Today on the blog we wanted to address what the average wedding day looks like for our team. This is the time of year when we get tons of inquiries from interested brides and grooms. We know there are skeptics out there that wonder what they are paying for with a month-of coordinator, and if our services are worthwhile. We believe that knowledge is power, and that you should know as much about our process as you can before deciding if you want to work with us!  Bearing that in mind, we wanted to present…

Our Average Wedding Day Schedule!

Depending on the type of service you select with our team, we’ll have a lot or a moderate amount of contact before your wedding day. Regardless of the service, in the 6-8 weeks leading up to the wedding day, we spend a lot of time with you and your vendors. We do a thorough venue walkthrough and we meet with you to finalize all of your details, timings, floor plans and seating chart. We also attend your rehearsal and coach your bridal party through their entrances. We teach them how best to walk down the aisle so the photographer can capture happy smiles and happy tears. There are lots of good times and lots of laughs, and we aim to keep you nice and relaxed straight through to the wedding day.

Start Time on the Average Wedding Day

6:00-10:00am

On the average wedding day, we are up and caffeinated by 6:00am. We begin by confirming that our bride and groom are awake and ready to tackle the first line item on their schedule. As we sip our warm bevvies, we send quick messages or make calls to your vendors to confirm that they’re on schedule. After slamming back some breakfast and hauling on pantyhose, we pack up our car(s) with your wedding favours, table numbers, schedules, copies of your speeches and entrance music, give lots of hugs and kisses as we split up and head to your ceremony and reception sites.

Okay, I lied. We stop for another cup of coffee and then head to your ceremony and reception sites.

A good caffeine fix.. we can’t resist it!

Once we arrive on site, we ensure that your ceremony decor is set up. The requirements and time commitment here vary by type of wedding ceremony. Either way, we check in with the officiant or religious official, ensure the ceremony decor is set up correctly, and check in with the bridal party. On the average wedding day, we build in extra time for hair and makeup and transportation to the ceremony site. In our experience these areas are the number one causes for late starts to the day. Still, we like to make a quick call to the group to find out if we’re on schedule. Average wedding day.

At the Ceremony site – 10:00am – 3:00pm or so

We head over to your ceremony site to make sure that everything is set up correctly. Photo: The Hilton Mississauga/Meadowvale

At this point your ceremony space is set up beautifully, we’ve checked in with your vendors and one of a few things may be happening. Some of our couples opt to do a first look, and this usually happens before the ceremony. We help facilitate this to make sure that the photographers get the most genuine reaction. We’ll then assist with pinning on boutonnieres, jujjing dresses [you know – fluffing them up?] and doing a entrance quick run-through with the bridal party. We remind everyone to walk slow and smile, and check in with any children in the bridal party. We make sure our bride and groom are hydrated and have eaten. If not, into the emergency kit we go and give them a little snack. Once guests begin to arrive we instruct the bridal party to take their places.

We then help with the entrances by manning the doors. Once the bridal party is down the aisle, we’ll fix the bride’s veil, train and bouquet, give her a quick hug and remind her to take it slowly down the aisle and for Dad or other loved one to lift her veil before handing her off to the groom.

At the Reception site – 12:00pm – 5:00pm

During the ceremony, an assistant will oversee the reception space set up Photo: Tom Wang Photography

While the ceremony action is going on, we’ll also have another member of our team overseeing the set up of the reception space and setting up seating arrangements, cardboxes, guest favours, centerpieces and DIY decor. This will generally keep our lead or assistant busy right through to the start of the reception. We’ve coordinated weddings with guest lists over 500. That means 500 individual name cards and guest favours to place onto each setting.

Photo Sesh – 3:00pm – 6:00pm

We’ll help your photographers capture all of the shots you wanted for your wedding!

During photo time, we assist with herding the bridal party around and getting cooperation for the photography team. While we do love you and your bridal party to pieces, on the wedding day it’s not always easy to wrangle the group together to take photos. Yes, we all love a great selfie, but you’ve paid a professional photographer a great deal of money to capture high quality photos. We’ve realized that there is value to having an extra set of hands available to assist the photographer. And also to fluff the dresses a few more times. And maybe reapply your lipstick.

Cocktails, Canapés and Catered Delights – 6:00pm – 7:15pm

Once you photo session is nearing completion, we touch base with our team to ensure that the reception site is good to go, and that cocktail hour is going well. Our team back at your reception site are managing the logistics of your cocktail hour and ensuring that canapés and drinks are flowing smoothly.

At this point we’re in constant contact to make sure that your reception entrance, however we’ve planned it, is about to go down smoothly. Some couples prefer not to be seen until their grand entrance into the reception hall, and others choose to arrive during cocktail hour to mix and mingle a bit. Either way, one of our favourite moments is watching the look on your face when you see the surpassing gorgeousness of the décor for the first time. There’s nothing like it.

