7 Ways to Create a Stress-Free & Enjoyable Wedding Timeline
- Karlie Larson
- Aug 24
- 5 min read
Imagine this: You spend a romantic night at a rustic Airbnb the night before your wedding. You wake up together, enjoy coffee and your favorite breakfast! Next you get ready for some beautiful sunrise bridal photos and a first look. We drive to the location and find a beautiful spot with the morning light pouring through the trees and you can hear a creek flowing in the distance. You find a spot for just the two of you to say private vows and have your ceremony together by the lake with towering mountains in the background. After this and a little more exploring, we come back to the Airbnb to celebrate with cake and good food!
One of the top reasons couples choose to elope is to have a more relaxed and stress free wedding, but what things actually contribute to a day that feels like that? Did the above paragraph make you smile as you imagined you and your partner getting to do that for your wedding, versus not having any idea what's happening and feeling rushed? We are gonna go over 7 Ways to Create a Stress-Free & Enjoyable Wedding Timeline so your wedding day can feel like the experience in the first paragraph of this blog - AKA a super fun day catered around each other!
Include Buffer Time
I think one of the top ways to help make your day less stressful and much more enjoyable is to simply just include more time. Less time = more stress, more pressure, and feeling rushed, which is not what we want at all! Your wedding day is about you and your partner, so include time to reflect that!
Also, book more time than you might think you need - many photographers will let you upgrade your coverage time if needed, too! In my personal experience as a photographer, wedding timelines typically run about an hour behind, so just having that extra buffer will definitely help! Whether you need more time to drive due to delays, need more time to get ready, wanting to take your time hiking, or are waiting on a few last minute guests arriving late, more time will help you to relax and not feel rushed.
Plan in Alone Time with Just the Two of You
Even without a photographer around! This kind of time can easily be added in while driving to and from locations, or even private vows or time alone at sunset for a private dance. Your photographer can always use a longer lens as well to give you distance but still getting to document your special moment together!
Some popular options my couples choose to do are: get coffee together in the morning, bring food for a picnic, read letters from family, go on a separate activity before/after the ceremony (just the two of you + your photographer if you wish)! Even something simple like riding in the car together in between locations allows you that time to breath and just be together.
Start the Day Together
Starting the day together in a calm, relaxed environment is a great start to your wedding day! Instead of jumping right into the chaos of getting ready, take some time before getting into wedding attire and just spend maybe 20-30 minutes together. This helps relieve the morning stress by getting to see each other in a calmer setting.
Go on a Separate Adventure Away From Guests
Many of my couples go on a separate activity away from their guests either before or after ceremony to enjoy an adventure for the first time as Mr. and Mrs! This gives you the best of both worlds by getting to include family, but still getting to include time to yourselves to soak in your special day together!
I didn't personally have an elopement as I had a traditional wedding, and one of the things I remember most is the time we spent in our car before heading to the reception! It was after we were married, and just having a few minutes together to soak that in was such a special experience! Not to mention, one of the top things couples regret about their wedding day is not taking enough time to spend alone together.
So if you are able to intentionally plan in that time together, especially for a good chunk of the day, you are giving yourselves such a nice opportunity to create time for yourselves and to have fun with it!
Hire Professional Vendors
Yes, even the vendors you hire can make or break your day! Inexperienced vendors can either run behind, take longer than you thought, ghost you day of, etc. So in turn, can you imagine the stress you'd experience if any of these things happened?
I can promise you that hiring professional vendors for your day will be light and day difference between hiring inexperienced vendors! Professional vendors know what they need to do, and will take care of that portion of the day for you. They won't leave you hanging, and they will go above and beyond to make your day truly unforgettable in the best way!
Tips for Hiring the Best Vendors for Your Wedding Day:
Read reviews: How many 5 star reviews does this vendor have? What is their experience? Reading about what other couples thought about working with them is the best way to see how they would be a part of your day.
Observe how responsive they are to you: Do they respond within 24-48 hours? Or do they take closer to a week? Do you value good communication?
Do they have an updated website? Having an updated website with their current pricing and availability, and one that is easy to navigate shows they update that to make it easy for you to find the most applicable information.
Picking vendors in a location that they are experts in, to picking ones with values you align with, and other similar factors add that extra level of connection, which will truly make for a one of a kind experience for you and your partner!
Include Activities You Enjoy
When you include a comfort activity, you'll get to feel like yourself and enjoy that activity together! On my first consultation call with a potential client, I always make sure to talk about how your day is not going to feel like an all day photo shoot, and I encourage you to include activities that interest you as a couple.
Many of my couples choose activities like hiking, having a picnic, fishing, reading vows privately, etc. So having a few sprinkled into your timeline will make the day not only enjoyable for you, but you won't have to focus on posing all day.
Surround Yourself with People Who Will Lift You Up, Not Bring You Down
The people you choose to invite can also make or break the whole feel of the day. If you are pressured to invite someone that you know will cause drama, just don't invite them. This day is about you, not them.
Having a separate reception later is also a great way to combat this, as they won't have to be present on the day you want to be intentional about things, but they can still have a part and party with a group later on if you value that time as well.
Did these 7 Ways to Create a Stress-Free & Enjoyable Wedding Timeline help give you some ideas on how to create your perfect wedding day? If it did, I bet you'll also love these elopement planning resources:
Idaho Elopement Photographer
As an elopement photographer, it's super important to me that you get images you'll cherish and an experience you won't forget on your wedding day. That's why I love providing these blogs for you to help navigate the process of creating your own unforgettable and beautiful elopement day!
Interested in working together? You can contact me here and let's schedule a free planning call for your elopement experience!
