Nine Essential Tips for Creating Your Wedding Day Timeline : Part 1 : Your Guests

Welcome to part one of my three part series about putting together your wedding day master timeline! It can be a daunting task but I've put together information I've gathered from hours of research and my personal experience as a guest at several weddings!

We'll start this whole thing off with considering your guests and how they fit into your timeline. Here are four factors to consider that may get lost in the busyness and bustle of getting all the details in order. We'll focus today on ideas to help ensure the comfort of your guests! Being a hospitable and gracious hostess sets up your married-life relationships well and helps ensure that everyone will have a good time on your big day. You can be sure that the time you put into considering how you structure your guests' path through the day will pay off!

Let's get started!

Imagine Your Guests' Experience

Walk through your wedding day from your guests' point of view; how will they experience your big day? If you only consider your own timeline, you may run off to take post-ceremony photos and leave your guests behind scratching their heads and wondering what to do next. Is there a cocktail hour? Where's dinner? Are we supposed to wait here until we hear from the wedding coordinator?

Usually couples are mindful of taking care of these details if the ceremony and reception are happening at two separate locations, but it's just as important to be clear about your timeline in a single-venue wedding. Which room to go to next may not be so obvious to your guests without a little guidance. Consider...

• Sending out a timeline card with your invitation suite OR including one in your ceremony program
• Creating signs to point your guests in the direction they need to go
• Having your officiant or coordinator announce what's next at the end of each wedding event
• Having a post-ceremony receiving line to not only connect with your guests but also to guide them to their next destination

If you're having a long break between your ceremony and reception in lieu of a cocktail hour, consider giving your guests different ideas or options for what to do in the meantime. You could...

• Offer up a list of local coffee shops, bars, or parks where guests can have some downtime 
• Provide a rest space with snacks, water, and coffee to keep your guests occupied: somewhere with plenty of seating so they can rest before the reception
• Make sure the hotel room blocks you reserve are close to either your ceremony or reception space so your guests can head back and recharge before the later festivities

It's easier to keep track of where guests are at if you have a shorter period of time between and ceremony and reception. I love the idea of hosting a cocktail hour. This 60 to 90 minute period is a good way to get your guests socializing and keep the energy and momentum of the day building. For longer breaks, make sure your reception start time is clear to all your guests.

Think About Transition Time

Give yourself and your guests plenty of time to transition from one part of your big day to another. Allow for plenty of commute time, considering traffic, parking, and navigation time between venues. Consider hiring a shuttle to make things easy for your guests, something that will bring them from the hotel through the ceremony and reception, and then back home at night.

Even when it comes to moving from room to room in a single-venue wedding, consider how much time it will take for however many guests you have to, for example, move out of the ceremony space, up the stairs, around the corner, and order their cocktail hour drinks. I'd recommend at least 15 minutes so that guests can figure out where they're going and get settled before the next event begins.

Don't Forget to Greet Your Guests

Similarly, budget in some time to say hello to all of your loved ones! People who have traveled to experience your big day will appreciate at least a few moments of getting to wish you well. You can...

• Host a receiving line after the ceremony 
• Go around the room before or after dinner to say hello to everyone 
• Wait at the reception entrance to say hello to everybody as they're entering the space 

Setting aside the time to do this can be so meaningful to your guests and helps ensure that they feel seen, welcome, and essential to they day!

Budget in a Pre-Ceremony Buffer for Your Guests

Think about putting in a buffer time between when your guests are to arrive and when the ceremony actually starts. I'd say 15 minutes maximum, but you want to make sure that everyone arrives on time with plenty of time to drop off cards and gifts, sign your guestbook, greet each other, and get situated before the processional starts.



I hope these tips are helpful! Curating your timeline to ensure your guests' comfort is absolutely essential for a fun and hospitable wedding day!

Next week, we'll move on to part two of this series and talk through a couple important timeline tips to consider when working with your vendors. Stay tuned!

Nine Essential Tips for Creating Your Wedding Day Timeline : A Series in Three Parts

Hi Y'all!

I've written a three-part series to help you put together a master timeline for your wedding day! Having a clear, detailed timeline in place is absolutely key to having a hospitable, stress-free, and enjoyable day. There are many factors to consider and things can get SO complicated SO quickly! That's why I've done my best to organize the information for you so that nothing slips through the cracks!

Sound good? Good! Here's an outline of what my next three blog posts will cover...

