I've learned a lot. I may never use the vat of knowledge on how to arrange centerpieces for round tables versus rectangle. But it's there.
So, when vendors started asking me for a day of timeline, I drew a blank. To me, it was simple:
Day of timelines are as exciting as they sound. They are an outline of your wedding day, jotted down on paper and given to vendors so they can determine what their requirements are for the big day. Everyone from the photographer to the caterer to the DJ want to know what you are doing and when so they can determine what they should have done by when. Usually, this fun little document is little more than an Excel sheet with times, events and the necessary people involved.
Staring at my blank excel sheet felt like nuptial algebra in which I didn't understand the numbers, letters and what they were supposed to represent or equal when it comes to eating pancakes at 10 a.m.
I stumbled upon a blog entry that I believe would shine a light on the situation. Actually, I really thought I was going to cut and paste the timeline right into my own picture-fancy document for it was called "(Almost) Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Creating a Wedding Timeline"! They even had a segment on "Early Morning Weddings" in the third installment of the series, which showed:
- 7:00am—Hair and makeup starts
- 8:30am—Vendors arrive/Setup starts
- 9:00am—First look and couple’s portraits
- 9:30am—Family pictures
- 9:30am—Guests begin to arrive
- 10:00am—Invite time
- 10:15 am—Ceremony starts
- 10:45am—Ceremony concludes
- 10:45am—Cocktail “hour” starts/Additional family photos
- 11:30am—Brunch starts
- 12:15pm—Toasts
- 1:00pm—First dance
- 1:30pm—Cake cutting/Dessert
- 2:45pm—Couple departs
- 3:00pm—Guests depart
- 3:00pm—Breakdown commences
- 4:00pm—All vendors out
I was overwhelmed and worn out just reading through a sample day of a theoretical early morning wedding. One of the tips many newlywedded brides offer to those about to march down the aisle is to make sure you have a friend, bridemaid or family member there to give you drinks, make sure you eat and carry Chapstick. I couldn't imagine what happened on one's wedding day to completely blow out one's ability to care for oneself.
Well, now I know. It comes from packing in a day with events, photo opps and squeezing in socializing where you can. After taking a look at the times and events, my estimation of the time spent mingling with people came to just under two hours. If your wedding guest list is sixty, that would be under two minutes per guest. Maybe I'm not all that bad at wedding algebra after all.
For us, this just wouldn't do. Whether it is the Idaho-based clan, family that traveled from afar or our friends from the Portland area, Mike and I see our wedding as an event where we get married and socialize with all the people who mean the most to us but only see perhaps once a year since our move to Canada.
It was at that moment that I realized we were hosting a non-traditional wedding. Our day wasn't dictated by events but by people. With a morning wedding, we have less time to do the pre-pampering. In fact, we are going to use that time to decorate the venue. Instead of waiting until the ceremony for guests to see us, we are going to share that excitement with guests. We aren't doing a wedding cake or the usual dance reception. We're not opposed to people making toasts, but we don't have a wedding party to support this tradition. While we are planning some one-on-one time with the photographer, we prefer the candid shots over the poses. We didn't care much about hitting time cues but rather the organic flow of the event.
When it comes to creating a timeline, it really comes down to where you want to maximize time and what would be okay to simply cross of the list. Want more time with guests? You may have to shorten up the photo shoot or reduce the time it takes to wrangle people for the cake cutting. Or cut it out all together.
So, here is our timeline:
4 a.m. Wake up/Get Ready
5:30 a.m. Leave for Venue/Post Direction Signs
6 - 7:45 a.m. Venue decorating
7:45 a.m. Mike and Weegee get into costume
8 a.m. Guests arrive for donut mixer
8 a.m. Pre-Wedding Photos with immediate family
8:30 a.m. Join guests for donuts!
8:50 a.m. Sister rings chapel bell
9:00 a.m.Ceremony begins
9:20 a.m. Ceremony ends/Guests free to wander grounds
9:20 a.m. Weegee and Mike regroup
9:25 a.m. Quick Photo Shoot with Mike & Weegee
9:45 a.m. We rejoin guests!
10 a.m. Pancake Feed is on!
1 - 1:30 p.m. Clear out decorations
2 p.m. Tap house for drinks in wedding gear
Yeah. That's it. The important things are represented: donuts, ceremony, pancakes and guests. That's perfect for us.
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