When you picture your wedding day, how do you see it unfolding? Many focus so much on the vision for the big event, but fail to plan for the actual day of the event. If that sounds like a bad riddle, just remember that it’s entirely possible to plan for the day without giving yourself a headache.
One of the ways to prevent mass confusion is to create a timeline for the day. If you have a wedding planner or a coordinator, they should be providing this service to you. If not, you’ll still want to create the timeline at least for the wedding day.
If you’ve ever wondered what goes in to a timeline, why it’s important to have one, or how to make it work for you, read on to learn the top five things to include to help your event run smoothly.
The Names: including the bride and groom, parents, the entire bridal party, parents, and vendors. It should also include a phone number for everyone. This is valuable information for your coordinator and will save time having to hunt down all the details in case he or she needs to contact someone.
Activities and timeframes: It’s important to get as many details as possible while making the timeline scalable. You’re unlikely to miss major items, but there are some fine details that will need to be listed as well (What time are the linens being delivered? Is the ceremony supposed to last 30 minutes?). Without a timeline, timeframes may end up much more fluid than you anticipated and cause you to make your guests wait.
Task delegation: Who is picking up that cake? Will anyone be around to collect the rentals when they are delivered? A good timeline will also have activities associated with their respective owners.
Contingency planning: Did you ever notice that almost no one in the bridal party is wearing a watch? It’s amazing how fast time will move on your wedding day, so it’s a good idea to build in a little buffer zone to your timeline. Having the plan is key, but being flexible will likely preserve your sense of joy and fun on such an important day.
Timeline delivery: Great! You’ve managed to create the timeline and it looks beautiful! Now all you need to do is make sure the entire bridal party is aware of the plan. Be sure to share the timeline with those that are involved. You don’t have to share the entire timeline with every person, but everyone involved should know their activities and timelines.
While a timeline is certainly not the sexiest part of a wedding, it definitely will help you enjoy the other fun parts of your wedding. More important than timeline creation, however, is having someone to mange the timeline for you. If you need help, The Capable Bride can create and manage timelines for your event. Contact us today!