When planning for a wedding day, one important piece of the preparation that tends to be overlooked is coordinating the timeline with all of the vendors. While it may seem like common knowledge to have everyone on the same page going into the wedding day, it’s not uncommon for some of the vendors to be left in the dark for the timeline and its events. I always strongly encourage my couples to hire a planner to assist you throughout the planning process and to help ensure that all of your wedding vendors are prepared and working from the same schedule. If you choose to plan your wedding on your own, here’s a few wedding timeline planning tips from myself and Kaytee with Roots Floral Design, for preparing your wedding timeline to include your vendors!

Florals by Stems LLC

Coordinating the Timeline with Your Florist

When all of the wedding vendors work together and are on the same page walking into the wedding day, that’s when the real magic happens. Two of the vendors that are incredibly important to include in the wedding timeline planning process are the Florist and the Photographer. Why the Florist? When looking back at the photos from the wedding, what’s one of the things that you will find in nearly every photo? If you said the flowers, you would be correct and that would be the answer why. Having the Photographer and the Florist coordinate their schedules ahead of time will help to ensure that all of the flowers you’re investing in are properly photographed and included in the moments you want them in.

Working with your Florist to make sure that the floral elements are delivered in accordance with the times for formal portraits will ensure that the Bride and bridesmaids are able to hold the bouquets in the group photos, or for photos of the Groom’s parents pinning on his boutonniere, or for mom to be wearing her corsage while she’s helping the Bride put on her dress. Without the discussion of when to deliver what flowers and which photos they will be needed for, it can lead to a situation where the timeline’s events become delayed while waiting for the flowers, or results in having photos without any flowers.

Florals by Sunkissed Blooms

When to Have the Flowers Delivered

I recommend having all of the personal flowers like the bouquets, boutonnières, and corsages delivered to the getting ready location in the morning while hair and makeup are underway, to ensure that the flowers are there well ahead of when they’re needed—always better early than late! Kaytee has the same approach, “Whenever I drop off flowers for styling, I also leave the wedding party flowers there as well. Each wedding timeline differs, but I want to ensure whenever the photographer is ready; she has the wedding party flowers available to her!” This timing will also allow the Photographer to incorporate the flowers into the getting ready photos and detail styling.

If the Florist has any extra, unused stems of the blooms and greenery that they’re able to provide for the Photographer, those floral elements can be used to further style the Bride and Groom details to create a refined and cohesive wedding gallery. Kaytee agrees with that, saying “Flowers help style these precious memories by beautifying and adding composition. It is important that your Florist and Photographer’s timeline matches up to ensure flowers are available at the beginning of the day.” One of my goals as a photographer is to capture not just the meaningful moments, but also the meaningful details and the artistry of the vendors that you’re investing in, and being able to work with your florist to weave the florals into your detail photos helps me to do that!

Florals by Thomas Ripley Flowers

When communicating with the Florist about when they’ll deliver the flowers, it’s also important to find out when the table arrangements and installations will be complete since they often require additional setup time on the day of the wedding. Knowing approximately how long it will take for these bigger floral elements to be completed will help prepare the Photographer for when they can photograph the fully decorated ceremony and the reception areas– while they are still in pristine condition and untouched by guests. This is especially important for outdoor and summer weddings, when the heat and weather can make the florals wilt or droop quickly, the best photos will be when the flowers have been recently finished and are still fresh. Being able to know these time estimates ahead of the wedding will not only ensure that the ceremony and reception spaces are fully set up and ready in time for you and your guests, but will also help the Photographer to coordinate it within the timeline to photograph each of the spaces and floral elements when they are in their best condition.

Florals by Fresh Weddings and Events

What to Do with the Final Timeline

After coordinating with your Florist and Photographer, I recommend doing something similar with your other vendors to chat about when they will arrive and how their services play into the schedule. I personally love to work closely with my couples during their planning process to put together the timeline for the day, so I try to check in with the other vendors during that process to make sure that the timeline works for everyone involved and will make for a smooth day. When I am coordinating with the Florist, I also like to ask which floral arrangements or installations are most important. I want to make sure that I know ahead of time which pieces the Bride and Groom, and the Florist are most excited about and will want extra photos of so that I can take that into consideration for timing and provide the best images possible.

Once all of the information has been collected from the various vendors and the timeline has been finalized, it’s crucial to share that final timeline with all of the vendors ahead of the wedding! This will create an open line of communication, make certain that each vendor has the same expectations for the day, and will allow for stronger vendor connections—if your vendors work well together, it will make the wedding day that much more smooth, efficient, and enjoyable for everyone! Since the timeline is the foundation for the wedding day, when these extra steps are taken to ensure that each of the vendors are all working from the same timeline, your day will come together the way you’ve always envisioned!

Florals by Blooms n Blossoms

Kaytee with Roots Floral Design is a Wedding Florist in Cincinnati, and is someone who cares about taking these extra steps to ensure that your highly-invested-in florals are well photographed and taken into consideration for the events of the day. If you’re searching for an adventurous and romantic florist who serves Cincinnati, Lexington, Louisville, and Columbus, I would highly recommend getting in touch with Roots Floral Design!

Katelyn V. Photography is a Kentucky Wedding and Engagement Photographer, serving couples in Lexington, Louisville, Cincinnati and Beyond. If you’re looking for a Kentucky photographer, I would absolutely love to chat with you! Inquire Here Now