Timelines

How We Build Your Wedding Day Timeline

Highlights

• Your timeline is shaped by just two key decisions: ceremony time and whether you’re doing a first look.

• Food service, photography needs, and transportation logistics quietly control everything.

• We avoid dead gaps or rushed chaos — every part of the day is intentionally paced.

• You’ll be able to choose from several sample timeline styles (brunch, food truck, long ceremony, off-site, etc.) to guide your version.

• You never have to build it alone — we’ll create the first draft once you answer the big questions.

• The final version is confirmed at your Final Walkthrough, and shared with vendors.

• Once locked, everyone (including your wedding party) follows the same flow, so no one is guessing or asking you what’s next.

The Purpose of a Timeline

A timeline isn’t just a schedule — it’s how we protect your energy, keep your guests comfortable, and make sure every moving part lands smoothly. A great timeline is invisible: things just happen at the right moment, without you ever looking at a clock or chasing people down.

We don’t build timelines just for logistics — we build them to manage emotion, atmosphere, and flow. No one should be standing around wondering what’s happening next, and no one should feel rushed through meaningful moments.

What We Need From You to Begin

Before we map anything out, we’ll confirm two things:

1. What time is your ceremony?

2. Will you be doing a First Look (seeing each other before the ceremony)?

From there, we’ll ask a few bonus questions that help refine the emotional and logistical pacing (by no means an exhaustive list of those questions include):

• First Touch or Private Vows? (Before ceremony / after / not planning one)

• First Look with Father/Mother/Siblings? (These take time and privacy to set properly)

• Matching Bridesmaid Robes / Getting Ready Photos? (Adds extra photo buffer in the morning)

• Are Speeches To Be Short & Sweet — or Full Storytelling Mode?

• Do You Want Sunset Photos / Golden Hour Built In? (We’ll note that time and block it as sacred in the day.)

Just answering those lightly — even with “Not sure yet” or “We love the idea but don’t know where it fits” — helps us set the right rhythm.

Once we have those answers, we already know:

• When hair & makeup needs to finish

• When guest arrival should begin

• Whether cocktail hour happens before or after most photos

• When dinner can realistically be served

• How shuttles (if applicable) need to be timed

From there, we’ll draft your “skeleton” flow.

Choosing Your Timeline Style

Not every wedding follows the same rhythm. Some are brunch celebrations where things wind down before sunset. Some have long ceremonies or cultural traditions. Some are fast-paced and food-truck casual. Some start slow and end wild.

We’ll provide several sample timelines — such as:

• Brunch Wedding

• One-Day Winter Wedding

• Food Truck Reception

• Off-Site Ceremony Timeline

• Normal “Standard” Flow

• Extended Cocktail Hour / Extra Hour Summer

You can pick the one that feels closest, and we’ll layer your details into it. If none match perfectly, just tell us your gut feeling — “We want a slow morning and lively late-night,” or “We want to get straight to dancing.” That’s enough for us to shape yours.

When the Timeline Becomes “Real”

We’ll gather information gently as we go:

Once finalized, your timeline becomes the law of the land. Vendors follow it. Wedding party follows it. You don’t have to answer “What’s next?” a single time.

What If Things Run Late?

They may — and that’s okay. We bake flexibility into your flow so that if photos run 20 minutes long or a bridesmaid disappears to find her earrings, we absorb the delay quietly. We shift cocktail hour, adjust shuttle loops, stall desserts, or swap speeches — without interrupting your day.

That’s our job. Your job is to be present.