Top 5 Things To Consider For The Best Wedding Timeline

Perhaps you are just getting started in the wedding planning process? You'll find that as you continue to progress on your wedding planning that there are so many moving parts that make your wedding day truly flawless and memorable.  Before we get into the meat of this post, I am going to put it out there that I think you should hire a wedding coordinator or planner.  Even if you already have a ballpark figure of how much you would like to spend on your wedding, I thoroughly recommend adding just a little more to your budget so that you can hire a wedding coordinator or planner. Maybe you don't want to splurge and hire a planner? Perfect. You should hire  (at least) a "month" or "day of" coordinator to help you organize your day. They'll also assist you with your timeline, which you'll need to help keep things straight on your wedding day.  Feel free to click over to this link. -----> Why You Should Hire A Wedding Planner For Your Wedding , and if you are in the hunt for an exceptional coordinator or planner, please also feel free to click over to my preferred vendors page by clicking the preceding link. Now, let's get started on helping you conceptualize your wedding timeline.

You might have just gotten engaged, but your wedding day will soon be here. It's approaching quickly. As it pertains to your wedding timeline, the DJ you should decide to hire for your wedding will "make" or "break" your wedding day. There is no easy way to put it.  Your wedding DJ needs to sit down with you and hammer the songs for your key moments of the evening, how to determine the flow of your wedding reception, and when it will be time to turn up the tempo on your evening. For those modern brides and grooms who opt to save money by NOT hiring a wedding planner or coordinator, your wedding DJ should be able to help you script out a basic timeline for the evening.  If you did opt to hire a wedding planner / coordinator, then they should be able to sit down with you to iron out the details of the evening. After your planner finalizes the timeline, they will then send it out to all the important wedding vendors of your day. Professional wedding DJs should ask questions (if need be) to the wedding planner and bring a copy of the timeline to the wedding reception so they can be prepared in executing the flow of the evening. For me personally, I generally print out a copy of the timeline and bring it to each one of my weddings.  Most of the wedding coordinators and planners I work with also furnish extra copies for the vendors at a lot of my weddings. 

It's ONLY A Timeline
YOUR wedding timeline is there to serve as a guide for how your wedding day will go from the time that you wake up on your wedding morning and listen to your awesome pre-wedding playlist and sip champagne with your bridesmaids or drink beer with your groomsmen til you are inside your limo driving away from your wedding venue. But remember, it's just a guide, if you should be a little late on a few of the items on your wedding timeline, just take a deep breath. You will be fine. I promise. While wedding planners and coordinators are there to execute your timeline (along with all your other wedding vendors), there always should be bit of wiggle room. Since you need some wiggle room in the event of unforeseen circumstances like weather or maybe your bustle needs to be adjusted before the wedding DJ introduces you, you should put down "general" or "Roundabout" times.  A proper estimate of time would be "We will  be arriving at the venue around 6:30pm, so please cue up our bridal party introduction song when ready and have "Here And Now" by Luther Vandross ready so that we can do our first dance.  Your timeline may also include the details about your rehearsal dinner too. Did you know that I can also provide music for your relearsal dinner? Find out more by clicking the preceding link.

YOUR Wedding Photographer
Aside from your wedding coordinator / planner helping you script your timeline, your wedding photographer is an excellent source when designing your wedding timeline. First and foremost, you'll most likely be hiring your photographer to capture your entire wedding day from the time you are getting ready until your send-off.  So basically your timeline (on the day of your wedding) would begin at the time you wake-up and you can build it out from there.  This will also help you figure out how much coverage you'll need from your photographer ($$$$) on your wedding day. Odds are you and your wedding photographer will disappear together after your wedding ceremony to go and grab your photos so your timeline should reflect this. Some modern brides and grooms opt to get the bulk of their wedding photos done before their ceremony so that they indulge in cocktail hour with their guests.

