As a company that’s been in the bridal beauty biz for nearly a decade, we know a thing or two about maximizing the experience for brides and their crew on wedding day. Follow along as we tell you how to keep chill and maintain your bridal glow all day long!

Arrival

Typically your wedding day timeline kicks off bright and early with the arrival of your hair and makeup team. A good rule of thumb is that your beauty team will arrive about 15 minutes before the contracted start time so they can get irons hot and stations set. Have your bridal crew arrive about 30 minutes early, that way the jammies are on and the champagne is flowing by the time your beauty team is ready to begin! Your timeline can run behind very easily, and your beauty team never wants to be the reason that would occur. 

Pro tip: Help your beauty team get set up by leaving a few tables empty, clear space near the brightest windows, and search for a few convenient outlets. 

Preparation

The biggest help in keeping the beauty train rolling is to make sure your bridal crew understands the flow of the day. Bridesmaids must arrive with clean faces and totally dry hair. Having a few inspiration photos of hair and makeup ready to go also helps the consultation process go faster. Keeping someone “on deck” at all times, ready to fill an empty seat makes a big difference in timing.

Pro tip: Prioritize the order of those getting services by who needs to be done first. If mom & sister are helping you in your dress, make sure they receive services before aunt and flower girl.

To the Aisle & Beyond

Your team will take the last 20 minutes or so to provide touch ups before they leave. Your artist will explain the best ways to keep your eye makeup intact through happy tears. They will also go over how to place and secure your veil. Assign a bridesmaid to carry items for touch ups as needed. These could include lip color, oil blotting sheets, and setting powder. 

Pro tip: Gently pat your tears with a folded tissue, never swipe. Try to catch the tear before it falls, and remember to ‘cry pretty’ like you’re giving an interview on the Real Housewives.

Aside from the group photo, the images in this blog were captured by Natalie Nichole Photography!

When you first sit down to create a basic wedding stationery timeline, it can feel daunting, tricky and a little bit confusing. Am I right? There are just so many moving parts when it comes to wedding stationery! From knowing when to inquire with a wedding stationer to knowing when to mail your invitations, it can be tough to keep track of everything.

Well, my friend, I’m here to give you an inside look at a basic wedding stationery timeline. That way, you’ll know exactly when to create all of your wedding stationery items, key places to pad your timeline, and how to create your own wedding stationery timeline based on your wedding date.

What To Include In Your Stationery Timeline

You will need all types of wedding stationery items for your big day. Save the dates, invitations, day-of stationery and thank you cards are the key stationery items you’ll need to create. All of these stationery pieces help to communicate important details with your guests throughout the entire wedding planning process.

Save the Dates

Inquire / Get Started: 12-16 months before your wedding date
Mail: 8-12 months before your wedding date

Plan to start designing your save the dates anywhere from 12-16 months before your wedding date. This will give you plenty of time to create a design that you love, get them printed, assemble them carefully and pop them in the mail.

It’s recommended to mail your save the dates around 8-12 months before your wedding date. This is the first announcement you’ll send to your guests about your wedding. So, it’s important to clearly communicate when + where your wedding will be taking place. That way, they can quite literally save the date and begin making arrangements to celebrate with you on your big day.

Invitations 

Inquire / Get Started: 6-8 months before your wedding date
Mail: 10-12 weeks before your wedding date

Starting your invitations 6-8 months before your big day might sound super early. But, there is a lot to do to prepare your wedding invitations for mailing!

You’ll want to create a design you love and that feels like a reflection of you and your big day. This process can take approximately 4-8 weeks if you design custom wedding invitations.

From there, you’ll want to plan on around 2-3 weeks for your invitations to be printed and shipped to you. This timeframe may change depending on the printing method you choose (digital, foil stamping, letterpress, etc.)

Then, budget another week or so to assemble your invites with care so they are all ready to be mailed!

Mailing your invitations 10-12 weeks is ideal. The post office tends to take its sweet time delivering mail, so padding the timeline with that in mind is important. You also have RSVPs to collect, as well, so you want to give your guests plenty of time to respond.

