How to not run late on the wedding day

5 Tips to Stay on Your Wedding Timeline

Wedding Photography Timeline

I’m going to be writing you the most important things that could make your wedding run late,

and what you’ll lose out on if it does.

Nobody wants their wedding to run late.

Most people probably want their wedding to run on time.

 

When the things of your day run late, what you’re going to lose out on are your portraits

because portraits are the first thing that is going to get cut.

They’re not going to cut time off your ceremony and reception.

So those are the things that, if that’s a priority for you, need to. 

1. Bride’s Hair and Make-up Artist

Probably the number one thing that causes your wedding to run late is hair and make-up.

Every hair and make-up artist I refer my couples to is always on time, if not early, and that’s one reason I prefer them.

I like to work with punctual people because when hair and make-up run late, a couple of nasty things can happen.

 

So if you have a first look, what happens when your hair and make-up run late, and I’m not talking about 5-10 minutes late.

When they’re 30 40 minutes late, you will lose out on time for the bride’s portraits, bridesmaids & family photos, and your first look.

This happens more often than you would think.

So if you’ve scheduled 45 minutes for your first look and bride & groom portraits, you’ll lose all of that time.

 

We might skim some time from the bridal pictures, peek at some time from family, or complete after the ceremony.

You don’t want to feel rushed during your first look.

If you do not have a first look, the portraits that will get cut are those of the bridesmaids in their robes with you.

Those are pictures that are either going to get cut short or get cut.

 

If your wedding is running 30 minutes behind, we have to get you to the ceremony.

You are cutting out all of that cute time with your bridesmaids, and that can be a huge deal to some couples.

Start earlier, and then we’ll have tons of time for lovely photos without stress. 

2. Wedding Receptions

Another crucial thing that I see making receptions run late is the sense that they’ve already started.

The events are running late when you have toasts, and the toasts take a very long time.

 

Two to three minutes, tops, is the perfect amount of time for somebody to give a toast.

Highly recommend that you tell all of your toasters to try to keep it to two or three minutes.

Anything over five minutes is probably going to be boring and drawn-out for everybody.

 

That’s the first thing that I will do to ensure that my couple gets the events they want.

I get myself out on time by more than 20 minutes; I think it’s an appropriate amount of overtime.

So, what will typically happen is that I’m not just going to surprise them with this.

I’ll go up to the couple, and I will say, ”are you okay with overtime?” We’ve only got this much time. 

3. Wedding Planner

Another thing is to choose a great planner.

A planner who is experienced and knows what they’re doing can wrangle people.

Especially if you have multiple locations.

 

You will need someone there to make sure things are running smoothly.

Even though that will cost you a little more, it’s probably going to save you money in many different areas of the wedding.

Either before the wedding, during planning, or during the wedding itself.  

4. Travel Time

The next thing is to make sure you have plenty of time padding at your wedding.

Suppose there’s double the travel time. Never know what could happen. 

There might be some unexpected traffic during the holiday weekend.

Double your travel time. If it’s a ten-minute drive, leave 20 in there.

5. Get Rid of  Stress

All of the above are some elements that can contribute to a perfect wedding timeline.

But none of this happens, and nothing works. Please get rid of stress and get ready to live it for as long as you can.

Do it your way! The biggest day has arrived. Your dream comes true! 

Conclusion

These are my 5 Tips to Stay on Your Wedding Timeline.

I hope this gives you some good ideas of things that you can do to prevent your wedding

from running late and losing out on all those beautiful photos that you love.

 

As a destination wedding photographer based in Athens, Greece, I would love to be with you on your special day.

You can view my recent work here. Get in touch, and so the adventure begins!