The most common mistake brides make on their timeline and how to avoid it

By Jada Parrish

Posted: 09/23/19

Category: Wedding Tips

Following your wedding timeline is key to having the best wedding experience possible! Weddings are jam packed with events, so a good wedding timeline is necessary to ensure photos are finished on time, the caterer is prepared to serve guests, the band starts playing at the appropriate time, etc. If the timeline veers off course at any point of the day, it can put everything else that was planned behind schedule causing a more stressful, more rushed wedding day. 

But with that said, there is one thing that puts timelines behind schedule more than anything else - HAIR + MAKEUP.

We have photographed over 150 weddings and hair + makeup is the part of the day that overwhelmingly pushes things behind schedule more than anything else.

If the wedding party isn't ready on time, that drastically cuts into the amount of time set aside for photos. Then photos can't be finished on time, which affects the caterer and the start of the reception. That then affects the band, main reception events and so on and so on.

So now that you understand how important it is for hair + makeup to finish on time, how much time do you really need?

That varies greatly depending on how many bridesmaids you have. Talk with your stylists to determine how long they need for hair + makeup. Hair + Makeup should be 95% finished by the time photography begins. 

Tip for ensuring hair + makeup is finished on time:

 Always give yourself a 30 minute buffer:

Tell the hair + makeup artist to be finished 30 minutes before you really need them to be. That way even if they fall behind,you will still be on schedule.

Don't let the bride go last

Avoid having the bride be the last person to get their hair + makeup done. They are the most important person on a wedding day, so it is key that they be ready on time. They want to look glammed out and beautiful in all of their getting ready wedding photos. Even if the makeup artist falls behind, the photographer can still photograph the bride while they finish the bridesmaids.

Momma matters too

If you want your mom to help you into your wedding dress, she needs to be looking fab too! Make sure mom gets her hair + makeup done earlier in the day so she has time to get glammed out and dressed before helping you into your wedding dress.

Give the stylists an accurate count

Make sure you check with your bridesmaids, mom, mother-in-law, and any other ladies close to you who may want their hair + makeup done so you can give the stylists an accurate count. Adding people at the last minute can cause the stylists to run over time because they weren't anticipating that many people.