Quick Tip: If you’re short on time, have your guests RSVP on your wedding website! QR codes are super handy for this. This will save your guests from having to mail back a response card and potentially getting caught up in the mail. This will also help your budget by saving you money on printing and postage. It’s a win-win!

Day-of Stationery

Inquire / Get Started: 6-8 weeks before your wedding date
In-Hands: 1-2 weeks before your wedding date

Once your invitations are officially in the mail, you’ll be ready to dive right into creating your day-of stationery.

Starting your day-of stationery designs about 6-8 weeks before your wedding is perfect. You may not have all of the details nailed down or finalized, but that’s okay! Start creating the designs and you can always flow in the final details right before printing.

Plan on printing to take anywhere from 1-3 weeks. Just like your other stationery, this timeline might change depending on the printing method you choose (digital, foil stamping, letterpress).

No matter what you choose, I recommend having all of your day-of stationery in-hand and ready for your big day about 1-2 weeks before your wedding, if possible. That way, you’re not worrying about your stationery right up to the day of your wedding—you’ll be all set!

Thank You Cards

Inquire / Get Started: 6-8 weeks before your wedding date
In-Hand: 1-2 weeks before your wedding date
Mail: 2-4 weeks after the wedding

As you design your day-of stationery, go ahead and create your thank you cards, too!

Having them in-hand around 1-2 weeks before the wedding day will be so nice. That way, you don’t have to worry about scrambling to create or purchase thank you cards when you return from your honeymoon. You can simply mail them to your guests once you’re home.

Plan to mail your thank you cards anywhere from 2-4 weeks after your wedding day. You can even send them sooner, if you want to! Just make sure to mail them pretty soon after your big day. Your guests will love that you thought of them and took the time to say “thank you”.

Where + Why To Pad Your Timeline

When I create wedding stationery timelines for my couples, I always add a little extra padding here and there. I highly recommend you do this for your stationery timeline, too!

Why? Because, we’re all human! Life happens, things come up and plans will shift and change along the way. You’ll be planning your wedding most likely for a whole year — if not longer. There’s a lot that can happen during that time and it can be hard to know exactly what might come up along the way.

Here are some key places I like to add a little wiggle room to the stationery timeline:

Printing + Ordering

If you plan to do digital printing for your invitations, this process can take anywhere from 1-2 weeks to complete. So, rather than planning on just 1 week for printing and ordering time, go ahead and plan on the full 2 weeks. That way, if everything is ready sooner — awesome! You’ll be ahead of schedule.

It’s easier to enjoy the extra time instead of stressing that there isn’t enough.

Assembly

Let’s be honest, this is most likely your first time assembling invitations. It’s definitely not hard to do, but there are a lot of steps involved and it’s very hands-on. If you already have a busy schedule or aren’t very confident with “crafty” projects, I recommend padding this time a little!

Usually, I like to give my couples 1 week for assembly time. This is usually plenty of time to assemble invitations and get them ready for mailing. Even if you have 200 invites to assemble!

Mailing + RSVPs

Mailing is one of those things that once you drop off your invites it’s completely out of your hands! You’re sort of at the mercy of the post office to mail your beautiful invites. That can be a little bit stressful.

To help ease the stress, plan to mail your invitations as soon as possible. I love mailing invites around 10-12 weeks before your wedding date. This is a good amount of time for your invites to be delivered to your guests. It also gives you time to re-mail or hand-deliver any invitations that may not arrive at their destination.

This timeline also gives your guests time to respond with their RSVP cards. I mentioned this above, but if you’re short on time or a little concerned about receiving all of your RSVP cards, go ahead and have guests respond on your website! This is such a fast and easy way for guests to let you know if they’ll be at your big day or not.

When it comes to padding your timeline, I recommend adding a little extra time anywhere in the process that gives you stress! This will help easy some of that for you and make the process that much more enjoyable every step of the way.

How To Create Your Wedding Stationery Timeline

Now that you know how long the stationery process can take and where to add some wiggle room, let’s create your wedding stationery timeline!

The simplest way to build your timeline is to work backwards from your wedding date.

From there, you can plan when you need to have your day-of stationery in-hand, when to mail your invitations and when to also mail your save the dates. You can even look forward and plan when your thank you cards should be delivered to your guests after your big day.

