Make Your Own Micro Wedding Timeline

Firstly, can we get a 🙌🏻 you’re considering a micro wedding? YES QUEEN! Micro weddings are good for the soul, they really are. The “normal” stress levels of wedding planning are decreased like a thousand percent and you get to have quality time with those you love. You and your small guest list get to have a full on vacation and celebrate a relationship that you’ve been growing for forever now. Who wouldn’t want to go to a beautiful place, have a bit of adventure, and celebrate love?! It’s a win win for everyone. We’ll walk you through step by step of how to make your own micro wedding timeline! We make one for every couple!

If you’re feeling overwhelmed and want a Montana wedding planner to take over all of this for you, follow us over to Wild Montana Wedding!

Even though you will be more relaxed and not have a whole lot of to-dos on the wedding day, micro weddings still need timelines. It’s most important for your family and wedding vendors to know what to expect, but also, you’ll need to carve out some time for that adventure everybody’s talking about.

If you’ve ever attended a wedding where it was “relaxed” and you weren’t sure when you were eating, toasting champagne, or didn’t know when you were expected to leave, you know it’s not really the best. Micro weddings are smaller and more relaxed, but should still feel special and not just a hike out in the woods. It is a wedding after all.

Start with the good stuff

The very first thing to do with any timeline is to start with your sunset time. Once you’ve accounted for how much light you’ll have in your day, you can work backwards from there. Remember that sunset and sunrise are the best time for photos, so if those are important to you, block out that time so your photographer has the best light to work with.

List your top three priorities of moments during the day. This will ensure that no matter what else gets put on the list, these three things will absolutely be there for you. Add a little bit of wiggle room in your timeline so you’re not rushing around like a crazy person and you can actually enjoy your day.

If your prioritized activities are inside, or have to do with businesses that might have hours of operation, note that in your timeline. If you’re wanting to do an epic white water rafting session before your ceremony, for example, be sure to know how long it lasts and when you can reserve your time slot.

ps. Always fit in a day after session. It’s good for the soul.

When to start planning

You should start planning your micro wedding timeline 8-10 months before your date. This might sound too early, but giving yourself plenty of time to work that timeline will give you a stress-free time when it comes to plan for what you want. This also gives you time to update your guests.

Planning ahead is also really helpful for those fun activities and adventures you want to experience on your wedding day. That dessert dune buggy ride or glacial lake paddle boarding adventure isn’t going to plan itself. For the full list of fun activities, check out 100 Things to do on Your Wedding Day!

First Look or Traditional

Decide on whether you want to see each other for the first time before you walk down the aisle. This decision will impact your wedding day timeline. If you decide for a first look, your group photos can be taken before the ceremony, leaving time after your ceremony for you and your honey to get your bride and groom pictures done. If you want more ideas, check out how to downsize to an intimate wedding and how to make it special.

If you’d rather keep it traditional and not see each other until you’re walking down the aisle, all of the group photos are taken immediately following the ceremony.

Micro Wedding Timeline Examples

Now that you have some idea of your micro wedding timeline, we have a couple examples of timelines. The first is a micro wedding day timeline in its basic form. This should help to set the framework of the day.

4pm – 5pm – Getting Ready

5:00pm – First Look

5:45pm – Family & Group Photos

6:30pm – Ceremony

7:00pm – 7:45pm – Bride & Groom Photos

7:20pm – Sunset

7:30pm Dinner & Reception

We suggest making your getting ready portion of the day extra special with a hike or fun adventure. Our suggested timeline looks like this:

6:30am – 7:30am – Sunrise hike and photos

9am – 11am – wake up call, breakfast and yoga with your bride tribe

11am – hair and makeup starts

3pm – photo and video team arrives for getting ready photos and details

3:45pm – bride in her dress and groom finishes getting ready

4pm – bridesmaid photos

4:20pm – groomsmen photos

4:30pm – live music artist shows up for set up and practice

4:40pm – bride portraits

5pm – tucked away in bridal suite to relax

5:30pm – guests make their way to ceremony location6pm – ceremony starts

6:20pm – ceremony ends, full wedding party photos

6:30pm- family & group photos

6:45pm – 7:45pm – cocktail hour, band plays

6:50pm – bride and groom photos // sunset

7:30pm7:50pm – bride and groom entrance & dinner

8:30pm – cake cutting, toasts and champagne “cheers”

8:40pm – couple’s first dance followed by sparkler exit

9pm – couple joins photo and video team for s’mores by the campfire photos

9:30pm – photo and video team departs

Don’t forget – this day is SPECIAL

No matter what you choose to do on your big day, you have created a day hand picked just for you. You’ve made a day just for you, and you’re sure to enjoy every second of it. These intimate gatherings give couples the option to express themselves and your love in a unique way. You can create an experience for you and your guests that no one will ever forget.

Your day should be fun and authentic to you. Choosing activities that are special to you and your families bring you together and gives you a chance to share an experience together. Big or small, elopement or micro wedding, your wedding day is your own. And it’s special! Let the timeline serve as a guide to keep your day on track. You can use it as your very own idea board too! Keep the ideas flowing! There’s no limit to the celebration of your love!

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