10 Things to Consider When Planning Your Wedding Day Schedule

Your wedding planning journey is in full swing and it’s now time to sit down and design a perfectly smooth-running wedding day schedule, but where to start? If you're considering hiring a wedding planner they can help you arrange this as there are likely to be lots of exciting elements to squeeze into the big day. Creating a wedding planning checklist and plotting the timeline of everything between your wedding party’s morning prep to the timeline of your loved ones' speeches is a helpful way to keep everything organised as well as making the day as stress free as possible! To give you a head start, we have created this wedding planning guide of 10 things to consider when arranging your perfect wedding day schedule.

Bridal party timings and morning preparations

Let’s be honest, it will probably take longer than you think for family members, close friends and the all-important bridal party to get ready for the big day, especially if they want to relax with a glass of champagne whilst getting glam! Consider how long you may need for hair and makeup, what time you will be putting on your wedding dress and don't forget to factor a few moments into your wedding timeline to have some photos in your dream venue with your close wedding party. Correctly working out your timings will ensure you will be ready to walk down the aisle with a big smile on your face, happy tears in your eyes and looking as wonderful as you had always envisioned.

Wedding party timings

On the wedding day itself there can be quite a few wedding party members to keep track of so making individual plans for the key people could be a pretty great idea. They can each have their own timeline with clear wedding plans so that everyone knows where they need to be and at what time. You could also include any additional roles and tasks here such as the person who will be checking all the suits are where they need to be, ensuring the right person has the wedding bands, working out who's going to look after the marriage license and who will be making the very important morning coffee! After the rehearsal dinner, these important tasks can't be left to the bride and groom so ensuring someone is in charge (it could be a wedding planner) is a crucial on-the-day detail.

Guests arrival

Knowing what time the guests are arriving may seem like a simple wedding step to note down, but also making sure that guests know where to head on arrival and whether they will be sitting or standing before the ceremony and reception will help in the smooth running of the day. There may be venue staff available to help with the meeting and greeting of your wedding guests. If so, it's worth letting them know how many guests to expect, when the champagne is to be served and whether they need to accept form invitations from guests. That way your guests' arrival and first impression of your wedding day will be positive, organised and means they can get in the mood for celebrating as soon as they arrive!

The wedding ceremony

The ceremony can be one of the more daunting parts of your wedding day schedule, but you needn't be too concerned! If you are signing a marriage certificate, having live music or have requested any specific photos to be taken at this point it may be a good idea to plan these elements into the schedule too. Trust us when we say that the day will flow smoothly once a general run down of the ceremony has been noted and everyone who is involved knows their individual roles, places and responsibilities, especially that special person in charge of the wedding rings! Your wedding ceremony is genuinely one of the most memorable parts of the day so whatever your plan, we bet there will be lots of happy tears amongst your guests!

The drinks reception

Noting down what time the drinks will be served ensures everyone has a clear idea of the running of the day and how long guests may have to wait for after the ceremony, meaning everyone can be on the same page. However, if guests need to get to another venue for the reception you will need to factor in extra time here. Consider; will they be driving themselves or is there a bus? Do you need to make additional arrangements for disabled access? This is the stage in the wedding planning process where delegation and more hands on deck are super helpful!

Wedding photography

At some point during your wedding planning your photographer will ask for a list of shots that they need to capture during the day. These might be couple portraits, group photos and any personalised details. If they're an established wedding photographer they should know when is the best time during a wedding day to do this, to ensure the best natural light whilst also making sure that you're not taken away from your guests for too long. If you have clear plans in place, keep your photographer in the loop as they will be happy to know when they can interject and ask the wedding party or happy couple for specific shots. You could also give a brief run down of the day to any of your other wedding vendors so that everyone is in the know and can stay organised around the various wedding events.

Dining

Along with the seating plan, setting the time for when guests need to be seated, as well as working out the loose timings needed for each course will keep your day running nice and smoothly. Speak to your caterers if you need any help. Food is such an important element of any wedding day and can’t be rushed or held back for too long, therefore they will need an exact time for when they can start serving your delicious wedding meal (which you need to keep to!).

Speeches

Whether your plan is to have 1 or 10 speeches, make a note of who will be speaking when and for roughly how long so that everyone knows the score. This is especially important if your speeches are happening between food courses or if other timings of the day rely on the speeches starting / wrapping up by a certain time. Even if the best man is planning on cracking some seriously embarrassing jokes about the groom, he still needs to know roughly how long he has to make the groom cringe! Whilst you may not know exactly how long each person's speech is going to take before the big day, hazarding a guess and giving them a allocated time beforehand is better than letting them go on and on because this could ultimately have a big knock on effect to the rest of the day’s proceedings.

Evening reception

This is generally the less formal part of the day; once the ceremony is complete, the meal has been enjoyed and the nerve-racking speeches are over. The evening reception is where you might have an open bar and casual buffet or street food available and everyone can start throwing some moves on the dance floor. Noting the guest count here, especially if you're having additional evening guests, will be helpful to both your venue and vendors who might be supplying food / drink or a service such as a photo booth. Planning the timings of everything during your reception, from when the music should start to what time the bar is closing, (and when it’s time to kick off your heels!), will keep the pressure off on the big day.

Party plans

Although timings start to get a little more loose after the wedding meal and the main formalities of the day, additional timekeeping for the after party is always worth working out beforehand, especially if you are planning a fun first dance or cutting the wedding cake. Whether you are having a big or small wedding, organising a fun and unique party will make sure your wedding guests enjoy every single second of your celebration and remember it for years to come. Hiring expert wedding planners can make arranging your special day a little less overwhelming, especially when it comes to working out your perfect wedding day schedule. They can also help set up your wedding website, send out your wedding invitations, manage your wedding budget and help plan the ceremony and reception. With some careful organisation you will be set for a perfect wedding day, even if you are planning everything yourself. During your wedding planning process, creating a programme and noting down all the final details (and tweaking them as you go), will make sure you’re as organised as possible on the big day, meaning you can sit back, enjoy being a newly married couple and experience your wedding day in the same way as your much loved guests.