Wedding Day Schedule Help

[Rippy1010]

I am getting very stressed. I have three weeks to pull my last minute stuff together. One of my things that has to be due to all of the vendors by next week is the SCHEDULE FOR THE DAY. I was cool, calm, & collected up to this point ... but this is the straw. I'm clueless and don't know how to schedule my day.

Here are the things that I do know ...

Hair/Makeup from 1-2:30 pm. Outdoor wedding. Ceremony @ 6pm. We are doing almost all of the photos before the wedding so that guests aren't starving by the time we get to the reception. (Reception immediately following ceremony ... so, say 6:45 or 7 pm).

Help! The things we all need to do ...
Put up ballons or signs at specific street corners
Set up chairs
Finish any decorating at reception hall
Hair & Makeup (1:00 - 2:30)
Get Dressed
Receive Flowers
BP Photos
Bridal Portrait Photos
Groom Photos
BM Photos
GM Photos
Family Photos
Ceremony
Possible couple minutes of photos
Reception Arrival


Can any one give me an example how the flow of their day went?

[graciebella]

It's Tinkerbrat...I can't belive you've got less than a month!!!!!

Couple of questions...

How many people are getting hair and makeup done, or is that just the time for you specifically?

What are the guys doing during the day? Can they do the signs/decorating?

[nekopie76]

Here was my day-of schedule:

9:00 - Hair
11:00 - Make-up
12:00 - Dress
12:45 - Photos with my family and BM's
1:15 - Photos at the church with Joe and his family and GM's (never happened :confused: :( )
1:45 - Limo picked us up at my parent's
2:00 - Ceremony
2:20 - Receiving Line (I had people rushing everyone though - In hine sight I wish I didn't do that. I didn't get to talk to some people at the reception.)
2:30 - Photos at the church with families and BM's and GM's
3:00 - Photos at the lake (again didn't happen - it was raining)
3:30 - Reception

That was my schedule. I actually planned the schedule before the wedding and everyone said that it wouldn't work. Except for some mishaps, everything worked out fine.

I would suggest to make someone in charge. Not any of your girls but someone you trust. That person can make sure you are on time (do you know how many times I asked what time it was? I missed my watch!) and handle any problems that come up. I had my mom's friend do it for me. She was great. She handled most of the problems and I was able to have a good time.

I hope I helped some. :D

[Rippy1010]

Tink! Hey!!! How'd you know it was me! :D I haven't even put a signature in saying who I am on the other site. Answers to your questions ... the hair & makeup time frame is actually both ... it is ALL MY APPOINTMENT but I scheduled all of the other girls to fit within that time frame, too. The guys ... I figured we would all help with the chairs so that we can knock it out in no time. I was actually thinking of delegating the sign/balloon thing to them. I would be afraid to let the guys decorate though. LOL!

Kelly ~ I'm seriously thinking about your suggestion for having someone to be in charge. Were they in charge and hanging out with you, or were they in charge and staying at the ceremony site, or how did that work for you? Oh wait ... she was with you. I see it now. Did she just come with you everywhere you went all day long?



Keep 'em coming girls of CC! I need to look over many options! ;)

[nekopie76]

She was with me most of the day. She did get to the church before me to make sure everything was okay. And while we were doing pictures she went to the recpetion center to make sure everything was okay there.

I am dead serious when I say this ... if I didn't have her, my wedding day would have been a disaster. Not saying yours will be :p But it is something to think about.

[graciebella]

I saw a post with a link to this question in your journal.

BTW, are you going to watch Designer Finals on Sat?

[Rippy1010]

This is not my definite schedule ... it's in progress. Tell me if something looks not doable, or a little out of wack, okay? Don't just tell me that it looks fine. Seriously.

7:30-ish Wake
9:00 Bride & Groom leave for separate hotel rooms with their things
9:40 Grab a bite to eat at the coffee shop
10:20 chair set up at the park
11:30 last minute decorating details at the reception hall
1:00pm Hair appointment for Bride
1:00pm Groomsmen put up signs/ballons at exits, etc.
2:00 Bride's Makeup appointment
3:00 Everybody to hotel to dress
4:15 Everyone meets at Park. Flowers dropped off to park. We do Wedding Party photos, Bridesmaid photos, Groomsmen photos, Family photos, and a few Bride and Groom photos.
5:15 Bride and groom go to the gardens for couple portraits and individual portrait sessions
5:50 Arrive back to park
6:00 Ceremony starts
7:00 Guests Arrive to reception
7:15 Wedding Party arrives to reception and introductions
7:25 First Dance
7:45 Buffet Opens
8:20 Cake Cutting
8:30 First Dances (father, mother, bridal party, plus 2)
9:00 Dance Floor Opens Up
10:00 Break from dancing for garter & bouquet toss
10:15 Dancing
12:00 Reception ends.




Tell me ... what did I forget? What looks stupid? What looks like it won't flow?

Here's another question ... does it sound too weird if we ask the guests to line the entrance for the introductions? So they are right there around us as we are entering? What makes me think of this is one bride said that everyone was standing around them clapping and it felt like a pep rally ... very full of happy energy and excitement. Then, they could kind of "surround us" in love (circle of love, so to speak) for our first dance? I've seen this in photos, and the pictures turn out very nice ... don't know. Does that sound weird?

[Rippy1010]

Gracie/Tink ... I don't know what to call you now!!! ;) I have had my DVR set to tape Designer Finals for about a week now. I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE TAMS ON THE TV!

[graciebella]

my ideas:
no food between 9 and 7:45? Lunch, girl, Lunch! maybe someone can bring you some at hair/makeup appt for before you have makeup on.

Pictures will take longer than you might think. You may have already done this, but ask photog how long for as amount of people you have, then pad it just a bit. If it takes shorter, you've got some breathing room.

[Rippy1010]

graciebella ~ That's exactly what I was thinking about the food thing. There is a little pizza shop and a little restaurant in the shopping center of our salon. So, I was also thinking someone could run over there and get me something to eat. Or ... hmmmm ... maybe I can show up a little early to the salon and run over and sit to have something to eat as a litte mini "chill out" break. I bet this is a good option because really there will not be very many last-minute details at the reception hall since I'm doing most of it the day before.

Are pictures really going to take longer than TWO HOURS?!

[graciebella]

It's only 4:15-5:50, right?
That also includes getting flowers distributed and bouts pinned before the pictures start.

[ssstephanie]

7:25 First Dance
7:45 Buffet Opens
8:20 Cake Cutting


Hi! Question: Is 35 minutes going to be enough time for each of your guests to get through the buffet line plus eat before the cake cutting?

[BryantRN]

Ally~
If this helps at all this is what I did. I put a person in charge of each task. The MOH was in charge of the DJ. Any questions or coordinating info concerning the DJ went through her. BM was in charge of the caterer. She let her know when the food, toast, and cake cutting was to be done. All questions and concerns directed to her so that I did not have to be worried. My mom was in charge of the photographer and she had a specific schedule of what I wanted done and what pics that I had to have so that she could coordinate with him. It worked out well and I did not have to be bothered with these tasks whatsoever! The people close to you know what you would want to happen, so they are the perfect ones to deal with the tasks.

~Renee~