives.
- Not planning for enough time to put on the dress. You’ll need more time than you think you do. Trust me.
- Family heading to cocktail hour before family formals. Prevent this by personally letting them know where to be for formals and when to be there prior to the wedding day.
- Having your officiant announce that family should stay back for photos. This ties into the above, tell them personally! If the officiant announces it, it is confusing for extended family that might not be needed for portraits and leads to disorganization during family formals.
- Not hiring a planner or day of coordinator. This is probably the biggest piece of advice we can give you. Having a professional on your side to help make sure that your dad goes smoothly is such a gift.
Click here to learn about our dream wedding photography timeline from a photographer’s perspective!
