Wedding Day Tips: Avoid These 5 Stress-Inducing Delays

More often than not engaged couples are planning their very first wedding. Many people haven’t even gone to many weddings throughout their whole life. At no fault of your own you just don’t have the experience to know what things cause delay and stress at a wedding. That’s why you need to rely on your professional vendors for wedding day tips to help you plan the most enjoyable day possible. In this article, I will give you my wedding day tips so you can avoid the top five most stress-inducing delays that happen at most weddings.

Makeup Delays

• In Short: Communicate your expectation of maintaining the schedule in a timely manner with your beauty team. Give them the time they request plus 15 minutes per person. Choose a delegate to handle all questions or tasks directed at you while you’re in the chair. Morning lateness is compensated for by diminishing your valuable photo time.

The getting ready part of your day sets the mood. Unfortunately, hair and makeup can cause one of the biggest delays as it cannot be rushed or skipped. To limit impeding of the event give your hair and make-up team the amount of time per person they request plus 15 minutes. It’s important to communicate your expectations during your consultation. Have they experienced a delay in the morning? What caused it? what do they need to ensure that doesn’t happen on your day? Additionally, have a chosen person that will handle all questions and concerns directed at you while you’re in the chair. The make-up artist and hair stylist simply cannot do your make-up or hair when you’re moving, talking or turning around to look at someone. These 30 seconds pauses may seem like nothing but they add up quickly when they keep happening over and over.

Ninety-one percent of Canadian couples hire a photographer making it the most hired vendor after the venue. Many people rate their photography as one of the most important aspects of the day. However, every morning delay dwindles time with your photographer because they are the only vendor that has the flexibility to go with the flow. Photos are one of the few things you walk away from your wedding with so this can be a painful sacrifice.

Food and Speech Coordination

• In Short: Pairing up each speech with each course can cause huge delays. Be prepared to let it go if it’s not working. Hire a proactive master of ceremonies that will keep a close eye on the time. If there is a long period of inactivity you should start the speech instead of sitting around. Your photographer most likely has a set end time. You will be forced to rush other aspects of the reception if things fall behind.

As a wedding photographer, I witness receptions running up to an hour behind because they’re trying to match speeches with the arrival of each course of food. There is a good reason for this, no one wants servers walking around causing distractions while someone is trying to deliver a heartfelt speech. Unfortunately, in my experience, there is almost always a delay with how quickly the food is received. This causes a snowball effect because now everyone needs more time to eat and then plates have to be taken away as well. This can create a lull in activity during a reception because no one is prompting a speech to take place because the connected course has not been placed.

When you have a photographer that has a fixed end time having an hour delay causes a major crunch. You’ve finally finished your dinner and speeches yet suddenly there are only 30 minutes of photography coverage left. This means you potentially have to rush through your first dance, parent dances, cake cutting, and dancing with your friends. Not exactly how you want to experience some of the day’s highlights. Reason two the speeches get delayed is that an important member of the family or wedding party leaves the room when they are set to begin.

Sunset Photos

The other problem with sticking to a food course and speech combination is that for summer weddings sunset happens in the middle of dinner. Some couples want to stick with the plan and get the speeches down in the way originally planned. However, sunset is a small window of time that cannot be paused and if you don’t get out when necessary you’ll miss it.

Solution

The solution to this problem is to let go of the plan if it’s not working. The solution is to hire or choose an awesome MC(or DJ) that understands the impact of a reception running behind. If they notice nothing has come out of the kitchen for the last 20 minutes why aren’t you taking advantage and having a speech? They need to be on the ball as master of ceremonies and if they’re not sure they need to walk over and discuss the situation with the kitchen manager. I’m going to sound like a broken record with this but communicate very clearly with the venue when you meet with them. How can you work together with them to minimize any delay during the dinner?

Getting Ready Delays

• In Short: The person getting you into your dress needs to be fully ready before you. When you’re ready to get into your dress this person should be fully ready. If the getting-ready room is messy it’s going to show up in your photos and it’s not a look. Delegate someone to tidy up the room 30 minutes before the photographer arrives.