Part One : Your Guests

We'll go through all of the factors to consider when it comes to your guests' comfort as it relates to your wedding timeline. As the first of many events that you'll host in your married life, start things off right by being a considerate, hospitable, and gracious hostess simply in the way you layout the day and guide your guests through their experience.

Part Two : Your Vendors

It's crucial to think through all of the details of the exact when, where, and how long each vendor is needed. This way everything runs smoothly and you don't need to be disturbed while you're getting ready in the morning... or by someone setting up a speaker in the middle of your dinner reception! Tackle these details beforehand for a worry-free wedding.

Part Three : YOU!

After all, even if things are in place for everyone else, YOU, as a couple, are the most important people to consider. Setting aside parts of your timeline for relaxing, making memories, and connecting with the people you love is the cornerstone of having a special and spectacular wedding day ... in my humble opinion!


Ultimately, you want to get all of these factors in place beforehand so that when it comes to your big day, you're able to pass off all of your hard work, spreadsheets, and responsibilities and enjoy the fruits of your labor.

So check back, stick around, or hit follow for more!

Floral Inspiration Boards

I recently reached out to contact a local florist who I know personally and started looking at and thinking about the floral landscape of our big day!

In our save the dates, which will be coming out soon, I created a floral boarder that is in the background including flowers that were meaningful to Ben and I as a couple and fulfilled a symbolism that was true to us and our relationship. I want to consider these factors with my bouquet as well, but recognize that a lot depends on what is in season.

Overall, to match the color palette we have chosen, I think I want to stick to lush greenery, silver-hued greenery, large white blooms, small blue blooms, and very subtle blush tones.

I've always loved the look of flowers with draping, soft petals: so tender and romantic! Dahlias, peonies, gardenias, lilies of the valley, magnolias, and honeysuckle are a few of my favorites!

I know that I would love a cascading bouquet that is soft and lush. I tend to veer away from blooms or bouquets that appear to "pointy." I love the tumbling greenery!

As far a bridesmaids, I'm thinking super simple. 1-2 blooms plus 1-2 sprigs of greenery. Easy, simple, elegant.

For decor and centerpieces, I still want to incorporate more blue blooms into the look. I don't think tall centerpieces are our style, but I just love how they drape!

It has been so fun to start thinking about how everything will look on our big day! We've been working out logistics and scheduling, food and music, but to actually take a moment to think about the scenery has been such a joy!

Happy Belated Fourth of July 2017!

Just wanted to put up a few fun, patriotic photos and wish everyone a belated "Happy Fourth!"

The Blogger Shot

I decided to get a little dressed up and festive for the day and Ben, being the photography-lover that he is, snapped some shots!

The Silly Shot

We laughed pretty hard though the whole thing and had a nice night in watching Netflix and ordering pasta to the house.

The Sassy Shot

We ended up driving out to a nearby bridge to watch the downtown fireworks. It was quite a display, especially the finale! Supposedly it was the largest fireworks display in the country... although I wonder if every city claims that. ;) We streamed the local radio station, which was playing some patriotic tunes by the Nashville Symphony!

The "Keepin' It Real" Shot

Overall it was a relaxing, festive, and fun evening together! Happy Independence Day to all! 'Murica!

Wedding in the Works: Getting the Basics in Order!

Hey y'all!

So much in the works right now with wedding planning! It's been a very busy time but we are still finding time to get a little bit of planning done through it all.

New for now...

I've officially finished creating our save the dates and will be sending them out later this summer! After going through several drafts I've finally settled on a design I like. Perfectionism can be a blessing and a curse... but I'm really happy with what I've come up with!

I'm currently in conversation with a local florist who I know personally. She has a lot of great ideas and seems eager to work with me to make something really personal to Ben and I for our big day! I'll post some inspiration pictures soon!

I've done lots of research on photographers and finally have reached out to a few that I'm interested in. Spending hours sorting through local photographers' wedding portfolios is truly a labor of LOVE for me!

I've reached out to a videographer who I also know personally and am hoping to get to work with him! His work makes me tear up every time I watch an online trailer!

I've reached out to a DJ for our big evening. I met him back at the Pink Bride Event and was very impressed with his level of engagement and expertise. I am hoping for a wild, fun dance party... I think it'll be a good time. :)

I'm starting to get some basic information together for our rehearsal dinner as well. General where, when, who, and style!

There's so much going on but I'm absolutely loving every step of the process! More soon!