A dress fit for a princess? A beachfront ceremony? Favors that guests rave about for years to come?
No.
The one thing you MUST have on your wedding day is ... an itinerary.
An itinerary keeps you, and everyone around you, on task. It can also help you see where you are tight on time and help you delegate tasks when you can't be in two place at once. (For example, you're getting your hair done but the bouquets and boutonnieres will arrive at the ceremony site during that0 time, so you'll need to ask someone to receive them.)
Some vendors will ask you to complete an itinerary specific to their services and often provide a template to serve as an outline. Sound Precision Entertainment requires a day-of itinerary that corresponds to your DJ and emcee needs. Most of the time, the provided template reflects a "traditional" package, but feel free to ask to add, remove or rearrange items based on your wedding day plans.
Check with these main vendors to see if they require itineraries and/or have templates you can use:
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- Vendor: Should include agreed-upon times for setup/breakdown, as well as times for cocktail hour, dinner and arrival/departure
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- DJ/Emcee/Band: Should include times for bridal party announcements, cake cutting, toasts, first dances, last dance and any announcements (i.e., reminders to visit the photo booth)
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- Photographer/Videographer: Should include times for first look, bridal party pictures, family pictures, travel to and from locations and reception pictures
You can then customize and merge these templates into one master itinerary that can help you manage the entire day. Be sure to talk to your vendors after setting up the time line to ensure you are managing expectations (i.e., it will most likely take more than 30 minutes for your bridal party to get their hair done.) In addition to the above, don't forget to include:
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- Where your bridal party should be and when
- Times for hair, makeup and dressing
- Time your ceremony starts and order down the aisle
- Approximate length of ceremony
- Arrival time of flowers, cake and other day-of items
Check out some example itineraries here and here.
To discuss your DJ and emcee itinerary, contact Sound Precision Entertainment at (216) 870-4513 or scott@spedj.com.
