Figuring out your overall timeline is one of the first things we do in our planning process. I know to some people that sounds crazy, but it is impossible to know exactly what your budget can get you if we don’t have an accurate depiction of what you really want during your wedding day!
We can build the framework of a timeline off of 4 things!
- Estimated Vendor setup time based on our goals for design
- First Look, or lack thereof
- Ceremony start time, which we decide off of sunset.
- Exit Time
Once we have this information, we build out a framework to your timeline early in the process to ensure that we only go look at venues that have availability for the amount of hours you need. If getting ready on site, or a band is important to you, it is almost impossible to make that happen if we only have the venue for 8 hours. If having a longer reception is important to you, prices will quickly add up with venues that offer in house catering and bar, but for only 3 hours.
Here are some standard recommendations for starting points on building your timeline.
Vendor Setup:
Vendor setup and teardown times can vary DRASTICALLY based on your design goals and the types of vendors you bring in! If you are DIY’ing any part of your day, we always recommend finding a venue that allows for at least 15 hours on site on your wedding day. There are so many pieces that have to fall into place in order to have everything set in time for your photographer to begin detail photos. If the linens aren’t laid first thing, you can’t put down centerpieces. If the chargers haven’t been brought in, we can’t lay out the menus or napkins. There are just a lot of moving parts and when something is handled by yourself or family it is necessary to give us as much wiggle room as possible.
If you have a team of vendors coming in for everything and plan to get ready on site, we typically recommend finding a venue with at least a 12 hour rental period. This typically means we will have enough time for hair and makeup to get set up, begin working on the bridal party and we will start accepting vendors. When there is a 12 hour rental period. We lay out a time frame with vendors on their best delivery windows so everything can be set when they arrive!
If you will have simple florals that could be built in advance and there is in house catering and bar, you could book a venue that has only 8 hours of rental time! With in house food and beverage directors, they regularly handle the linens, dishware and bar setup the night before or before the venue even opens to other vendors. Because of this, it is a lot more of just dropping in the details on our end. You would most likely have to get ready off site with this time window!
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First Look:
We are firm believers in the fact that you only get to do this once, so do whatever makes you happy! If you want to do a first look for a moment alone, do it! If you want the first sight of each other to be as you walk down the aisle, do it! The biggest reason this is so relevant to figure out early on is because it plays a large role in the timeline and in the amount of time you need with other vendors (mostly a photographer). If you plan to do a first look, you will most likely have to have your photo team for at least 8 hours or allow them to leave early to fit a 6 hour window. If you want that look to be saved for down the aisle, there could be some savings found in a 6 hour photography session! Here is how it affects the timeline overall.
If we do the first look, we will need to build in anywhere from 20-60 extra minutes for photos beforehand depending on photographers preferences and what pictures you will want to knock out before the ceremony.
If we do not want to do a first look, we need to plan for the earlier end of ceremony start time, as well as a much longer cocktail hour because all bridal party, family and couple pictures will have to be taken after the ceremony.
Ceremony start time:
Google what time sunset is for the time of year you plan to get married. Then subtract 1.5-2 hours from it. That should be the starting time for your ceremony. From mid-March to late October, the best ceremony start time is somewhere between 5:30-6:30, from Early November until mid-March we recommend starting your ceremony between 4:30-5:30.
Exit Time:
The final piece of the timeline puzzle! We typically take this time and work backwards to make sure all of your vendors contracted arrival times will line up with our goals for the big day. We also use this to make sure we find a venue that allows for your goal departure time to be a reality. Some venues have 10:00 ending times or state that you are allowed in the venue until 11:00, but all vendors need an hour of cleanup time built into our schedule so this is a key piece to finding the vendors that give you the right bang for your buck!
