A wedding day is as seamless as the coordinator and timeline behind it!

The backbone of your day, a wedding day timeline sets the stage for one of the most meaningful days of your life. It makes sure every moment is maximized, so you can savor it all. There are countless moving parts to creating a wedding day timeline. We sat down with Taily, Lulu Events’ lead wedding planner, to get her thoughts on your most common timeline questions.

What is a Wedding Day Timeline?

A wedding day timeline is the document that ensures your wedding day goes according to plan. It’s a centralized guide for the wedding day— a document that accounts for every detail, big or small. Taily holds that “a wedding day timeline is one of the most important things we could have because it keeps us on track of everything that needs to happen. Because while it’s great to have everything in your head, sometimes little things slip up.”

While structured, a reliable timeline allows for real-time adjustments without disrupting sentimental moments. It’s a living document— evolving as final details are solidified, both before and on the wedding day. Taily expressed, “Anything in the timeline, we can change even on the day of. Sometimes, our couples want to delay something a little longer. If that’s what they want, that’s what they get. It’s their day.” Our priority is your experience. We can adjust the timeline to meet any real-time need that may come up!

Why is a Timeline Necessary for a Wedding Day?

A wedding day timeline is the key to a smooth, stress-free wedding day. It keeps you, your vendor team, and your loved ones aligned on the big day. “It’s a great way to reference back to what we discussed. It’s our best way to stay honest with the process and ensure everything gets done,” Taily shared.

A wedding day timeline accounts for every significant moment, etching time in the day to savor each one. With her flow, Taily never overlooks “important aspects of the wedding like first dances, the speeches, and making sure that everything important gets done.” Your wedding day moves quickly, so proactively reserving time for those precious moments is a must.

When done right, your timeline optimizes your contracted hours with your venue and vendor team. Events should have just the right amount of time dedicated to each, ensuring you take advantage of your contracted times. With strong communication and coordination leading up to the wedding day, all vendors are set up for success— ready to give you the day of your dreams.

Is a Wedding Day Timeline Something a Couple Could Do Themselves? Why or Why Not?

“Technically, anyone can type up a timeline. If that is going to be the right flow of things, that’s another story,” Taily said. While anyone could account for tasks and times, know that trial and error matters when making a wedding day timeline. Planners optimize the flow of the day— they’ve experienced timeline variations that they keep in their back pocket. Timing isn’t only about scheduling events and noting tasks— it’s about creating a natural, enjoyable sequence of experiences. Attending weddings nearly every weekend, Taily reflected, “You can kind of see a lot of trial and error. Good things, new things, old things that work really well.” So, when it comes time to curate a wedding day timeline, don’t discount a wedding planner’s insights!

How Would You Define a “Traditional” Timeline?

While wedding timelines are unique to each couple, the structure of a ‘traditional’ timeline will always work like a charm. A traditional wedding day timeline follows this structure:

Ceremony → Cocktail Hour → Grand Entrances → First Dance → Dinner → Speeches → Parent Dances → Dance Floor

Planners love this timeline structure due to its logical flow, and Taily is no exception. She believes that “having a sit-down dinner, or even going through a buffet, and sitting down to eat helps put that flow to everything and breaks things up the right way.” Guests are heavily influenced by the energy through the night. With this, Taily suggests, “Get the sentimental stuff done with before you open the dance floor. Once we open that dance floor and people are partying, keep that going. People want to celebrate.” This classic structure reigns supreme for Taily— compared to trending timeline variations, like an extended cocktail-style reception. It sets expectations and avoids confusion— two critical aspects of the guest experience.

Though there are practical edges to a traditional timeline— whatever resonates most with the couple is the flow of the day that will follow. As wedding planners, we always coordinate the day according to our newlyweds’ priorities!

How Soon Should You Have a Timeline Ready to Reference Before Wedding Day?

A wedding day timeline develops at the pace of the couple’s decisions. Each draft of a wedding day timeline is like a snapshot in time— reflecting what the couple desires at that moment. However, if priorities change or desires evolve, so does the timeline. Taily shared, “I like to have at least a foundation 90 days prior, and it solidifies about two weeks before.” Though the timeline is solidified two weeks before the event, it’s still flexible to meet the couple’s changing needs.

If timeline adjustments are made in the two weeks before the wedding day, every vendor must receive updated timelines that reflect those changes. Timeline changes could impact any vendor, either directly or indirectly. Taily “updates vendors when any small changes are made to the timeline, even if it’s a couple days before”. After all, a timeline is only as good as the communication and coordination prior to the event!

