There’s one thing I say to every bride before their wedding day.

“Something will not go according to plan”.

It’s not glamorous or magical. But it’s true! Every wedding will have a delay, a missing groomsmen, a family member who has wandered off…it’s just part of the gig when you’re throwing the biggest party of your life! But that doesn’t mean that the day is doomed! The single most helpful tip to relieve this stress (in addition to hiring one of the many amazing Louisville wedding planners) is to have a solid timeline built for your wedding day.

A timeline is a general framework for when things are going to happen during your wedding day.  A detailed timeline encompasses events like “bride puts on her dress” and “family formal portraits.”

It allows you to build “buffer time” into the day to anticipate little hiccups.

It gives everyone (from the planner to your bridal party to your family to the DJ) the outline of the day so that they know where to be at what time.

It allows you to sit back and know that nothing has been forgotten.

And, it allows your photographers to make sure you get the portraits of your dreams, without having to rush you through these once-in-a-lifetime moments.

When hair/makeup goes a little longer than planned…don’t worry, we built in a 15 minute buffer!

If your Uncle Bob can’t be found…we’ve got the groom’s side of the family ready for family formals, we’ll start with them!

If Best Man loses the bride’s wedding band (a story for another day)…we’ll shoot reception details until it’s found!

A solid timeline is so important to us as your wedding photographers, that we’ve actually built a timeline consultation into your wedding experience. Approx. 3-4 months prior to your wedding, we sit down for a virtual meeting to talk about your ceremony time, when your other vendors will arrive and what time is the best light for your bridal portraits. After this meeting, we build a custom timeline for you that you can then share with your bridal party, family members and other vendors. If you’re working with a wedding planner, even better! We love to include planners in this conversation since they’re the experts in managing all the moving parts of your wedding day.

There’s one other thing that I tell every bride before their wedding day. And it’s true regardless of the timeline you have, who shows up or what goes wrong.

“No matter what happens, you’ll be married at the end of the day!”

And in the end, that’s really the most important thing.

If you missed Part 1 or 2 of our blog series, check them out here: The First Look: Spending the Day with Your Best Friend and 3 Considerations When Choosing a Wedding Venue

Featured Kentucky (and IN) Wedding Venues above:

The Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, Kentucky

Joe Huber’s Farm & Restaurant in Starlight, Indiana

The Refinery in Jeffersonville, Indiana

My Old Kentucky Home in Bardstown, Kentucky