Are you looking forward to waking up at 5am on the morning of your wedding? Yeah, we didn't think so..
So, if you don't plan to wake up at 5am then how do you make sure everything runs on time? A wedding morning timeline of course! These are super useful and ensure that everybody is ready on time, allowing you to feel more relaxed, refreshed and ready for the big day ahead!
We've put together some expert tips to help you plan your wedding morning timeline. The timing outlined below will be influenced by many different factors such as the number of bridesmaids, are these bridesmaids also getting their hair and makeup done with you? Is your mother or your partners mother getting their hair and makeup done also? Of course, all weddings are unique, so your wedding morning timeline may look different to another couples timeline, and that's okay!
1. The Order
First things first, you need to work out what order everything needs to take place in. We always recommend that the bride gets her makeup done first while another member of the bridal party is getting their hair done. It’s important that the bride’s hair and makeup takes priority, that way if things run over time you can adjust it to suit. Speak with your hairstylist and makeup artist to get an idea of how long it will take on the day.
2. Wedding Morning Photos
Be sure to set aside some time to have 'getting ready' photos taken. You'll want some lovely shots with each of your bridesmaids, and some detail shots to look back on later. We recommend speaking with your photographer about their timing recommendations for this. Your photographer may request that people are dressed and ready or that accessories are ready and laid out. Planning ahead will save you time so you aren’t wasting time setting up for these shots.
3. Other Time-Consuming Activities
The most important thing to remember when planning your morning timeline is that some tasks will take much longer than you think. For example, getting dressed and putting on your veil will take some time so make a list of anything and everything you want to get done. Also, be sure to factor in some time to yourself. You may want to wake up a little earlier, have a shower and just enjoy the fact that it’s your wedding day.
4. Add It All Up
Now that you've allocated each activity a specific time frame be sure to add on an extra hour. This one hour buffer time is great if someone is late, or your hair or makeup takes longer than planned. Once you've added on some buffer time you should be able to calculate what time you need to begin your day at. If it's a really early start find out if your hair or makeup artist can bring an assistant with them. This will cut your time in half!