Monday musings and developing your wedding timeline!

Hello Monday, February 22, 2010!



Before we get to the wedding goodness, I have to share.

I had a bad morning, so I wrote a mini rap. Keep in mind, I have no lyrical skills, but had to do something to make myself laugh! So, here goes....



Woke up late,

With a headache

Off to work

Awwww maaaaan....

I forgot my purse

No parking pass or any cash for gas

It's gonna be a long day, that's my hunch

Oh well, at least I've got my lunch



Now that you've chuckled at my corny sense of humor, let's get back to regularly scheduled programming.....



Since we're talking about running late, there is no time like the present to offer up some tips to keep your wedding day running smoothly.



1. Create a timeline or itinerary for the wedding party. Distribute the timeline the week before the wedding so that if anyone has questions or concerns you have time to adjust accordingly. You should also advise your wedding party, in detail, about your expectations.



2. Make sure to include the street addresses and phone numbers of all the important places they will need to be in the itinerary (i.e. the salon, ceremony site, reception site, rehearsal dinner venue, etc.) A lot of people use GPS devices, so make it easy for them to plug in the address and GO!



3. Allow extra time for getting ready. It goes without saying, we girls do a lot of stuff to get "wedding ready"! I always build in extra time (at least a 1/2 hour) for hair and makeup. If you are hiring a professional make-up artist or hair stylist, your maids or mothers won't have had a trial run with the professional. Or, there could be a case of "DIY- bad hair day" going on. So, having extra time to tweak make-up or hair styles is imperative. No one wants to look less than their best on the wedding day!



4. When it's time to depart for the ceremony, build in a little extra time in your itinerary. This isn't like running to the store where you grab your purse and keys and hit the road. You've got to make sure you have your dress, toiletries, rings, etc. all packed and arranged in the car, limo, etc. (no crushing the gown!). If all of the ladies are leaving together from one centralized location, then you have multiple purses, make-up bags, dresses, etc. to contend with.



5. Remember what I said about expectations? This is key for photographs. One of my brides last year was extremely worried about post-ceremony pictures taking too long. She had been in a wedding where the bridal party kept wandering away, resulting in chaos during formal pictures. My suggestion is to choose a central gathering location for post-ceremony pics and ask everyone to gather there immediately after the recessional. Moreover, remind them to remain in that area until all of the pictures are completed.



Are there any timing tips or concerns that you have? Please share!