The Wedding Schedule

The key to keeping your wedding day running smoothly is the schedule of events. Creating this schedule is certainly a better use of your time than phoning the florist daily to see if he’s found your favourite colour of orchids. None of your guests will know if they were supposed to be ruffled red and yellow—but they will notice if the string quartet is still setting up as they walk into the ceremony or if they have to wait thirty minutes for a shuttle bus. An exhaustive schedule will also help you feel calmer and more organised. The full schedule of events covers the entire wedding timeline, from setup to breakdown. You’ll extract different portions of it to give to attendants, parents, and the hair and makeup artists. The schedule is as much for the vendors as it is for you. It will tell the florist which entrance to use for delivery and ensure that your bridesmaids know when and where to show up for hair and makeup. The more detailed the schedule, the better. Anyone doing an involved setup—the catering company, possibly the florist, the musicians, etc.—should know what to do and how to do it.