Ask Liz: Wedding Day Bases That NEED to Be Covered

Merrily, Merrily, Merrily, your wedding will be a dream Photo: Greycard Photography

Dear Liz,

My wedding day is in a few weeks, and I’m starting to stress out about my prep time and getting everything organized and running smoothly on that day. Our time at the church and where we’re having the reception is pretty tight. Do you have any tips about how to make the most of the time we have?

Signed,

Ceremony Short Timer

Dear Short Timer,

First of all, your wedding is going to be a very cool day, no matter what happens. You’re finally marrying the love of your life. You get to see and hang out with your favorite people in the world. There will be cocktails and cake. Deep breath: You are all set for awesome.

That being said, yes, you’ve paid a lot of money for this day, you’re looking forward to it, you don’t want to run late, you want to do everything you want to do, and you know, you’re not sure how to do that. And you’re not supposed to, it’s your first time. Here you go: When I get hired for Wedding Day Coordination, here are the three potential roadblocks that I try to work through:

1. 1. Hair and Makeup: This takes forever. No one wants it to take forever, but it generally does. 3-5 women +  who have to styled up, and if you’re doing it right (which is what you’re paying for) it takes a while. And the bride usually goes last, which doesn’t help. If your stylist tells you how long it’s going to take, believe them. Don’t hope or plan that it will go faster. Anything that involves more than two people will never, ever take less time.  A late finish to hair and makeup could mean a late start to your pictures, your set-up, your ceremony, you see where I’m going with this. Although these things aren’t necessarily lethal, they are stressful.   Brace yourself for getting up early on your wedding day. Give your wedding party specific times to show up and get pretty, and get everyone on the same page.

2. Getting from Point A to Point B: I remember a few years ago, one of my couples’ ceremony location was only 8 minutes from their hotel. They weren’t worried about travel time for their 10-person wedding party. But like I said, anything that involves two or more people… That’s 10 people who have to be told that it’s time to go, and get their purses wallets, bouquets, make sure they’ve tied their ties, found their significant others, and then get in the car to go to the ceremony. My rule is that put a buffer of 45-60 minutes between being (being not getting) dressed and when everyone is supposed to get in the car. That seems like a lot of time. It is not. At the very least, it’s a good thing to aim for. Seriously, one of my brides once left her bouquet at the hotel! Without that buffer, man…

3. Guest arrival – Your first guests will arrive at your wedding 30 minutes before it’s scheduled to start. This is one of the reasons I hate fake start times on invitations. If you say 5:00 and you’ve scheduled your wedding to start at 5:30, your first set of guests will arrive at 4:30. Some people will always be late, but enough will want to be early or on time, which can prove inconvenient. Will your vendors still be setting up flowers and decorations? Are you going to be taking wedding party pictures at that time? Will your guests have a place to sit while they wait an hour for your wedding to start? If the deed is already done, shift your schedule accordingly, or designate a comfortable area where your guests can hang out. That’s the most important thing. And,  whatever happens, make it a goal to be out of sight at least 30 minutes before they’ll arrive.

4. Watching Your Reception Time – I’ve talked about this before, but it bears repeating. 4-6 hours goes fast. Stay clear on your photographer’s hours, stay clear on your DJ’s hours, stay clear on your bar hours, and if you’re getting close and you’re falling behind, ask for help. One more thing – There are two constants with wedding venues: What time you can get in to set up, and what time you and everything you brought in with you needs to be out. Have a plan. It generally takes half as long to break it down and get it out as it did to get it in there in the first place. Who’s doing it, and where is everything going? Feel free to start early – no one is looking at the placecard table or the gift table once the dance floor opens.

Basically, proactivity and awareness = less stress. If you’re starting to worry, or feel like you’re falling behind, your vendors are your best resource to get back on track. Everyone wants to make sure you have the best day possible. That’s what we’re all here for!

What questions do you have about your wedding day. Go to my contact page and let me know what’s going on. I’ll email you with answer directly, and your question might appear in next week’s column.

See you at the end of the aisle,
Liz Coopersmith
Silver Charm Events