How To Not Be Late On Your Wedding Day

It all comes down to one thing and one thing only: The Ripple Effect. Here are some tips on how to avoid having others cause you to be late on your wedding day.

The creative vendors like your wedding photographer and wedding videographer understand more than anyone that time is precious. On a good, well-timed wedding day it's likely that we only get a few minutes to maybe a half-hour or so to get all of our creative shots with the two of you during your formal time for taking photos and video. If someone causes you to be late early in the day there's a good chance that this is the part of the day that gets cut first. After all the venue has a schedule to keep and they are likely the least flexible out of everyone. So here's a few wedding day pitfalls to avoid to end up with a better wedding film and wedding photos.

It all starts very early in the day way before your photographer and videographer arrive. It's 7 am and you're having mimosas and a light breakfast with the girls and you all of sudden realize that your hair and makeup team is running late. They arrive 20 minutes after they are scheduled to show up and your wedding planner is scrambling. The first of your girls sit down in the chair and before you know it, it's 3 hours later and it's time to put on the dress. Your videographer and photographer are patiently waiting and shooting details but time is running short. By the time you are ready to get dressed, put on the final touches and walk out the door for the first look you are already behind schedule. This is what I call the ripple effect. The planner is now adjusting the entire day-of timeline to account for the lateness of your beauty team. The first look is now more rushed because there's a whole list of family portraits that was supposed to be done during that 20 minutes that was lost to hair and makeup. It goes on-and-on. The ceremony is 20 minutes of-schedule, then you miss 20-minutes of cocktail hour trying to make up lost time taking photos and by the time you realize it the reception is starting and you're a ball of stress - rushed by the amplified pace of the day. Here's the solution....tell the vendors, especially hair and makeup to arrive 30 minutes before you really want to start. It will reduce stress on everyone and likely go a long way to keeping the entire schedule on track as planned.

Another thing you can do is have all of your morning details (girls and guys) laid out and ready for your team of creative professionals. Make sure your shoes are out and visible, all off your jewelry and accessible including the wedding rings and your engagement ring, remove all packaging from outside and inside the wedding dress and if you have a special decorative, personalized hanger for it, make sure it's already affixed and hung. This will allow your videographer and photographer to walk in and get to work without having to bug you or any of your girls from the task of getting hair and makeup ready.

Ultimately, your videographer and photographer just want ample time to get great shots. When things are rushed it puts pressure on them to think more about time rather than being creative.

Weddings are stressful enough without having one singular event in the morning put a damper on the whole day. "Time-lie" everyone and it'll be much easier on the whole.

These brides were all on time and I think their films came out better for it:

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