Your wedding day is a symphony of details, and the sooner you secure your key vendors, the smoother your planning journey will be. Most top professionals book 12 to 18 months in advance, so start your vendor hunt as soon as you’ve set a date and secured your venue.
When selecting your professional vendors, ask questions and take notes. For your timeline, you will want to know details such as:
- What equipment will you be bringing, and is there anything you need the venue to supply?
- How long will it take to set up and break down?
- Do you bring backups and have alternate plans for situations that may arise, such as inclement weather?
Your Wedding Vendor Timeline for Booking
Before you start booking wedding pros left and right, there’s actually a smart game plan to follow. Think of booking vendors like building blocks – you need the foundation pieces in place before adding the rest! Following this strategy (especially for those first few vendors) will save you major headaches down the road and help everything fall into place much more smoothly.
12 to 18 Months Before: Book Your Core Wedding Vendors
A wedding vendor timeline should always start with the venue, caterer, and photographer, since these vendors book out fastest.
- Venue: This is your first priority—your date isn’t confirmed until you secure your venue.
- Caterer: Essential for guest satisfaction and overall experience, including bar service.
- Wedding Planner: If utilizing full-service planning, engage them at the earliest stage.
- Photographer/Videographer: Book immediately after confirming your venue, as quality professionals typically only handle one wedding per day.
9 to 12 Months Before: Round Out Your Vendor Team
Most couples build out the rest of their wedding vendor timeline 9 to 12 months before the wedding, booking the DJ, florist, officiant, and hair and makeup team.
- DJ/Musicians: Research professionals who can handle both ceremony and reception music needs.
- Attire: Begin shopping early, as wedding attire often requires significant production time.
- Florist: Determine your floral budget before meeting with potential vendors to ensure realistic planning.
- Officiant: Secure someone who can create a ceremony reflecting your values and preferences.
- Hair and Makeup Artists: Schedule trials well in advance to finalize your wedding day appearance.
- Lodging: Arrange hotel blocks for out-of-town guests in convenient locations. At Rough and Ready Vineyards, we offer on-site lodging for up to 16 people, making it easy for the wedding party or close family to relax and prepare for the big day.
- Stationery: Source designs for save-the-dates (to be sent 6 to 8 months before) and invitations (to be sent 6 to 8 weeks before).
6 to 9 Months Before: Lock In Final Vendor Details
By 6 to 9 months before the wedding, a complete vendor timeline should include the baker and all rental coordination.
- Baker: Select a professional who offers both aesthetic appeal and quality taste.
- Rentals: Coordinate with your venue and caterer regarding necessary items such as tables, chairs, linens, flatware, and glassware. Our unique Something Borrowed Barn gives couples the opportunity to select from thousands of décor items to freely use throughout the venue on their special day. From rustic accents to timeless statement pieces, it’s all included in your package – no extra fees, no added stress.
Throughout the planning process, maintain organized records of vendor contact information, payment schedules, and important details to ensure smooth coordination.
Once your vendors are selected, and you have their information, you can begin planning your timeline. Free online timeline templates can help with the planning, or you can just outline your timeline in a notebook. There is no right or wrong. Just do what is most comfortable for you.
Wedding Vendor Timeline and Details on Your Wedding Day
Part of your timeline planning will involve working with your photographer and Venue Manager regarding the details and timing of your wedding day events. They can advise you on how much time you need to ensure smooth transitions and plenty of time for each event to allow for a buffer if one item is taking longer or another is going quickly.
You want to be sure all of your wedding day events that you want to experience and your guests to enjoy are on your timeline. Ensuring you’ve added all events to your timeline will direct your vendors and guests to know where to be and when. As a result, your guests can celebrate with you and not miss any fun activities or memorable moments.
Here is a general timeline of what you can expect on your wedding day:
Two hours before the start of your ceremony
DJ will arrive and complete their ceremony and reception set-ups. That way, they’re ready to play pre-ceremony music half an hour before. When your guests arrive, they can enjoy a welcoming environment!
Two hours before the start of meal service
The caterer will arrive. Some items require more time if they cook onsite and will come accordingly. All of your meal service items will be set up before your ceremony so as not to interrupt the flow of your wedding events.
A few hours before your ceremony
Your photographer will arrive if you have chosen to have some getting-ready, first-look, or family photos before your ceremony.
Various times before ceremony
All of your specialty vendors will arrive according to when their services are planned.
Take the time to make a detailed timeline and then have a pre-picked, reliable individual in charge of checking in with each vendor as they arrive to ensure they have all they need. Make sure there is contact information for each vendor on the timeline in case a vendor doesn’t show up on time. Your timeline keeper can reach out to them for an estimated time of arrival.