We take care of our couples! We make sure snacks are waiting for you during cocktail hour!

Also – we do our best to make sure there is a snack waiting for you and the bridal party in the bridal suite. Being gorgeous all day and taking fun pictures really is tiring, and we want you to be at your best before you start the main party!

We are now tasked with assisting your DJ/MC and family members gracefully move your guests from the cocktail hour space into the banquet hall. This is no small feat, since on our average wedding day; we end up with 400+ guests to artfully guide into the banquet hall. Most guests want to keep hanging out in the cocktail hour space and continue mixing and mingling. However, the Whimlets pride ourselves on keeping our weddings on time! We make friends with your guests throughout the day, that way when we have to deliver the ‘end of cocktail hour’ news; the devastation is at a minimum. Usually knowing that a sumptuous dinner waits is enough to get everyone hustling to their seats.

Dinner, Speeches and Happy Tears – 7:15pm – 9:30pm

After your parents and bridal party dance their way into the hall, as queued by the MC, it’s your turn! We do a quick fluff of the wedding gown, give lots of hugs and well wishes, and open the doors at the perfect moment and send you in to the deafening cheers of your guests! Once you’re seated, we slip into the hall and begin liaising with the catering manager on when to start service. Average wedding day

We facilitate your wedding entrances – and we loveeee this part! Our one regret is that we can’t see it from the vantage point of the guests – so seeing the photos afterwards always makes us smile! Photo: G+H Photography.

Timing is everything with the dinner courses – the last thing we want is for the service team to be clearing plates while your mom is giving her speech that she’s waited to give your entire life! We are constantly watching throughout the dinner festivities to ensure that our schedule and the kitchen’s schedule are perfectly synced. Lots goes on during the wedding day and it’s easy for the itinerary to be thrown off – our main goal during dinner is to make sure that the people you’ve elected to speak have the opportunity to do so with as little disruption as possible. There is a strong chance that we’re sipping coffee #10 by this point. Just kidding – it’s probably only #4 or #5.

Your wedding is full of special moments that you should be present for – let us manage the details. That way you can stay present in the moment. Photo: Accentuated Moments Photography

Also, I should mention – we love speeches. You see, I spend many months, sometimes years, working closely with my couples. I get to know you – your idiosyncrasies, your likes and dislikes, and the beautiful love story that you share with your intended. I love the speeches because I get to see you in the light that your closest friends and families see you, and the stories are always funny, sweet and endearing. I loathe having to step out of the hall during speeches. Average wedding day

Party, Cake, More Yumminess and Lots of Dancing – 9:30pm – 12:00am

At this point it’s time to get the party started! You may have opted to do your first dance earlier or maybe you’ve decided to do it now. Either way, at this point the guests have are full of wine, dinner and desert and are ready to party!

Enjoy the dance floor with your guests.. this is what everyone has been waiting for!

While you and your guests are partying it up, our team is setting up sweet tables, late night food stations and preparing the cake to be cut. We’ll pull you aside to remind you about throwing the bouquet and the garter toss, and late night photos if you’ve opted to have a session. We’re touching base with the photographer and videographer about milestones that they’ll want to capture for you.

We’re also keeping an eye out to make sure you’ve eaten enough, and that your parents/family members are enjoying themselves. We also check in with the DJ and MC and make sure that they have enough water and a snack, too. Average wedding day

End Time on the Average Wedding Day

The Grand Finale, Smiles and (Some) Tears – 12:00am-1:30am

All too soon, the bar is doing last call and we’re getting calls from your décor company to see if it’s time to come pack up. We get teary eyed knowing that our wedding journey with you is almost at an end. It seems funny that we started off as strangers meeting at our office and now we’re dear friends. We will let your family know where all your personal décor items are and do a quick survey of the room to make sure that your rentals are still where they ought to be. We chat with the catering manager and make sure the leftovers from your wedding cake is packed up properly, and we put aside a takeaway container of food for you to eat at your after party or hotel. We don’t want you to have to hunt for late night fast food!

Then, at the last moment, when we absolutely have to do it, we’ll take our leave. We give you lots of hugs, kisses and well wishes, get a little emotional, and promise to be in touch soon. We tell you how much we loved working with you, because we absolutely did. We then pack up our stuff and head to our cars. Before hopping in, we’ll high five the team and head off to our respective homes. Average wedding day.

Another beautiful, special wedding complete. It’s bittersweet for us, because we’ve come through, helped coordinate a wonderful wedding day, but we will missssss you. And there you have it. This is what an average wedding day looks like for our team. Full of laughs, great times and some tears. Seriously, I’m teary-eyed just writing this and reminiscing. Average wedding day

It’s a journey and we absolutely want to be there with you for it! Do we seem like the team of Toronto’s best wedding planners that you’d like to work with? If so, contact us today – we want to hear all about your wedding!

With Love,

The Whimlets