Modern wedding planning in Rochester New York | In All Things Events

As wedding professionals, we strive to always provide our clients with a perfect wedding day. So here’s our advice to the ultimate getting ready timeline. Of course that includes removing any stress and ensuring every detail is flawless.

One of the common concerns we see couples have is drafting their wedding timeline. Every wedding is different and comes with a unique set of challenges and decision to make—so making a wedding itinerary can feel daunting. We all want to ensure their day is seamless and they can be present celebrating their big moment. Don’t fret, here’s our take on how to have a relaxing morning of getting ready!

Getting ready is one of the key elements that takes a majority of a wedding day. It also can become a very stressful beginning of your day if not organized accordingly and can be the culprit of a late ceremony, but that does NOT have to be the case!

Why is a timeline so important?

The key to a stress free wedding day is an organized & seamless timeline!! When everyone knows where to be when & what to do, then you know it’s gonna be a good day! It removes unnecessary stress to all who are involved in your event. It’s a streamline way of communicating to your vendors and removing questions or confusion the day of. So, when planning a wedding, we ask our couples “What is important for you to enjoy on your special day?”

Planning a detailed wedding day timeline may be the most important thing you can do to minimize stress throughout the weekend. A clear wedding timeline will eliminate confusion and scheduling conflicts, and it’ll keep everyone on the same page

Yes, there are a plethora of timeline guides and templates to reference from Pinterest, wedding planning platforms, or online. However, every wedding is different and every couple desires an unique experience. So we always consider that when we begin laying out their custom timeline.

Professionals call them flat lays, brides call them the tiny details that made their day special to them.

We encourage our brides to have these things gathered the night before so no one has to run around finding them the morning of before your photographer arrives. We also suggest taking your dress and the bridesmaids’ dresses out of the plastic and tidy up the room! It looks so much nicer than clutter being in the background of your photos.

Here is our suggested detail list that we provide our couples. Remember, these items should be details you want to remember looking back at photos.

✨TIP: Have a nice hanger for the dress. We have one in our coordination bag to offer the photographer. We also offer accent pieces like ribbon, ring box, small tiles to add depth and texture to photos.

We love working with our client’s vendors and believe it’s so important to provide them with a realistic time frame to provide our couple with the best wedding day experience possible. By clearly communicating the couple’s desires, expectations, as well as confirming with the various professionals ensuring they have plenty of time to work with, we can accomplish all that needs to be done without rushing so the bride and groom can enjoy their wedding day to the fullest!

✨TIP: Send photos of inspiration to your stylist of what your specifically desire when confirming the timeline. If you’re wanting each person to have a different hairstyle, send photos of examples with assigned names.

Makeup and hair to last all day & night.

You will feel wedding butterflies of excitement and anticipation, so make yourself comfortable! Make sure there’s food, water, drinks, blast a getting-ready playlist, and enjoy the glam process with your favorite people!

Makeup typically takes 45 minutes per bridesmaid and 60 minutes for the bride. Hair, about 45 minutes per bridesmaid and 60 minutes for the bride.

With our experience, we would discuss with our bride how many ladies will need their hair and makeup done. This is to determine how many stylists they should hire or how early to begin. For example, if you, your mother, and 4 bridesmaids need to be ready by 12:30pm to get dressed and depart for the venue… that makes for a very early morning with only one makeup artist and one hairstylist and you may need two hire additional stylists.

✨TIP: Schedule 5 minutes between each girl! This allows wiggle room for any adjustments, equipment switching, and just time for the next person to get into the chair.

Dressed for the occasion

Getting dressed will take longer than anticipated. The bride can take up to 45 minutes to get into her dress, especially considering if the back of the dress has a zipper, lace up corset, or buttons. Whoever will be helping them (the Maid of Honor or Mother of the Bride) should be the first one dressed so they are ready to help and look great in photos.

With your photographer/videographer capturing the moment, putting on your shoes, veil, & accessories will feel like you’re moving in slow motion. So give yourself ample of time to be in the moment without feeling rushed or anxious.

I know it feels like a long time, but we suggest everyone is dressed 45 minutes prior to departing for the venue. That way everyone has time to gather their belongings, double check their hair, makeup, attire, and enjoy seeing their beautiful friend on their special day without running around.

Gentlemen, we do not want you to wait till the last minute to get dressed. It’s your day too and we don’t want you to be stressed either. Whether if you’re getting together with your groomsmen beforehand at a hotel or at the venue, you should give yourself 90 minutes to be completely ready. Your coordinator will inform you when and where you should be.

Reminder, you will also need to have your boutonniere properly pinned by your coordinator.

Bridal Glam Shots: Once your hair & makeup is complete, before/after your dressed, you’re going to look and feel like a goddess! So give yourself some time to capture those feelings before your first look or ceremony! It will only take about 5-20 minutes. Take this moment to truly soak it in, that it’s YOUR wedding day! The day you have been looking forward to and planning for has finally arrived!

Your wedding day goes by so fast, I promise you, you’ll want to remember how you felt on the morning on your wedding.

Travel to Venue

If you’re getting ready at your ceremony venue, this isn’t a necessary time block. If you will be traveling to the ceremony space, give yourself ample time to avoid travel mishaps.

🥰 We always love a first look or first touch! If you’re more traditional, no problem, they are completely optional.

A first touch or prayer may only take 5 minutes, but consider scheduling buffer time to get to have your coordinator/photographer place both of your for the big reveal or intimate moment. For a first look, we suggest about 15-20 minutes. You also need to consider having all photos complete 40 minutes before your ceremony begins so early arriving guests don’t get a sneak peek!

A first look can be with your spouse, parents, siblings, grandparents, bridal party, anyone you want that special reveal with.
✨ The PROS of a first look is that it’s a great opportunity to take couple, family, or bridal party photos prior to the ceremony rather than during your cocktail hour, so you’re free to enjoy your guests, food, and drinks!

Managing your wedding seamlessly

Hiring us for your big day includes a team of coordinators. So while your getting ready, you can be confident your venue setup is going smoothly. We’re there to manage your vendors, answer any questions, everyone is one schedule, confirm decor and layout is being setup as planned, as well as to guarantee everything is beautiful and complete before you or the guests arrive. A good coordinator is capable of managing your plans, but a GREAT one is able to handle the unplanned quickly and discreetly while still keeping the flow of the day smooth.

Enjoy every precious moment to the fullest

Working with a professional wedding planner is the most surefire way to guarantee your wedding timeline fits all your needs. You deserve to enjoy your wedding to the fullest, so fill out our contact form below and thank yourself later!