These two things are going to seem small and silly but every minute wasted on a wedding day can cause stressful problems and add up to delays. Almost all brides want to have their mom, sister or maid of honour help them with their wedding dress. Is it ok if they’re in their morning robe or pyjamas during these photos? Ya, didn’t think so. You also want them to look amazing too! This person needs to have their outfit on and hair and makeup done when you’re ready to get into your dress. Another overlooked delay during the getting ready section of the day is the mad rush to clean the room when the photographer arrives. Of course, if the room looks like a bomb went off it’s going to show in the photos and it’s not cute.

I highly recommend having a stuff room, closet or bathroom so you can keep the getting ready room as tidy as possible. Delegate the task of getting the room tidied up 30 minutes before the photographer arrives to a trusted wedding party or family member. Communicate the importance of the task to this person well in advance.

Important People Are Late

• In Short: Families may forget they are needed for family photos amongst the excitement. All the important people need to be informed clearly and in advance that they are needed at this particular time and what problems it could cause if they’re not. If you know someone has a chronic problem with punctuality tell them the event is happening 15 minutes earlier than planned.

This problem can happen at any time throughout the day. You realize Dad is nowhere to be found during family photos. The ceremony is about to begin but the groomsmen aren’t where they’re supposed to be. You’ve planned a tea ceremony but the important people haven’t yet arrived. Whatever it is if the VIPs aren’t there the show comes to a standstill. Communicate clearly and thoroughly with the important people that are needed at crucial moments on your wedding day.

Have a family that has a habit of being late? Communicate firmly why they are needed at that time and what lateness would cause for the rest of the day. It’s a common and smart play to tell them the start time is 15 earlier than it actually is. It’s easy for family members to get caught up in the excitement after your ceremony. They see a close friend and follow them to the cocktail hour instead of sticking around for family photos.

Choose a people wrangler who knows your family well to gather and keep family members close by so that your photos are easy and efficient. Communication and delegation are key. It’s ok to ask for help! Have married friends? Take advantage of their first-hand wedding day tips!

Image Makers In Flow State

In Short: Photographers get into a creative flow state where time falls away. Simply shout out “Time Check!” to bring them back to reality. Working with a separate photo and video team can mean vying for time. Make sure each artist has the time they need separate from each other.

It may seem like I’m coming for everyone with these wedding day tips but the wedding photographers in this article. However, I have also gotten so caught up taking photos that I forget to check the time. Over the years, I have gained enough experience to check my watch constantly and judge how fast I have to work. Another reason the documenting part of the day can stretch longer than planned is that you have a separate photo and video team. The unspoken rule in the industry is that the lead photographer is the boss. They choose the poses and pace of the image time and the videographers capture what they need “over their shoulder”.

Your videographer will most likely want and should have some creative time of their own. Especially if the two vendors don’t quite have the same style or approach. Make sure that you talk to both teams and ask how much time they need separate from each other. Feel like your photographer is in the zone and hasn’t checked the time in a bit? Merely call out “Time Check!” this is quick and effective.

Wedding Day Tips Conclusion

In Short: Ask the tough questions when meeting with potential wedding vendors. Hire a wedding planner for all the best wedding day tips!

In my experience as a professional wedding photographer, these are the top five reasons for delays on a wedding day. Some of these are much more common than others. One of the most helpful ways to work around them is to hire a seasoned wedding planner or day-of coordinator. They help you see all the blind spots and keep you and every member of your team on track. They are an investment but what is peace on one of the most special days of your life worth? If that isn’t within your budget make sure that you hire a venue, photographer, and make-up artist who values the experience they create for their clients. I know I don’t want any of my couples to think I was the reason their timeline went to shit!

Communication is so crucial in all aspects of life and wedding planning. Tell your vendors your expectations so you can figure out right away if they’re ready to step up. When they say they need a certain amount of time to create the work that is showcased in their portfolios, trust them!

Thank you so much for checking out my wedding day tips! I hope they have opened your mind to things you hadn’t previously considered. Here’s to planning a wedding that is smooth sailing. 🙂

Are you still looking for your venue? Check out this Complete List of Durham Region Wedding Venues!