The other important thing to know is what printing methods you want to do. This will help you determine how long you need to plan for printing. If you’re unsure, just pad your timeline! That way, no matter what method you choose, you know you have plenty of time already planned for in your timeline.

To help you get started, I’ve built a basic stationery timeline below as an example:

Wedding Date

— October 26, 2024

Save the Dates 

— Get Started / Inquire: June 26, 2023 (16 months before wedding)

— Printing: October 2, 2023 – October 16, 2023 (2 weeks; digital printing)

— Shipping: October 16, 2023 – October 23, 2023 (1 week; padded just to be safe!)

— In-Hands for Assembly: October 23, 2023 (1 week before mailing)

— Mail: October 27, 2023 (12 months before wedding)

Invitations

— Get Started / Inquire: February 26, 2024 (8 months before wedding)

— Printing: July 1, 2024 – July 22, 2024 (3 weeks; letterpress)

— Shipping: July 22, 2024 – July 29, 2024 (1 week; padded just to be safe!)

— In-Hands for Assembly: July 29, 2024 (1 week before mailing)

— Mail: August 2, 2024 (12 weeks before wedding)

Day-of Stationery

— Get Started / Inquire: August 26, 2024 (8 weeks before wedding)

— Printing: September 23, 2024 – October 7, 2024 (2 weeks; digital printing)

— Shipping: October 7, 2024 – October 14, 2024 (1 week; padded)

— In-Hands: October 14, 2024 (2 weeks before wedding)

Thank You Cards

— Get Started / Inquire: August 26, 24 (8 weeks before wedding — with day-of)

— Printing: September 23, 2024 – October 7, 2024 (2 weeks; digital printing)

— Shipping: October 7, 2024 – October 14, 2024 (1 week; padded)

— In-Hands: October 14, 2024 (2 weeks before wedding — with day-of)

— Mail: November 8, 2024 (2 weeks after wedding)

Feel free to copy this template to create your own stationery timeline! All you have to do is fill in the blanks and you’ll be all set.

Troubleshooting Your Stationery Timeline

If you run into trouble planning your stationery timeline, or if it’s just a little too overwhelming for you — that’s okay! If that’s how you feel, I recommend working with a professional wedding stationer to help guide you through the stationery process.

Hiring a wedding stationer can be really helpful when it comes to relieving some stress and anxiety from your big day! They’ll work with you from the very beginning to plan all of your stationery needs. And guess what? They’ll even help build your stationery timeline for you!

As you think about working with a wedding stationer, don’t be shy about asking them if this is something they can do for you. Most stationers will be happy to help! If not, maybe they just aren’t the right fit for you, and that’s okay.

Let’s Create Your Wedding Stationery (and Timeline) Together!

So, take your time and feel free to reach out to wedding stationers whenever you’re ready. I know I would be more than happy to help you with your wedding stationery needs. (:

If that feels like a good fit for you, you can learn more about how we can work together on my website! I offer custom and semi-custom wedding stationery for engaged couples across the country. No matter where you are located, I’d love to create wedding stationery that is the perfect reflection of you. Plus, I’ll create your timeline for you, so you don’t have to worry about a thing!

Your wedding style, at its core, comes down to what you and your partner want your day to look like. Your style can be an overall “feel” or a compilation of multiple different themes you love! It is defined by your choices in venue, color scheme, florals, invitation suite, textiles, table settings, etc.

If you aren’t sure what you want your wedding style to be, I would suggest talking with a wedding planner, browsing Pinterest, and/or using a free quiz from Zola or The Knot to get an idea of where your interests lie. This will help determine what styles and themes you and your partner naturally gravitate toward.

Defining your wedding style early in the planning process will help save time in the long run! If you know what you want your wedding to look like it will allow you to be more decisive when picking out decor, textiles, linens, etc. It also helps your wedding team when making your vision come to life! If you can explain to them what you want and give them a distinct wedding style, they will have an easier time putting together your dream wedding day.

A few wedding styles that are common include:

• Classic
• Rustic
• Romantic
• Natural
• Glamorous
• Vintage
• Coastal
• Modern
• Industrial
• Boho
• Alternative
• Art Deco

Regardless of how you define your wedding style, it’s the job of your photographer to capture the essence of your wedding day! I love being able to help couples document all the memories from their big day so they can look back and relive every single moment.

