10 Steps on How To Make Your Wedding Day Run Smooth

Whatever happens, happens. Don't let it affect your mood. Weddings are usually late, and usually don't go exactly to plan, so just embrace the day and have a wonderful time!

This person should have a loud voice and not be afraid to tell people to A) get out of the way or B) get in the way because they are supposed to be in the photos.

You need someone who can yell over everyone and get deaf grandpa Boris over here for the photo shoot. Being loud and obnoxious is officially a skill, choose THAT person!

Make sure there will be time during sunset (or sunrise) for photos! If you're having a more traditional timeline for your wedding, sunset is usually terrible timing for photos. It's right in the middle of dinner, dessert, or dancing. Just the worst. So plan with your photographer when this will happen to make sure that both you and your planner know when to schedule around it. These will be the best photos of the whole day, the ones that end up on your album cover, so don't skip this one!

Those two people know how the full days go better than anyone else, and know what to expect when. It is especially good to get the right times for family and couples photos in.

That being said, they should also know how to adapt to less-traditional timelines. If you want something out-of-the-norm, then they should be able to accommodate without getting "stuck".

Make a checklist of which combinations of who you want. Mother + bride, mother + bride + father, bride + father, etc. It can be very hard for your photographer to keep track of every family photo they've taken so it's important to have that list ready, with a pen, for the day. It would be such a shame to miss someone, and that fault is NOT on your photographer.

Do you want anyone present, or will this be a private moment? Will it be indoors or outdoors?

I recommend keeping this a private event between the two of you. It's a moment that you can share alone during this crazy day, and it's a special moment because it's the first time this is all really sinking in! You're getting married!

Outdoor locations are always very nice, but it can also be nice to have indoors, if there is nice lighting for your photographer and videographer. Make sure to check with them where they think the first look is the best, since they've been doing this for a long time and have a lot of experience. 

Yep, that makes everything so much easier, you have no idea. And people can just relax and don't have to worry about transportation as much. You will thank me for this one later.

If you have to have your ceremony in a different place, make it as close by the reception place as possible. If people can walk, even, that's the best. Another idea is inviting just a small handful of people to your ceremony, just your very closest family and friends. The fewer people you need to organize in one place, the easier it gets.

The photographer and videographer should ask to gather your details for some photos and videos. They will set them up in specific ways to produce beautiful imagery. This is done at the same time as the bride getting ready, so the shooters can go back and forth between important moments and shooting details. They may also ask for you to pose doing certain things, to produce a moment that may have happened yesterday. For example, if you wrote your vows in your vow booklet yesterday, it's a really beautiful moment to capture.

These are some of the details they will ask for:

For the bride with hair and makeup, that's normally around 1.5-2 hours. Then there's also putting your dress, jewellery, and shoes on, maybe you need to write your vows in your special vow booklet. Don't forget to eat and hydrate, it's important but also takes time. So keep in mind also, that's up to 2.5 hours that the bride cannot spend helping out getting other things ready! Make sure to delegate tasks appropriately, and don't forget to be nice to your team. Don't be a bride-zilla. You want your family and friends to still like you after the experience. Gratitude goes a long way, so make sure you've prepared special gifts for those who are helping out to organize throughout the day.

This is a HUGE job, there's so much to choose from out there. You will probably end up emailing at least 5 different companies for every vendor you need to hire (think: photographer, videographer, florist, venue, catering, stationary, hair stylist, makeup artist, decor companies, I'm sure I missed a few).

So don't underestimate this task! You also have to coordinate them all together to fit with your timeline. Consider hiring a planner for more ease and for vendor recommendations, since they will have worked with a lot of different people in the past. 

Before choosing a date, I recommend looking first for your dream venue and photographer. They are the first things to get booked up, and if you set a date first and they are both not available, it would be sad to have to look for somewhere and someone else!

Your venue is the setting of your personal love story; it's the place that tells a bit about whom the two of you are as a couple. It's where you will invite your family and friends to have an amazing day together, and maybe party until then party until the sun rises for a new day. So you want a place that really speaks to you.

Your photographer is the one who will tell your wedding story to the world, your children, and even your own brains as you get older. So finding someone who photographs in a style that you like is very important. Make sure that she or he knows how to shoot in low-light situations, work with flash when necessary, and capture storytelling. Happy to be the one for you, let's chat.

Being able to base your date on these vendors is a great way to help your dream wedding become a reality. They can be booked more than a year in advance. Other vendors are just as important, don't get me wrong, but they tend to be booked 6-8 months before the date.

And don't just hire any vendors; hire experienced ones. Though I am all for hiring newbies, especially having been there myself, if you want a smooth day and have the budget to pay a regular price, I don't recommend it. If you want to support the newbies then you might expect a bump or two here and there. It's normal, they're learning! You probably won't get your dream photos from them, but they will at least still be nicer than everyone with their iPhones.

Experienced vendors will provide you with beautiful products and seamless service, something you don't need to worry about. They will build trust and confidence with you that they can handle your wedding without needing help from anyone else.

That being said, vendors often work together, so they may ask who you are hiring for other things so they can get in contact.

Step 10: Just relax and have fun.

Step 9: Have a designated organization person who knows your family and friends.

Step 8: Expanding on the last note.

Step 7: Have a good chat with your photographer and planner how they can blend your ideas with theirs on how the day should go.

Step 6: Plan family photos ahead.

Step 5: If you're doing it, consider how and where you want your first look at each other to be.

Step 4: Make the decision to have the whole wedding in one place.

Step 3: Prepare all your details for photographers/videographers arrival.

Step 2: Plan enough time to get ready. 

Step 1: Hire your vendors.