How to Start Your Wedding Ceremony on Time

Your wedding day is a day you do not want running late right? I mean who would really want their ceremony to start 10 minutes later than orginally planned, leaving no time for sunset couple portraits after? Or the ceremony running late meaning the reception dinner might be late as well, leaving guests drooling at the thought of food? Probably not a lot of us.

Lets face it, when we are late to something, let alone our wedding day, stress levels take a spike. We just naturally begin to feel more anxious and worried about the effect on future events and our guests rather than feeling calm and present about our wedding day. The ideal wedding day for any bride looks like confidence, being relaxed, and cherishing every moment. When we are rushed (like our human selves can be from time to time) we try to “not be late” and that alone can create an environment that is more frantic and less enjoyable for everyone. But take heart, there is good news!

These feelings and obstacles can totally be avoided!

With a couple of sweet tricks and treats from personal experience of being wed and being a wedding photographer, you’ll be able to avoid high-stress levels, not have to miss the perfect sunset lighting, or have to tell your guests they have to wait 15 more minutes to eat.

There is this myth that has been going around guests have caught wind to and believe. Guests actually tend to think that weddings start late, when the fact is, many weddings, with a wedding planner of course, start on time!

By knowing that little fact, you can already begin to breathe. But what if you naturally do just tend to be late? Maybe your family or even significant other tends to run a little being schedule? Are you aware of it and can identify it? If you can identify and know that it is very possible for your ceremony to start late, than consider this secret tip that I’ve seen used successfully for couples just like you.

This is one of the biggest tips I received from my experience and I am excited to share it with you. Read below to learn how to start your wedding ceremony on time.

1) Know Your Family’s Culture:

Begin by asking this simple question to yourself and your fiancé:

Is my family punctional?

If no, you will want to read the wedding tip below to help you avoid any stressful situations on your wedding day. Your guests are beloved by you, and you want them to experience this special time for you and your fianceé to the fullest. As if they are a part of your story. If you have a group of people walking through late and distracting the whole crowd, or you’re ceremony is waiting on behalf of this group of people, it might not leave a great impression. Something to keep in mind though is to expect there to be a couple straglers at every wedding no matter the size.

2) Adjust the Ceremony Time:

The secret to having your wedding ceremony start on time is:

Write the ceremony time as starting 15 or 30minutes earlier than the actual time on your wedding invitation.

For example, if you want your ceremony to start at 4:00pm, write on the wedding invitation 3:30pm. Writing this early time versus the actual ceremony time is a favor to you and your guests. No more awkward feelings from your guests who are arriving when the bridal party is walking down the aisle. They will think they are late, but they are actually on time.

Hesitant of this idea?

NO problem, try and write the time just 15 minutes earlier on the invitation. Your guests will actually benefit from the time cushion because they will have time to park and find their seat. Consider your out-of-town guests, they will have more time to arrive in case they get lost in finding the wedding venue or if an accident on the road occurs that keeps them from arriving on time. This strategy will insure a smaller likelihood of having a strangler or two come late to your ceremony.

There is a little risk to this. Because you are telling guests to arrive 30 minutes early, some might see you in your wedding gown. But the reward of having a smoother wedding day and a guaranteed on-time ceremony, is well worth that small calculated risk.

3) Hesitation on this Wedding Tip:

If you are still hesitant on changing the ceremony time there are a couple other tips that are just for you.

Comunciate to your wedding planner/day-of-coordinator about your hopes to start your ceremony on time. Make sure to tell them there are no exceptions. By being firm with your wedding planner, they will understand you want your wedding day timeline to run as smoothly as possible. Mention to them that you and your wedding photographer have spent intentional time planning for a wedding crafted around the sunset so you can have your ideal couple portraits. They should understand and do everything they can to ensure your wedding ceremony starts on time.

Another way is to directly communicate to your guests. Write “promptly” in front of the start time on your wedding invitation and hope they receive the urgerncy of that note.

If by chance you’re wedding does start 10-15 minutes late, mention to your day-of-coordinator that you want them to hold the late guests outside the ceremony and let them take a seat after the wedding processional.

What a simple solution to ensure an enjoyable wedding day. Being on-time sounds like no problem, but if not done, it can cause a lot of stress. By using this simple treat of writing an earlier ceremony time for your guests on the wedding invitation, your wedding ceremony will run on time. You will feel confident and relaxed during one of the biggest days of your life. Your sunset couple portraits will be fun and easy and you will be able to soak in every moment. From the moment your father walks you down the aisle, to the moment when you are first announced as the new “Mr, and Mrs.” Every part will be remembered as smooth and relaxing.

MANY THANKS TO THE CREATIVE TEAM WHO HELPED WITH THESE WEDDINGS:

Venue: FOUR SEASONS RESORT SCOTTSDALE AT TROON NORTH | Venue: CLAYTON ON THE PARK | Venue: THE COUNTRY CLUB AT DC RANCH | Venue: EISENDRATH HOUSE & VISITORS CENTER | Venue: THE WRIGHT HOUSE | Venue: BLACKSTONE COUNTRY CLUB | Ceremony Venue: Haas Chapel – EMBRY RIDDLE AERONAUTICAL UNIVERSITY  (Prescott Wedding) | Wedding Venue: SHEMER ART MUSEUM | Venue: VENUE AT THE GROVE | Venue: ENCANTERRA COUNTRY CLUB

Photographer: APRIL MAURA PHOTOGRAPHY