Sometimes it’s fun to be spontaneous and wing-it…
…but we can all agree that your wedding day probably isn’t one of those times. Your wedding day is the culmination of months and months of careful planning, and the result will be on display for your loved ones to see. Just like it’s crucial to adopt organization throughout the planning process, your wedding day should be organized from start to finish as well.
Along with our suite of wedding planning worksheets, we created a wedding day schedule spreadsheet to help your organize your big day down to the last minute—if that’s your style.
You’ll find early on in the wedding planning process that pieces of the final day start coming together like a puzzle. It’s alright—and we’d even go as far as to recommend it—to start with a very rough wedding day schedule, and move things around once you finalize more details. Do you know that you want an afternoon ceremony and evening reception? Jot them down. Is your Uncle Carlos officiating, but you know he has a tendency to lose himself in his words? Give him a 10 minute slot and let him start practicing early.
The big events of the day will be easier to plan ahead for (think ceremony, cocktail hour, reception, etc.), but the smaller things like hair and makeup schedules and transportation may take a little more finesse closer to your wedding day. Once your wedding day approaches, it’s important to iron out all the tiny details and share it with any parties involved. Some scheduling details to remember are:
Meal times: Don’t forget to slot some time to have a meal or a snack throughout the day. It’s going to be a long, busy day and you’ll need to keep your energy up.
Makeup and hair: You and your partner probably not the only one getting dolled up for the big day. If any wedding party members are booking your makeup artist or hairstylist, make sure you schedule time for everyone.
Meet and greet: As guests start to pour into the ceremony area, leave some time before the ceremony for everyone to mingle and say their hellos.
Readings and speeches: Will anyone besides the officiant be speaking? Ask them to time themselves and give you a time estimate so you can slot it into your wedding day schedule.
Solo photos: Your photographer will work with you to come up with a photo list. Make sure you schedule time after the ceremony to sneak off and take fresh newlywed pictures.
Breathers: Not everyone has the stamina to keep up with the hustle and bustle of a jam-packed wedding day. If you know you’ll need to take some breathers throughout the day, mark them on your schedule and assign someone (your new spouse, perhaps?) to sneak you away for a few minutes.
Our wedding day worksheet not only helps you organize the day’s events for you and your wedding party, but it also helps organize reception staff. If you’re hiring servers and/or other staff members, this is a great place to outline and designate tasks to share with them. They can see the overall schedule for the day, and then have their own schedule for individual responsibilities.
Most importantly, you and your new spouse will be the busiest out of everyone that day, meaning keeping a close eye on your schedule can be difficult. This is where your wedding party or close family members come into play! Ask your loved ones (and wedding planner, if you have one) to help keep the show running smoothly.
Final thoughts
No matter how you slice it, wedding days are notorious for their chaos, good and bad. But one tried and true way to minimize chaos—and maximize your overall sanity—is to have a clear understanding of the day’s schedule. Share it with your wedding party, your wedding coordinator, or anyone involved in the day to help you and get geared up to remember the best day of your life forever.
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