How to avoid wedding day delays and keep your timeline on track

Why weddings run late and how we plan for it

Weddings often run late. Sometimes the makeup artist came late, sometimes the hair was not done on time, and sometimes it is just one of those days where things are out of control. There is nothing to worry about: we have seen many weddings delayed by hours and hours, even church weddings.

First, check that everything is happening on time and no one is holding things up. If you realize we are behind schedule, push a little and make sure everybody is aware of it. Usually the planner or the photographer has already put in an extra 15 to 30 minutes of buffer time, so do not worry if things are not entirely on time.

If things are really delayed we still have a plan B; we know ways to compensate for lost time, and a lot of photos can be done a second or third time in a different location. If we are seeing more than 30 minutes of delay, correct it here and there so it never becomes a 1 hour or 2 hour delay.

The delay usually only happens during the getting-ready portion. Once the ceremony is done, even if it was delayed, usually by 45 minutes, we can still correct it during the reception, and your reception time will still be the same. Have a good plan and stick to it.

Where the buffer lives in your timeline

The 15 to 30 minutes of buffer is not one block at the start of the day. It sits where lateness gets absorbed: between the end of getting ready and departure, in the drive to the ceremony, and before guests arrive when you are already tucked away.

What the buffer cannot absorb is a delay that keeps growing. Hair that finishes 20 minutes late is fine. Hair that finishes late, then an unplanned makeup touch-up, then a hunt for the groom's tie, is how a 30-minute slip becomes 90 minutes.

Recovering time after the ceremony

Once the ceremony ends, the reception is a fixed point: dinner is served and the venue closes at set times. That is why lateness before the ceremony can be corrected afterwards. If family photos or couple portraits were cut short, we take ten minutes at sunset instead.

Doing photos a second or third time in a different location is not a compromise. Portraits under a low evening sun are often better than the ones planned for 2 p.m., and a group photo at the reception venue can replace one on the church steps.

• Confirm hair and makeup finish times with the artists, not just start times.
• If you are more than 30 minutes behind, cut something now rather than later.