How to Avoid Being Late to Your Wedding

Four ways to make sure you're on time.

The last thing any bride wants is to be late to her own wedding. To avoid keeping everyone waiting, a timeline is key.

By Emily Lasnier

stephanie-ming-with-bridesmaids-in-monogram-white-robes-on-balcony-at-wedding-venue-getting-ready
Photo: McCune Photography

The last thing any bride wants is to be late to her own wedding. As guests wait for the ceremony to begin, chatter may bring forth the idea that maybe she isn’t going to show up at all… when the real issue was that hair and makeup took longer than the itinerary dictated. To avoid keeping everyone waiting, a timeline is key. However, the most detailed timeline in the world won’t help you if it is unrealistic or doesn’t consider life’s little mishaps that can throw your schedule out of whack.

bride getting ready in robe with bridesmaids on wedding day

Photo by Valorie Darling Photography

Following these tips will help make sure everyone walks down the aisle when they’re supposed to. 

- Hire multiple stylists. Having more than one makeup artist or hairstylist comes with numerous benefits: It simply makes everything move faster, and if one person is late, the beauty routine won’t come to a complete standstill. Your bridesmaids will also appreciate not having to get up at the crack of dawn only to have to avoid messing up their look for hours before the ceremony.

- Don’t forget about food. Depending on your getting-ready timeline, you and your bridesmaids may be in the suite over both breakfast and lunch. It’s important not just to provide food, but also to allot for time to eat it! For especially large bridal parties, the stylist team will deserve a lunch break as well.

- Have a back-up plan. Say the makeup artist is an hour late because of a car accident on the freeway – shift the schedule around so that you’re ready on time for the “first look” and your ‘maids can meet up with you after. Let people know you need to do family portraits first and then do the bridal party pictures when everyone is ready.

- Last but not least, always have buffer time. Assume hair and makeup will take longer than your stylists say. Plan for photos running long, as well as terrible traffic on the way to your venue. You may end up having a lot of time to kill, but that’s better than being in a rush or arriving late. Use the extra time to meditate!

For more ideas, discover the best parts of being a bridemaid and how to show your bridal party that you care. 

Wedding news