A wedding day timeline that actually works

The morning

• 07:30 — Breakfast. Actually eat it. Set out dresses, shoes, rings and buttonholes in one place.
• 08:00 — Hair and make-up starts. Allow 45 minutes per person and one full hour for the bride.
• 10:00 — Flowers delivered. Photographer arrives for detail shots.
• 11:15 — Wedding car arrives. Ribbons on, photographs outside the house while everyone is calm.
• 12:00 — Bride into the dress. Earlier than feels necessary, every time.

Getting there

Work backwards from the ceremony and add a 15-minute buffer on top of whatever the map says. Rural Lancashire lanes, a tractor, or a car park with one entrance will eat that buffer and you'll never notice it.

• 12:15 — Bridesmaids leave (or travel first if you're sharing one vehicle)
• 12:40 — Bride leaves with whoever is walking her in
• 12:55 — Arrive. Five quiet minutes in the car before the doors open — this is the part everyone remembers.
• 13:00 — Ceremony

Afterwards

• 13:30 — Confetti, then group photographs. Twenty minutes maximum, with a named person who knows the family.
• 14:00 — Drinks reception. Couple photographs and a slow drive for the two of you if your transport is booked for it.
• 15:30 — Guests seated
• 16:00 — Wedding breakfast
• 18:00 — Speeches. Between courses works better than after.
• 19:30 — Evening guests arrive, cake cut, room turnaround
• 20:00 — First dance

The five buffers to protect

• 15 minutes on hair and make-up, always
• 15 minutes on every journey
• 10 minutes between confetti and group shots
• 20 minutes before speeches for a breather
• A whole spare hour somewhere in the afternoon — if you don't need it, you get a drink

Book transport by the window, not the journey. A vehicle booked for 'the trip to church' turns a five-minute delay into a problem.

How we plan timings with you

Before your date we'll agree a running order with you, drive the route, and note where the camper can park at your venue. On the day Rob arrives early — the point of the camper is that you never once look at the clock.