One of the more important things to consider when planning your timeline is what time you will start getting ready! If you get ready too early then your hair and makeup won’t be fresh for your walk down the aisle. If you get ready too late then you may not have time to do all of the things you were needing to do before your ceremony. Finding the perfect balance is key. After all, this is essentially how you will start your wedding day.
I strongly suggest you consult with your glam team of hair and makeup artists when figuring out when you need to start getting ready. You will want to figure out who in your bridal party will also be needing the hair and makeup artists’ services. A large bridal party can take quite some time to get their hair and makeup done.
Each beauty professional can tell you approximately how long it takes per person to get every one glammed and gorgeous. If you have a team of people versus individual vendors, it will definitely cut down on time. In most cases a bridesmaid takes about 30-45 minutes for makeup and hair can vary on the complexity of the style. A great team can do hair and makeup at the same time, expediting the process!
Once you have figured out how many girls will need services and how long each person is going to need with the professionals you can easily figure out how much time total it will take for your bridal party to get ready. Don’t forget to include yourself in this, after all you are the bride!
As the bride, you will want to get ready last. It’s so important that you have the most fresh makeup and hair out of everyone. This will ensure you look flawless and your very best when your groom sees you for the first time! Getting ready last will also help you relax and enjoy the morning more with your girls!
Of course you are’t going to want to get ready and immediately walk down the aisle. Most brides choose to do photos with her bridesmaids before their ceremony so they don’t have to allot as much time for photos after. Connect with your photographer to find out how much time they will need before your ceremony to get photos of you putting on your dress, doing any first looks you have planned (with groom, dad or bridesmaids) and for pictures with your girls. Once you have figured out how much photo time you need before the ceremony, you can take the time you calculated for hair and makeup and add that to photo time to figure out your getting ready start time.
If you are getting ready off site from your ceremony location, you will also want to factor in drive time, and be sure to leave some wiggle room for traffic. This is easily one of the simplest parts of the timeline for you to plan because your photographer and hair and makeup teams will be able to tell you exactly how much time they need for this part of your day. Typically, they may even tell you exactly what time you should start!
Plan In Plenty of Extra Time
I highly recommend sprinkling in 15 minute increments of buffering time throughout the day, just in case anything runs long, or a small mishap happens. Having extra time will reduce your stress and help your day run more smoothly. It even leaves some time for an extra mimosa!
Check back next week for part 3 – The First Look
Did you miss last week’s blog, Part One – The Ceremony ? This is where I recommend starting when mapping out your wedding day! The ceremony start time is what your entire day revolves around! Click the link above to be taken back to that blog post.
Creating a timeline is stressful and one of the top questions I get from my couples. I hope this series will be helpful in taking a little of the stress off of your wedding planning plate! If you need more help, or have questions I would love to connect! OR if you’d like to find out more about becoming a #CourtneyPaigeCouple head back to the home page and fill out a contact form and I will be in touch!
For more help or questions I can be reached at the links below:
Facebook. Instagram or by email at memories@courtneypaigephotography.com
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