Adding Buffer Time

As you’re planning for your wedding day, you’ll quickly realize (if you haven’t already!) that there are a lot of little details you need to think about! Don’t panic! That’s what we’re here for! We are in the middle of a series talking about tips for your wedding day timeline. We will be approaching this from a photography perspective (since that’s what we know), but these tips always work for our couples and we want to pass them on! We know every wedding is different, and we also acknowledge that everything doesn’t always go according to plan. But creating a timeline with your photographer will not only make your day go by more smoothly, but it creates less stress for you on the wedding day (yay!), and ensures those little details all come together! Catch up on the series here!

Part 1: Traditional Versus First Look
Part 2: Location. Location. Location.
Part 3: Planning For The Light
Part 4: Leaving Time For Details
Part 5: Adding Buffer Time
Part 6: To Exit Or Not To Exit

One thing we always want our brides to remember when they start the planning process is that time goes by sooo fast. Everything from planning the wedding, enjoying the engagement session, and ultimately, the wedding day itself, just seems to fly by. And it’s so important to us that our brides get the opportunity to enjoy that time. We want them to tuck away those memories from this incredible time in their lives. We want them to love being in love and planning the start of forever with their groom. And the way we can help achieve these things is through planning buffer time throughout the wedding timeline! We have two reasons why it’s so important, in our opinion, to budget for buffer time on your wedding day!

It gives you and your wedding party time to enjoy the day.

We know all too well that girls tend to take a little longer to get ready than the guys. That’s just how life works! But in their defense, girls do have a lot more details and things to do than the guys. Especially on the wedding day! One way we build extra time into the wedding day is during the girls’ prep and getting ready details. This allows everyone to take a little more time getting ready and completing those finishing touches that can make a huge difference! Not only that, but this buys us more time to document the gorgeous wedding dress, custom invitations, and Jimmy Choo shoes. It also gives the girls time to finish up hair and makeup appointments. And, we find that the wedding party in general feels less stressed about the day and is able to enjoy those little moments more with this buffer time.

It gives you peace of mind in case things are running behind.

Trust us when we say that on a typical wedding day, not everything goes according to plan! Sometimes the groomsmen are late. Sometimes weather happens at the exact wrong moment. And sometimes the huge arbor at the front of the ceremony blows over 2 seconds before the ceremony starts (true story). But never fear! In case small things go wrong, we always budget an hour of buffer time before the ceremony. This is crucial to making sure your day goes smoothly and runs efficiently! This buffer time allows us to photograph the ceremony and reception details without rushing. It gives us the opportunity to extend photos into this break if a family member was late or if appointments were running behind schedule. And, this gives our brides and grooms a chance to rest, eat, and relax before the ceremony. And truth be told, this is one point of the day that everyone looks forward to! They have nowhere to be, and nothing to do but enjoy each other’s company, reminisce with the wedding party and family, read love notes, and just bask in those last few moments before becoming husband and wife.

On a day where time seems to stand still and run ahead full throttle all at the same time, building in buffer time to your wedding day timeline is something you won’t regret! The peace of mind, the ability to relax and not rush through your day, and having some breathing room will not only make your day more memorable, but also more enjoyable!