Who Do You Account for When Creating a Wedding Day Timeline?

In short: all key players.

The newlyweds’ experience stands at the core of the wedding day timeline. It should always reflect their vision and preferences above all else. The bridal party and immediate family are included in timelines for specific events— such as portraits, getting ready, speeches, and reception introductions.

Vendors are critical to account for when curating a timeline. Notating arrival times, setup times, and departure times maximizes your value and honors your contract through the event. Highlighting venue-specific rules, such as access times and breakdown times, influences the overall timeline structure. Taily expressed how the timeline “makes sure you’re honest with the contracts and all the vendors. So, everyone’s not having to come later, stay later, or question what happens on the day of”.

A timeline is a great landing space for tasks to be completed on the wedding day. Scheduling time-sensitive tasks prevents oversight. Taily noted, “If there are certain little details of something that I need to be moved at a certain time, like if we need any flowers repurposed, I always put those details on my timeline.”

Are There Different Timeline Versions Per Receiving Group?

A smooth operation hinges on strong communication of relevant details on the timeline. Details viewed as pertinent to vendors may not be necessary for the bridal party’s timeline. With this, we customize timelines for each receiving party for optimal clarity.

It’s a best practice to curate a master timeline, holding every detail in one place. Without careful attention, oversights can easily occur if details are not translated to all relevant timelines. Make sure every timeline tells the same story to avoid unnecessary delays and confusion!

A timeline curated for the couple, bridal party, and immediate family streamlines relevant information, avoiding overwhelm by unnecessary details. This version could list the times getting ready begins and finishes, when bridal party portraits start, when the first looks begin, and other events involving them. It’s the wedding day itinerary, giving direction and peace of mind!

The vendor timeline includes access times, setup times, breakdown times, and event times for the team to reference. To perform their services, wedding planners collaborate with select vendors to create a timeline that accounts for their function. For example, Taily shared that “photographers usually have their own timeline that they curate, and then I use my timeline and their timeline to make that work”.

As wedding planners, we’re here to coordinate a seamless wedding day. This coordination includes your wonderful vendors, ensuring they have everything they need to give you the best wedding day possible.

Do You Have Mishaps or Timeline Deviations You Account for When Creating a Timeline for a Couple?

While we account for every minute of your wedding day, natural delays or deviations may occur on the day of. Whether these are transition delays, longer-than-anticipated events, or unexpected weather changes, Taily builds flexibility in her timelines.

Transitions between events are common delays to account for, whether it’s the transition between cocktail hour and reception or the time it takes to gather for the grand exit. Sometimes, it takes a minute to rally everyone for the migration from one space to the next. The time you should account for in these transitions depends on the travel time between destinations and your guest count. Your wedding planner or venue coordinator can offer insight on how much time to budget for these transitions!

Sentimental moments can take longer than anticipated— speeches included. Taily expressed, “Sometimes, speeches can run a little long. Even though we’re giving people a three-minute time, I always put 10 minutes on my timeline.” Extending the length of each speech builds cushion room in the timeline. If the speaker loses track of time or has more to say than what was prepared, no worries!

Buffer time is built into the timeline to account for unexpected delays without disrupting the day’s overall flow. For example, if you think it will take 5 minutes to get from your getting-ready venue to your ceremony venue, pencil in 30 minutes on the timeline. In Taily’s words, “I’d rather be way ahead of schedule than backed up”.

As Northeast Florida wedding planners, a natural deviation we’re all too familiar with is good ol’ mother nature! The weather is outside anyone’s control, so planning for unexpected changes is always ideal. Typically, venues will have a Plan B determined in response to the weather. When choosing your venue, ask them what their Plan B is! We want to ensure you’ll love the aesthetics of your wedding day, rain or shine!

While it’s key to wedding day preparedness, we don’t like to give Plan B too much power. Taily believes that “you speak things into existence, in a way. So I always make sure we have a Plan B, but it’s not going in writing on our timeline”. In short, Plan B is ready if we need it, but Plan A is the one on paper!

A timeline is a wedding planner’s best friend. It’s a clear guide that sets expectations for the couple, loved ones, and vendors. A timeline enforced by a wedding planner guarantees complete presence in the best day of your life.

Need help planning your wedding? Schedule time with us to chat about your vision, and how we can bring it to life!