We all love the fun and pretty parts of wedding planning: the color palette, the decor, the perfect details. But there is a lot of nitty-gritty that goes into making a wedding day run smoothly. And, trust me, if the timing is bad and your day not well thought-through no one will remember those pinch-me-cute favors. So here are just a few important things to think about when you're planning your wedding day time line.
- Leave some wiggle room. Okay, a lot. If your schedule is packed with no room for error, you will be in big trouble when the makeup artist runs late or the limo gets lost getting to your house.
- Check for any road closures, parades, festivals or major events going on near the route to and from your wedding. Don't be surprised on your wedding day by construction blocking the way you told everyone to get to your church!
- Test drive the route to your wedding on a Saturday (or whatever day of the week your wedding falls on) to get an idea of the traffic and how long it really takes to get from the church to the reception.
- Get an estimate from your caterer or hotel how much time it will take them to serve dinner so you can plan the rest of the reception events accordingly.
- Make sure you know how many breaks your band will take (and how long) and put those in your schedule.
- Arrange for a time for your vendors to eat (preferably when you and guests are eating). Some of the people working for you on your wedding day put in very long days (photographers, videographers, wedding planners) and it's always thoughtful to arrange for food for them.
- For special dances, specify the song and artist and double check that the band knows the song or the DJ has the song in his repertoire. There are multiple versions of many songs and it is never a nice surprise to be dancing to the wrong song!
- Get cell phone numbers from everyone involved in your wedding when you're confirming final contract and delivery details.
These are just a few quick tips to think about. My best advice is to hire a good wedding planner to coordinate the wedding day and put together the schedule for you. They will think of so many things you won't and a good one is worth his or her weight in gold. Good luck!
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