087 322 33 29 eric@ericmolimard.ie

How to create a wedding timeline

And why you should do it.

Time flies when you’re having fun and a wedding is a fun day albeit a tad stressful.

Stress occurs when you are under pressure. Whether it is to deliver a deadline or the expectation that something could potentially go wrong, stress can show its ugly nose and ruin the fun!

The morning of the wedding is no exception.  Being late or too late, having a makeup/hair/dress malfunction is on every bride’s mind. It’s doesn’t have to be that way.

As Irish philosopher Roy Keane once famously said:

“If you fail to prepare you prepare to fail”.

For once Roy is right. As human beings, we find enormous comfort in knowing what is ahead of us. This is why the first time you have to speak in public you are very nervous, the 50th time you do it, it’s fine and feels normal. I’m not saying you should get married 50 times though!

I’m saying you should plan and rehearse the morning routine.

The week before the wedding you have all the bits you need for the morning and put them all in one place. Check that it’s all there.

With the help of the person who will help you in the dress, get in the dress, fully! Not just halfway and say it’s grand, button every button, if there’s a belt, put it on.  If the your helper will be wearing long nails, make sure she’s comfortable doing buttons with these on. A great tool to have is a crochet to pull the little button strings. Get one.

Put the shoes on and walk, how does it feels? Sit down, stand up everything should feel comfortable. If not, you have a few days to sort it out. No panic.

The night before the wedding, lay down all the bits and hang the dress in the room you will be getting ready. Tidy it up too, no clutter! It’s bad in photos and you don’t want that do you?

The day plan:

With the help of your makeup artist and hairdresser, determine a starting time and order of makeup/hair, don’t be the last one.

Plan to be at the ceremony on time and you will be 5mns late, there is always a little of time that seems to disappear outside the church/ceremony. If you will be taking posed photos before the ceremony, ask your photographer how long is needed and plan accordingly.

After the ceremony, if you are planning on having a receiving line, where the guests congratulate you, add at least 30mns for that to happen. I would strongly advice you not to have one, it’s a lot of hugs and kisses, your makeup/hair might get ruined and the groom’s shirt/jacket will have every woman’s makeup on it. Skip it and save yourself some precious time. You’ll see them all at the reception anyway. Most guests won’t mind not being stuck in a church in a line for 30mns or more.

Next stop is the Hotel. I would actually recommend you do your photos before getting near the Hotel. Once the guests see you, all your friends will want to chat to you and you’ll get sucked in, it will be very hard to leave again.

If you are going to a location or 2 for your photos, have an idea how it will or should take for you to be back to the Hotel and have about 1h at the drink reception. The last thing you want is to miss the drink reception, it’s the best time to properly chat to your friends and soak up the atmosphere.

Deciding on a time for the speeches can be tricky. Before or after dinner? I would suggest before and get it out of the way or an alternative is to have them at the end of the drink reception in a more casual setting. The length of the speeches should be kept to a maximum of 45mns after that guests start to get bored.

Your band should start before 10pm, most photographers and videographers have a 10pm time limit.

Make sure the band knows that.  It;s always best if the band plays the first dance rather than playing it from a cd of mp3. Seeing the band chatting in the background in your photos is not nice.

After all that your timeline should look like this:

8am MUA and hairdresser arrives at house.

1215 Get in dress

1245 Leave house

1300 ceremony

1445 leave for location X

1500 Photos in Location X

1600 Arrive back at Hotel

1700 Call for dinner

1730 Speeches

1800 Dinner

2130 Band starts

With the timeline done, you should be able to see if you have allocated enough time for the various parts of the day.

Makes changes if you need to.

I hope you found this helpful. If you would like to discuss your wedding photography with me please get in touch

Contact me
Engagement shoot in Phoenix Park
Shoots
Eric

Andrea & Eoghan, Phoenix Park Shoot

Andrea & Eoghan Phoenix Park On a warm May Sunday evening I met Andrea and Eoghan for their photoshoot in the Phoenix Park. The sun was shinning and the birds were singing.  A little shy at first and unsure of what to do, Andrea and Eoghan settled into the shoot very quickly. I find it’s best not to overwhelm couples with directions at first and instead observe how they behave with each other. Some are very

Read More »
May 21, 2019 No Comments
Tips
Eric

Make Up Advice with Rebecca O’Sullivan

Tips for amazing make up from Rebecca O’Sullivan You may have found your makeup artist through your venue or they may have come recommended from a friend or another member of your bridal party so give them a follow on their social media platforms to keep up to date with their work, every wedding they post is one step closer to yours and can provide you with ideas and inspiration for your own big day. 

Read More »
March 21, 2019 No Comments
Tips
Eric

10 questions to ask your photographer before you book

10 questions to ask your photographer before your book Out of all the suppliers involved at a wedding, your photograph will spend the longest amount of time with you along with your videographer. You need to make sure you choose wisely.  Apart from the obvious advice that you should look at their website, facebook page and Instagram feed to give you an idea of the style they have, you also need to chat to them

Read More »
March 13, 2019 No Comments
Ideas
Eric

First Look

First Look how to get great photographs without pressure Like most things in our global world, the USA seems to be exporting trends all over the world. The First Look is no exception.  For once, it’s a brilliant trend, Trash the Dress was never a favourite of mines but I do love the First Look idea. The tradition is that the groom doesn’t see his bride until the Church ceremony but many couples have a

Read More »
March 13, 2019 No Comments
Tips
Eric

Wedding Day Timeline

How to create a wedding timeline And why you should do it. Time flies when you’re having fun and a wedding is a fun day albeit a tad stressful. Stress occurs when you are under pressure. Whether it is to deliver a deadline or the expectation that something could potentially go wrong, stress can show its ugly nose and ruin the fun! The morning of the wedding is no exception.  Being late or too late,

Read More »
March 13, 2019 No Comments
engagement shoot in wicklow mountains
Tips
Eric

Engagement Shoot Tips

Why an Engagement Shoot I hear you ask? Firstly it’s a perfect way to get used to being photographed. On your wedding day, your photographer and videographer will be with you 90% of the day, from your preparation until the first dance. Unless you work as a model it’s a little bit unsettling.

Read More »
February 15, 2019 No Comments
Facebook Whatsapp Instagram