Bridal party timeline
A bridal party timeline tells every bridesmaid, groomsman and helper when to arrive for hair and makeup, when to be dressed, when the photos are and when to line up. Enter your ceremony time and group size and read each person’s schedule below.
Want the full day? Make your wedding day timeline.
First chair 8:55 am
- Your first chair time is 8:55 am; the person marrying finishes at 1:55 pm. Arrive hair clean and dry, makeup-free, with the outfit you will wear.
- Dressed and ready by 2:40 pm. The group leaves at 3:10 pm.
- Line-up for the ceremony at 3:45 pm. Photos after the ceremony from 4:35 pm.
Hair and makeup chairs
| Person | Hair | Makeup | Done |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wedding party 1 | 8:55 am to 9:40 am chair 1 | 9:40 am to 10:25 am chair 1 | 10:25 am |
| Wedding party 2 | 9:40 am to 10:25 am chair 1 | 10:25 am to 11:10 am chair 1 | 11:10 am |
| Wedding party 3 | 10:25 am to 11:10 am chair 1 | 11:10 am to 11:55 am chair 1 | 11:55 am |
| Wedding party 4 | 11:10 am to 11:55 am chair 1 | 11:55 am to 12:40 pm chair 1 | 12:40 pm |
| Person marrying | 11:55 am to 12:55 pm chair 1 | 12:55 pm to 1:55 pm chair 1 | 1:55 pm |
With one more hair artist everyone could start 15 min later, at 9:10 am.
Your rows
- 5 h
Hair & makeup starts
5 people, 1 hair and 1 makeup artist. The person marrying finishes last. Full chair schedule on the Bridal party tab.
- 30 min
Getting dressed
Dress or suit, jewelry, veil. A helper has the buttons and the emergency kit.
- 30 min
Last looks, gifts and buffer
Exchange gifts or letters, sip some water, check the bag, take a breath. This buffer absorbs a late start.
- 20 min
Travel to the ceremony
Everyone leaves together. Confirm the driver and the address the day before.
- 15 min
Arrive at the ceremony venue
The partner who stays hidden arrives by 3:30 pm, the other by 3:45 pm at the latest. Wait in a private room.
- 15 min
Couple out of sight; wedding party lines up
Line-up order on paper. The coordinator or a friend gives the two-minute signal.
- 30 min
Ceremony
Processional, vows and exchange of rings, recessional.
- 5 min
Recessional and congratulations
Hugs on the way out. Guests head to cocktail hour.
- 20 min
Wedding party photos
Whole group, then pairs and small groups.
- 5 min
Grand entrance
The MC introduces the wedding party, then the couple.
- 15 min
Toasts and speeches (3 x 4 min)
Total 12 min plus 2 min of microphone hand-offs, rounded up to 5. Tell speakers their limit in advance.
- 10 min
Send-off
Sparklers, bubbles or simply a cheer. The car is waiting and the photographer is in place.
The sheet and the chair chart are free on screen. The PDF is part of the Vendor PDF Set.
A typical bridal party schedule
For a 4:00 pm ceremony without a first look and five people (the person marrying plus four bridesmaids) with one hair and one makeup artist, hair and makeup typically starts at 8:55 am and finishes at 1:55 pm. The order works like a two-chair assembly line: hair first, then makeup, so while one person is in the hair chair the previous person moves to makeup. The person marrying goes last, so their finish lines up with 15 min before getting dressed.
| Person | Hair | Makeup | Done |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wedding party 1 | 8:55 am to 9:40 am chair 1 | 9:40 am to 10:25 am chair 1 | 10:25 am |
| Wedding party 2 | 9:40 am to 10:25 am chair 1 | 10:25 am to 11:10 am chair 1 | 11:10 am |
| Wedding party 3 | 10:25 am to 11:10 am chair 1 | 11:10 am to 11:55 am chair 1 | 11:55 am |
| Wedding party 4 | 11:10 am to 11:55 am chair 1 | 11:55 am to 12:40 pm chair 1 | 12:40 pm |
| Person marrying | 11:55 am to 12:55 pm chair 1 | 12:55 pm to 1:55 pm chair 1 | 1:55 pm |
With one more hair artist everyone could start 15 min later, at 9:10 am.
After hair and makeup the party gets dressed at 2:10 pm, is ready by 2:40 pm, leaves at 3:10 pm and lines up at 3:45 pm. Photos follow the ceremony; with a first look, wedding party photos happen at 3:10 pm, before it.
How many artists do you need?
Chair time adds up quickly: eight people with one hair and one makeup artist take 7 h 15 min and would start at 6:40 am for a 4:00 pm ceremony. With two hair and two makeup artists the same group takes 4 h 45 min and starts at 9:10 am. If your start time is before 7:00 am the planner suggests adding an artist and shows how much later you could start.
How to build the bridal party timeline
- Find the ceremony time. Everything is counted back from it.
- Decide who needs what. Count the people, and note who needs only hair or only makeup.
- Book enough artists. Every extra artist shortens the morning; see the table below.
- Put the person marrying last. Their hair and makeup stay freshest and they finish just before getting dressed.
- Send the sheet. Give each person their chair time and the line-up time.
What each person should bring
- Hair washed and dry, no product, unless the stylist asks otherwise.
- A top that buttons or zips at the front, so nothing goes over finished hair.
- Shoes, undergarments, jewelry and the outfit in a garment bag.
- Water, a snack and a phone charger.
- The printed schedule. The emergency kit checklist covers the group bag.
Have a ceremony time? The whole day, from hair and makeup to the send-off, takes about a minute.
Make your wedding day timelineQuestions
How early should the bridal party start hair and makeup?
For five people with one hair and one makeup artist and a 4:00 pm ceremony, hair and makeup typically starts at 8:55 am without a first look and 7:45 am with one. More people or fewer artists push it earlier; more artists pull it later.
In what order should the bridal party get hair and makeup done?
Bridesmaids go first and the person marrying goes last, so their hair and makeup are freshest for the photos. Each person has hair first and then makeup, and anyone who needs only one service slots in where a chair is free.
How long does hair and makeup take for a bridal party?
Typically 30 to 60 minutes of hair and 30 to 60 minutes of makeup per person, longer for the person marrying. The planner uses 45 min and 45 min for guests and 1 h each for the person marrying, and lets you change all of them.
Can the bridal party get ready somewhere else?
Yes. Set the travel time to the ceremony to match, and the timeline moves the departure earlier. Plan for the artists to work in a room with good light and enough outlets.
Is the bridal party timeline free?
Yes, on screen. The PDF of the sheet and chair chart is part of the Vendor PDF Set ($7, one time), which is not on sale yet.