BridalTweet Wedding Forum & Vendor Directory

Wedding Day Timeline

Wedding Timeline

Angie Froemel, Knoxville Wedding Coordinator of Absolute Wedding Perfection, has mastered the most important part of every wedding day...the timeline.

Angie shares exactly how to create your own timeline to keep everything organized and stress- free on the big day.

"When I was getting married 5 years ago, I showed up to my final meetings with my vendors with a wedding day timeline in hand that was detailed down to the minute. I was shocked when someone said none of their brides had ever done this before! What?! At the time, I was a producer at a local TV News Station… and timing out a live newscast was something I did every day. So it just seemed like second nature to plan out my wedding day this way. Now, I’m a full time wedding coordinator and the founder of my own business, Absolute Wedding Perfection, and I like to think my timelines are my specialty!"

"My goal as a wedding coordinator is to make sure the day runs flawlessly, not only for the bride, groom and their families, but for everyone involved. A wedding day timeline is the way to make that happen! It lets everyone know where to be and when, what songs should be played, who’s dancing with whom, and so much more. But they can be daunting! So here’s the basics:"

Getting Ready

2-3 hours: bride and maids at salon (or wherever) get their hair and makeup done (depends on how many girls there are and how many stylists/artists there are) Don’t foget to eat lunch!

30 min: travel to ceremony site

30 min: bridesmaids get dressed, put on shoes, jewelry etc.. they should be completely ready before the photographer arrives

** photographer arrives, photos begin!

30 min: bride puts on dress with help of maids (this can take longer than you think though! Feel free to add on extra time if your photography package allows)

** groomsmen are getting ready at this time, wedding coordinator pins on boutonnières 15 minutes before their pictures

** flowers arrive at least 30 minutes after photographer

Group Photos

30 min: pics of bride and maids

15 min: pics of bride and her family

** wedding coordinator makes sure bride/groom switch without seeing eachother! Or if they do a first look, the order changes to: first look, wedding party, family shots

30 min: pics of groom and groomsmen

15 min: pics of groom and his family

Ceremony

30 minutes prior to ceremony start time: bridal party hangs back while guests are being seated. Deep breath – you’re about to get married!!!

30 minutes: Ceremony

More Photos

15 minutes: formal pictures with family

15 minutes: bridal party pictures

15 minutes: shots of bride & groom

Reception

3-4 hours: reception (reception technically begins right after the ceremony, so guests are waiting while you finish pictures. I like to keep those pictures as quick as possible by rounding up family members and the wedding party for the photographer)

- This is my suggestion for the reception flow, but this is totally up to you!

- 45 minutes: cocktail hour while you take pictures

- wedding party and bride/groom’s grand entrance

- bride/groom’s first dance

- bride’s dad gives speech to begin dinner (dinner takes 45-60 minutes depending on your guest count)

- Maid of Honor/Best Man Toasts

- Cake Cutting (takes about 15 minutes)

- Open up dance floor to guests

- About 30 minutes before the end of the reception: bouquet and garter toss

- 5 minutes before the end: last song

- End with the big getaway (sparklers, bird seed, etc…)

"Again, this is just a starting point, and every wedding is different! But once you have the basics, you can start working in all the little details. My timelines usually end up being several pages long and include detailed notes about who is who and who goes where. But once it’s created – it’s smooth sailing from there! All you have to worry about is saying I Do!"

If you don't want to tackle this timeline on your own, contact Angie for a little help!

Photo credit to Watson Studios.