Kansas City has a lot to offer when it comes to date night ideas! As Spring approaches and everyone is antsy to get outside I love to recommend mini golf. It is such a fun way to get out with your significant other and do something outside of the typical bar hop, dinner, or movie date night. 

I had a great time with KT and Ryan at Lone Summit Ranch for some mini golf fun! Couples often think that a session with me needs to be at a park or rooftop. Those are great options if that is the aesthetic you want for your session! One of my favorite ways to capture a session is to tag along on date night. 

Following along to some of your favorite date night spots allows me to capture you and your significant other in a natural, fun, and comfortable state. It creates a unique experience that is very specific to you and your relationship! For people who aren’t comfortable being in front of the camera, this is a great alternative to having a session at a park or somewhere downtown. There is typically less posing involved because I hang out in the background and capture you hanging out! 

Some other fun date night ideas that are great options for sessions are: stopping by your favorite brewery, walking the Plaza, going to the River Market, and grabbing a coffee. But I am up for pretty much anything! I am here to help you preserve special moments, however we do that is up to you.

You’re significant other popped the question, you’ve set the date, and the planning has begun! Once you’ve found and booked your DREAM photographer, it’s important to build the perfect wedding day timeline to ensure the day runs smoothly. 

Before creating a timeline you’ll need to decide if you want to have a first look! If you choose to have a first look you’ll have plenty of flexibility in your timeline. If you choose not to have a first look you’ll want to make sure your ceremony is earlier in the day. This will allow enough time before your reception, and sunset, to capture all the special moments.

In this blog post I’ll discuss how to plan the perfect wedding day timeline, with or without a first look! For the sake of this post let’s say you are planning a Summer wedding in the Midwest – that means the sun begins to set at 7 and is fully set by 8pm.

THE PERFECT WEDDING DAY TIMELINE- WITH A FIRST LOOK

When creating a timeline it is important to set your ceremony start time and then build off of it. If you choose to have a first look you’ll be able to have your ceremony later in the evening. An hour or two before sunset is a golden hour that provides golden light, and amazing photos! For this beautiful imaginary Summer wedding we are planning the ceremony will start at 5pm.

TIP: non-religious ceremonies typically last 10-30 minutes and religious ceremonies tend to last 30-60 minutes.

BEFORE THE CEREMONY

Once you’ve set the ceremony start time you’ll plan backwards and set a time for everything that needs to be captured before the ceremony begins.

To start, you’ll want to be hidden away at least 30 minutes prior to the ceremony. As guests begin arriving you don’t want any sneak peaks of your beautiful dress!

Wedding Party Photos

Before hiding away you’ll want to be done with all of your wedding party photos. This includes bridesmaids, bridesmen, groomsmen, groomswomen, guests of honor, flower girls, ring bearers, or anyone that is standing up with you during the ceremony. Depending on the size of your wedding party, I suggest having 30 minutes to an hour set aside for these photos. If you have a large party and you know you specifically want multiple photos with each of them individually, you might need more time. For a majority of my couples an hour is plenty of time!

Couples Portraits

You’ll need to set aside 30 minutes to 45 minutes for couples portraits! This day is all about the two of you and it is important to capture some moments together before saying “I do.” This can be before or after photos with the rest of your wedding party, but you’ll want a little extra time alone together.

The First Look

Before you can take any photos together you’ll need to have your first look! This is such an intimate moment between the two of you. I usually suggest setting aside 15-20 minutes for a first look. But if you know one or both of you will cry… you might want to allow for an extra 5-10 minutes.

Getting Ready

This part of the planning process includes the input of multiple different people: your wedding party and your hair and makeup stylist (if you’re using them). You have to decide how long it will realistically take for everyone to get ready. For some people it takes an hour and for others it takes four! It’ll really depend on the size of your wedding party and how many people will need their hair and makeup done. 

AFTER THE CEREMONY

Since you’ll be having a first look, there won’t be too much to capture after the ceremony. This will allow you to be able to make it to your cocktail hour or reception earlier and get to spend more time with your guests!