YOUR Wedding DJ
Think your wedding DJ as the pilot flying a plane. And that plane is your wedding reception. A professional, polished wedding DJ will have studied the timeline long before your wedding day arrives and will need to be ready in the event there are any last minute changes. The most professional wedding DJs will be flexible and patient should any last minute issues arise.  YOUR wedding timeline should include all the names of your bridal party to that your DJ can announce them into your reception. Also included for your wedding DJ will be the first dance song (where to cue the song or fade out the song), the father / daughter dance song, and the mother / son dance song.  When will the cake cutting occur? Will it be before or after dinner? Will there any toasts? If so, when will they be happening? These are all the little details that your wedding DJ should be keeping track of as it pertains to your wedding timeline.  For song ideas about the cake cutting, be sure to click the associated link. Find out more about some of the most requested dinner music selections, be sure to click over and head over to my Spotify to download. Your wedding DJ will also need to coummincate effectively with your photographer and videographer so that the camera can be rolling at the right time when all the key moments of your reception are happening.

YOUR Wedding Ceremony
Your wedding ceremony will play a really big role in the execution of your wedding timeline. Where is your wedding ceremony? If the wedding ceremony is being held at a church away from your wedding reception venue, how far is it away? How long do you think it will take for your guests to arrive? These are just some of the details to include in your wedding timeline as it pertains to your wedding ceremony.  Should your wedding ceremony be held on the same site as your wedding reception, things are a lot easier with your timeline. 

Add In Some Extra Time In Case You Are Late
An exceptional wedding coordinator / planner will place some extra time in your wedding timeline to allow for some unexpected issues like a sudden rainstorm or to fix a heel on your shoe.  Truth be told, most wedding vendors will tell you if you aren't late for something on your wedding day, it's not really a wedding day. If you should be late, don't panic, all your family and friends will be there ready to begin the party of your life when you get there.

Just Leave All The Worry To The  Experienced Wedding Professionals
YOUR wedding timeline will be designed for you by experienced wedding coordinators, planners or photographers. If you do not  have a wedding planner, then your wedding Dj or photographer can assist you in putting together a timeline. Whichever route you choose as it pertains your wedding, just take a deep breath and put your timeline into the hands of the people who have done this over and over again. Be sure to scroll down below for what a timeline might look like for your wedding day.

Best Wedding Timeline  Sample
NOTE: This sample is a very common in which the ceremony and reception are held at the same location
9:00am | Your makeup artist and hair stylist arrive | Bride and groom are getting ready
10:30am | Wedding vendors start to arrive at wedding venue for setup
12:00pm | Makeup artist begins makeup | Hair stylist begins hair for bride and bridal party
1:30pm | Arrival of the wedding photographer 
2:30pm |  Brides Puts On Her Wedding Dress
2:50pm |  "First Look" (optional) with bride and groom
3:20pm |  Entire wedding party arrives at wedding venue
3:50pm | Wedding party and photos with family along with the bride and groom
4:15pm | Arrival Of Wedding Guests
4:30pm | Ceremony Prelude Music Begins (Wedding DJ or Musician)
5:00pm | Ceremony Begins
5:30pm | Ceremony Ends (could be longer depending on how many different readings there might be)
5:30 pm | Wedding Cocktail Hour begins
6:30pm |  End Of Cocktail Hour
6:45pm | The Grand Entrance Of The Bridal Party With Bride And Groom First Dance
7:00pm | Welcome / Blessing
7:15pm | Buffet Stations Are Open or First Dinner Course Is Served.
8:15pm | Toasts
8:30pm | Cake-Cutting
8:40pm | Other Specialty Dances Like Father / Daughter & Mother / Son Dances
9:00pm | Dance Party Begins
10:30pm | Last Song Of The Night
10:45pm | Send Off Of Bride And Groom
11:00pm | Teardown of Wedding Reception Begins

Ready To Speak To Mike Bills About Being Your Wedding DJ?
Thank you for making it to the end of this post. I hope this post sheds a little more light on the importance of having a solid wedding timeline for your wedding day. Also inside the portal that you are created when you book your wedding with me, you are also given a planning form that allows you to begin jotting down all the details of your wedding day. All of my clients love the online portal because they can plan their wedding and select their music from anywhere they have internet access.  Thank you for clicking over to my website. In a very, very crowded wedding DJ market, it's nice to know that there was "something" that caught your eye about me and that wanted to learn more. I'd love to speak with you about being the wedding DJ for your special day. Hiring a wedding DJ is a serious matter and must be done with care. Be sure to click the link up above to be taken over to my contact form so that you can provide me some details about your day and what time would be good to speak. For more information finding your wedding DJ, be sure to click the link down below. 

The Best Tip To Finding Your Wedding DJ Is Right Here