10 Important things to put on your wedding day timeline
One of the most important documents surrounding your wedding day will be your wedding day timeline! This document will hold all the information you could possibly need for your wedding day- and the information that is included (or not included) will determine how smooth your wedding day goes! Here are 10 things you need to make sure are on your wedding day timeline!
Sunset time- in the very early stages of making your timeline, you want to make sure you include the sunset time in your schedule. Ideally, you will want to be taking pictures during sunset, so you need to make sure the sun isn’t setting at the same time as something else important like dinner toasts, cake cutting, etc.!
Venue Access Time- All venues are different and adhere to different timeframes. You should include what time your vendors are allowed access into your schedule, for both your ceremony and reception! It can be an easy thing to overlook, because while vendors are starting to arrive at your venue, you will be in the hair and makeup chair! So make sure you give them all that information ahead of time!
Photography shot lists- A photography shot list is exactly what it sounds like- a list of shots you want the photographer to take! Make sure to not only include the different variations of family pictures you want, but also include a list of detail or decor shots you want, especially if there is something you are particularly excited about!
Meal Times- Obviously dinner will be already built into your schedule, but I also highly recommend scheduling breakfast and lunch for yourself too! The wedding day can get so hectic that sometimes you forget to eat, so schedule meals beforehand to avoid that problem!
The Phonetic Spelling of your Last Name- There is nothing worse than an officiant/DJ/Band announcing the newlyweds for the first time and pronouncing their last name wrong! Always make suer to include the phonetic spelling or pronunciation of your last name for whoever will be introducing you!
Addresses/Parking- The last thing you want the morning of your wedding is getting calls from guests/vendors/etc. confused on where something is or where they can park or how they can load in, etc! Make sure to include the address and parking information for each location that is on your timeline that you send out! This will help avoid any confusion and keep things running on time!
Contingency Plans- A wedding day rarely goes exactly as planned, so it is important to think out and include contingency plans in your schedule! If you are getting married outside, you should definitely include a rain plan. I also recommending including information for things like: what it would cost to keep the wedding going for another hour, who you would have to contact if you wanted to end early, etc.
Vendor List- To piggy back off my last 2 items, I recommend including a full vendor list on your schedule. This should include the vendor’s name, email address, and cell of whoever is working the day of the wedding. Therefore, if something does come up or plans change, you have easy access to everyone’s phone numbers!
Vendor Meals- Throughout the planning process, it is important to track which of your vendors require dinner during your reception. These vendors are typically photographers, videographers, wedding planners, or anyone else who has to stay throughout the entirety of the reception. With this being said, you want to make sure you schedule your vendor meals for a time when not a lot is happening- you don’t want your photographer in the back room eating while your MOH starts giving a toast! The best rule of thumb is “vendors eat when guests eat” because usually no one wants photos/videos taken of them while they are eating, so its a perfect time for your vendors to slip away!
Clean Up Information- You may think that the night ends when you get in your getaway car, but there are still a few things that need to happen before the night is considered over. First off, you need to designate a trusted person to take home all your personal items (wedding gifts, decor, cake topper, toasting flutes, veil, etc.). You need to make sure that person knows to stick around after the wedding is over and collect all those items, because whatever goes into the venue must come out at the end of the night. You also need to let that person know how much time they have to get those items out at the end of the night. Most venues allow one hour for clean up after the wedding is over; if you exceed an hour, you could be charged an extra fee from your venue!
These are just 10 details that you should include- for a look into ALL the details I include in my own wedding timeline, along with vendor schedules and event orders, check out my timeline template worksheet! It will include an example timeline, along with a blank wedding timeline for you to fill out yourself!