Family Formal Photos

Most likely, the only photos that will need to be captured after the ceremony will be family formal photos. I recommend setting aside an hour, this allows plenty of time to make sure every family grouping on both sides is captured. I’d rather add more time into the timeline than have to rush through these!

Sunset Couples Portraits

After family formal photos are done I recommend sending everyone into the reception for cocktail hour while you and your spouse take a few more photos, just the two of you, during sunset. This is the perfect time for you to soak in a few moments as a newly married couple and it typically only takes about 10-20 minutes!

Reception Time

Now it’s time to party!!! Enjoy your first dances, eat a delicious meal, cut the cake, and celebrate with your closest friends and family.

SAMPLE TIMELINE (WITH A FIRST LOOK)

Getting Ready!!

2:30pm- First Look

3:00pm- Couples Portraits

3:30pm- Wedding Party Photos

4:30pm- Hide Away While Guests Arrive

5:00pm- Ceremony

6:00pm- Family Formal Photos

7:00pm- Sunset Couples Portraits

7:20pm- Reception Time!

---

THE PERFECT WEDDING DAY TIMELINE- WITHOUT A FIRST LOOK

Whether you have a first look or not I still suggest starting with your ceremony when you plan the perfect wedding day timeline.

If you are not doing a first look I recommend having your ceremony earlier in the day to guarantee enough daylight to capture all of your photos after the ceremony. This is easier to accomplish during the Spring and Summer months because the sun sets later in the day. If you are planning a Fall or Winter wedding it becomes a little more difficult because the sun sets much earlier in the day. For the lovely imaginary Summer wedding we are planning, let’s say our ceremony is beginning at 3pm.

TIP: For a ceremony earlier in the day, consider choosing a location indoors or a shaded area outdoors. The closer to noon the harsher the sun. Not only will the shade or indoor setting help with lighting for photos, but your guests will appreciate not having to squint into the sun!

BEFORE THE CEREMONY

To start, you’ll want to be hidden away at least 30 minutes prior to the ceremony. As guests begin arriving you don’t want any sneak peaks of your beautiful dress!

An Alternative First Look

Even though you aren’t having a first look with your soon to be spouse you might be interested in having an alternative first look. You could have a special “first look” moment with a parent, grandparent, or anyone that has made a significant impact on your life (even your dog!). I’d plan about 15-30 minutes for each person you’d like to do a first look with.

Getting Ready

Without having a lot to capture before your ceremony there will be plenty of time to get ready- you might even have enough time to sleep in a little! Take this time to bond with your wedding party, relax, and get pampered!

AFTER THE CEREMONY

After you say your, “I do’s” all of the wedding party, family, and couples photos will be captured!

Family Formal Photos

I recommend starting the family formal photos right after the ceremony. This is a good way to make sure you capture everything before any relatives have the chance to wander off! I recommend setting aside an hour, this allows plenty of time to make sure every family grouping on both sides is captured. I’d rather add more time into the timeline than have to rush through these!

Wedding Party Photos

Now it’s time to gather up your wedding day crew and all the special guests that stood by your side. Depending on the size of your group I’d plan for around an hour. A smaller party can get by with less time, but the general rule of thumb is the more people the longer it can take!

Couples Portraits

FINALLY!!! It’s time for the happy couple to have a moment to yourselves. Plan to have at least a few minutes of peace and quiet together as a married couple (YAY!!). This time is so special and it is so much fun to capture the intimate and fun first moments as “Mr. and Mrs.”!

Reception Time!

After the couples portraits have wrapped up it’s time to party! Chit chat with guests, grab a bite to eat, hit the dance floor, and make it a night you’ll never forget!

SAMPLE TIMELINE (WITHOUT A FIRST LOOK)

Getting Ready!!

3:00pm- Ceremony

4:00pm- Family Formal Photos

5:00pm- Wedding Party Photos

6:00pm Couples Portraits

7:00pm Reception Time!

Now that you know how to build the perfect wedding day timeline (with or without a first look) you’re ready to take on the big day!

The wedding featured in this post is The Powers, who got married in downtown Kansas City! I captured beautiful rooftop photos with the wedding party and their couple portraits near the World War I Museum and Memorial. It was a beautiful day!