Wedding Vendor Etiquette: Who to Feed and When
Many brides and grooms wonder which vendors they should feed at their wedding reception. You will want to add the vendors providing a service during the reception, such as the photographer, videographer, wedding planner/coordinator, bartender, and DJ.
Once you’ve added these professionals to your dinner service, submit a final headcount to your caterer. Most likely, your florist, makeup artist, baker, and officiant have all departed by the time dinner is served, so there is no need to include them in your vendor meal count.
Wedding Vendor Tipping Guidelines
Wedding vendor tips typically range from 15–20% of the service cost for staff-based vendors like bartenders and catering teams, and $50–300 flat for solo professionals like DJs and photographers.
As with any service gratuity, this is at your discretion. If you want to be sure your vendor knows what an amazing job they did and thank them for going above and beyond for your event, a gratuity or gift is a great way to show them your thanks. Always leave your vendor a review on Google, too. It won’t cost you anything and it will significantly impact their local business!
Here are a few guidelines that are universal and industry-wide:
- Bartenders 15-20% of alcohol total
- Catering staff 15-20% of food and beverage total
- Transportation 15-20%
- Parking valets $1-2 per car
- Catering/banquet manager $100-300
- Servers and kitchen staff $20-30 each
- Chef $50-100
Tipping the vendors on your hair and makeup team is good etiquette. Remember to tip for any deliveries begin made, as well as your officiant. Here are some tipping guidelines for these vendors:
- Deliveries $5-$50 per delivery personnel (after they complete the delivery)
- Officiant $50-$100 donation or a gift (given at your rehearsal)
- Hair & makeup 15-25% of service cost (after services are completed)
Etiquette does not expect you to tip these vendors. However, if they did an excellent job, you might consider tipping:
- Wedding coordinator/planner 15-20% of the fee or a gift (after the honeymoon)
- DJ 15-20% of their fee (at the reception)
- Live musicians $15-50 each (at the reception)
- Photo booth attendant $25-100 (at the reception)
- Photographer $50-200 or a gift (at the reception)
- Videographer $50-200 or a gift (at the reception)
Always read through your signed contract with your vendor, as they may have already added gratuity to your total. Typically, this is the case for caterers and their team members.
Be sure to check when booking transportation for you or your guests, as this tip is also usually included in their contract.
Wedding Vendor Timeline Frequently Asked Questions
How far in advance should I book my wedding vendors?
Start with your venue, caterer, and photographer 12 to 18 months before your wedding, since top professionals often book a year or more out. Round out the rest of your vendor timeline (DJ, florist, officiant, hair and makeup) 9 to 12 months before, and finalize details like your baker and rentals 6 to 9 months out.
What should be included in a wedding vendor timeline?
A complete wedding vendor timeline should list every vendor’s arrival time, setup and breakdown duration, and contact information, along with a designated point person to check vendors in as they arrive on the day.
Which wedding vendors get fed at the reception?
Vendors providing a service during the reception, typically the photographer, videographer, wedding planner/coordinator, bartender, and DJ, should be included in your final headcount to the caterer.
How much should I tip my wedding vendors?
Tipping varies by vendor type: bartenders and catering staff usually get 15–20% of the total, while solo vendors like photographers, videographers, and DJs are typically tipped $50–200 or 15–20% of their fee.
Do I need a wedding vendor timeline if I have a wedding planner?
Yes, even with a full-service planner, having your own vendor timeline keeps you informed of who’s arriving when and gives you a backup reference if questions come up on the day.
Your Wedding Day Timeline
Having a detailed timeline and planning ahead can take a lot of stress out of your special day. Consider having labeled envelopes with the tips for your vendors made up ahead of time. Enlist one of your bridesmaids or groomsmen to hand out the tips at the end of your event.
Think about printing out your timeline to distribute it to your vendors. As a result, everyone is on the same page and knows when you need them to provide their service.
Your vendor timeline isn’t the only thing worth planning ahead for. Wedding insurance is worth a look too, in case anything changes. Plan and prepare ahead of time so you can enjoy your day without any worries!
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on September 5, 2023, and has since been updated.
Heather, an Event Manager for the Rough & Ready Vineyards, oversees the day-to-day operations. She takes satisfaction in seeing everyone happy and is always grateful for the opportunity to make this happen. Heather enjoys meeting with brides-to-be in order to gather the details needed to ensure their wedding day is perfect! “Every wedding and reception at the Rough & Ready Vineyards is so beautiful,” she says. “I love being able to see people enjoy the amazing venue we have created here!”
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