Your Wedding Weekend Timeline: The Most Important of all Wedding Planning Documents

Allow plenty of time to get into your dress so you are not rushed.

A complete, well thought out wedding weekend timeline is crucial to ensuring a smooth, stress-free experience. This is the one document that will keep everything running smoothly for the day before, day of and day after your wedding. Initially, some times might be flexible, but as planning progresses, they will become more precise. 

Here are some practical tips and a sample timeline to help keep everything on track and ensure you can enjoy every moment.

Nothing is more stressful on a wedding day than feeling like you’re rushing from one thing to another, and frazzled and stressed if there are any delays or if anything goes wrong (which honestly happens at most weddings, and that’s okay!) 

Allowing ample time for each activity will help keep everything on schedule and stress low. Be sure to add in some margin. Some examples include:

Hair & Makeup

Add 30 minutes to your beauty schedule. Trust me, those last-minute touch-ups take time!

Dress

Allocate at least 15-20 minutes for getting into your gown. Buttons and lacing can be tricky. This is the only time you will be putting the dress on for your wedding - It's a special moment and you don’t want to rush.

Traffic

Allow for an extra 10 minutes on top of what Google Maps suggests, especially if your wedding is on a weekend. This is especially important if you are changing locations between photos, ceremony, reception, etc. 

Bustling Your Gown

Rehearse this with a designated person, such as a bridesmaid, in advance to minimize stress on your wedding day. Remember this is not something people do daily so it can take a few minutes to get it right. 

Try your best not to leave anything to be done at the last minute

Pack the emergency kits, take care of your payments, delegate responsibilities, break in those wedding shoes, organize any documents needed, etc.

Keep everyone on the same page

Sharing your complete timeline with your day of coordinator, vendors and maid of honor. Share a simpler version with your wedding party & family. You can save it as a photo and encourage them to save it as their screensaver for easy viewing on the day. 

Download your editable Wedding Weekend Timeline Free here.