It’s your wedding day! You’re excited to take that walk down
the aisle and dance towards your party, hand-in-hand as Mr. and Mrs. To make
sure that everything goes smoothly and that potential crises are averted, it is
important to allot enough time to get ready with a little bit of wiggle room
for emergencies and to avoid rushing. No matter how much planning you do,
something will occur that you hadn’t accounted for. By scheduling out your day
with time to spare, you allow for this to happen without it ruining the order
for the day. By hiring a day-of coordinator like Celebrations by Amy Bacon, you
can rest at ease knowing that event planning professionals are by your side
with their expertly formulated timeline to keep your special day running as
closely to plan as humanly possible. Scheduling hair and makeup to take as long
as it would on a normal day, everyone getting ready at the same time, forgetting
about mingle time, and not allowing yourself the luxury of a cushion are all
timing issues that should be avoided so that your stress doesn’t grow on your
wedding day with each tick of the clock.
1) Schedule pampering time for your hair and makeup
appointments: Most ladies wear makeup and do their hair fairly frequently but
normally not quite as elegant and particular as on their wedding day. As a
bride, your hair and makeup need to look better than anyone else’s; after all
it’s YOUR day. You should be one of the first in the chair so that you stylist
can take her time at perfecting your look and altering along the way as is fit.
You need to allow an ample amount of time to have your hair and makeup done because
let’s face it, the way you look on your wedding day is the best you’ll want to
look for the rest of your life. You’ll see pictures of yourself as a bride on
nearly a daily basis. Do you really want to see a picture and think, “I wish
I’d had more time to get ready”? By designating extra time to be pampered, you
will be better able to enjoy the day and to feel relaxed. Your heart rate will
be racing at what seems like a thousand miles an hour; you’d don’t need the
added stress of running behind to add to it at all.
2) Staggering dressing times: Getting ready together is half
of the fun of wearing gowns (and tuxes) on the Big Day! Seeing as everyone’s
outfits come together can build up the anticipation for the day and make it
even more memorable. However, having all of the wedding party get dressed at
the same time can cause stress and, to be frank, some crummy pictures. You
should be the last one (out of bridesmaids and close family members) to get
completely dressed. The photographers will be snapping away as your dress is
zipped, laced or buttoned, and different angles will be used to get just the
right shot. You don’t exactly want your MoH to be helping you into your
Cinderella shoes while she’s in pajama pants, or your dad to be in his college
sweatshirt while he kisses your flawlessly blushed cheek. By scheduling for
everyone else to be ready before or finishing up as you start to add the final
touches, you allow the spotlight to be on you and to make the moment picture
perfect.
The guys’ prep time matters, too! The groom and his
attendants won’t need nearly as much time to prepare and for good reason. They
simply have to suit up and fix their dos to be ready to rock down the aisle.
Because of this, they should not start getting ready until after the ladies
have. This will help to avoid having the guys be dressed and prepared to get
the show on the road…while the girls are still in their monogrammed robes and
slippers, mimosas in hand. Most guys are left waiting for their girls to get
ready for a weekly date; they shouldn’t have to do the same for the most
important date of their relationship. Nerves will be high; tensions due to
scheduling should not.
3) Allow enough time to mingle with and greet your guests: You’ve
just been introduced as husband and wife, and it’s time to start the party.
Drinks will flow, food will be served, and conversations will flutter. If you
don’t make time to enjoy all that your reception has to offer, you’ll miss out
on visiting with the people who made an effort to celebrate such a special day
with you. Before kicking off the reception’s “activities,” make sure you talk
to each guest and thank them for joining you at your wedding. Not only that,
but many guests will grab your arm as you float about the room to congratulate
you. If you assign time to visit each table, you won’t find yourself thinking,
“I could have sworn that I saw him/her here but I didn’t get to talk to them
all night.” It will also help to ward off the longing feeling you get staring
at the dance floor as your great aunt compliments you on how delicious the food
was for the fifth time. Either organizing a receiving line, attending the
cocktail hour, or circling the room as guests eat are all perfect ways to
schedule out time to greet guests while simultaneously enjoying your own
reception.
4) Give yourself a “clock cushion”: Cushion room can help
alleviate stress, even if all other fore mentioned suggestions are ignored.
Just as anyone who has planned a party knows, at some point the party will fall
behind or jump ahead of schedule without any warning. By putting cushion time
into your wedding timeline, you allow this to happen without throwing off the
whole day. Whether the limo arrives at the venue a little early or the priest’s
homily runs a little long, you won’t have to worry about being “off of
schedule” because you technically won’t be. This will aid in the on-going
struggle of avoiding anxiety and distracting from what really matters: YOU’RE
MARRIED!
One of the most important effects to scheduling some cushion
room? Extra time alone for the bride and groom. If you have every minute of the
planned to a T, you won’t have any time to sneak away as a couple. You just
took the biggest step in your relationship that you have ever taken and have
promised to love each other for all time. That’s a lot to process! You’re
officially husband and wife and you don’t want to spend the first 10 hours of
your marriage surrounded by other people. Plan in cushion time so that you and
your honey can have time as Mr. and Mrs. in peace.
It may seem silly but timing can often make or break a
wedding. Unfortunately, accidents happen, emergencies come out of nowhere, and
unplanned issues arise that can’t be put off until later to deal with.
Timelines help keep everyone on track and remind people what to do next. If you
hire a wedding coordinator (like Celebrations for Amy Bacon), they will likely
prepare a detailed and expertly spaced-out timeline for you. Planning every
detail to couples’ special days is what they do for a living; trust their
expert timing skills and enjoy every minute of your day. Don’t let the little
things get to you or the next thing you know you’ll be pulling away in your
limo and you won’t be able to remember half of your reception. Arrange your
wedding so instead of musing ‘Where did
the time go?’ you’ll think ‘That was
the time of my life!’
Blog written by Patrice Klaum
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