Should bridesmaids be ready at same time as the bride?

We had bridesmaids be ready by the time I was getting in my dress. So they were in their dresses helping me get in my dress and we took reaction shots of them seeing me for the first time. If you won’t have them involved in any pictures like that then it’s fine to not have them be ready. But it might look strange in pictures if they aren’t ready and you are fully ready in your dress. It’s definitely personal preference though.

No it's not weird. I'm curious why you think it would be weird? They don't need to be ready until the photographer needs them for pics.

My bridal party was not ready till after me. I had a very similar timeline as you and I did my pictures and first looks while they were still getting ready. The only other people that had hair and makeup done before the rest of the bridal party was my mom and sister (MOH). My sister was the one that helped me in my dress and did those pictures, but she did not have her dress on yet. The only thing that was done for her was hair and makeup. Same for my mom.

While I was doing first look and pictures everyone else was finishing up getting ready and they just met me at the venue. My mom came with me to all the first look and other pictures, but just brought her outfit with her and changed right before formal portraits!

Hope that made sense and it helps!

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Kelly I hadn't thought of that, thank you. I'm just wondering if they were ready at the same time as me, what they would do for that 1 1/2 until they are needed for pictures?

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Hang out. When I was in my MOH's wedding, we were all ready but not dressed when she was getting into her dress. We had cute robes though so the pictures turned out well. Then she left to go do first look with her dad and now husband and we got dressed then drove over to the venue and hung out in the side room with all the groomsmen until it was time for wedding party pictures. No one seemed bothered by it.

View Quoted Comment We did a first look with my dad and then first look with my husband before wedding party pictures similar to what you are doing. The girls touched up their makeup, hung out, and drank mimosas until it was time for them!

I did a first look at noon but the bridal party photos did not begin until 1:30. So I said they didn’t need to be ready until 1:15pm. As another person said if you don’t plan on having photos of them helping you get ready then it’s not a big deal if they are ready after you. I just had my mom helping me get ready as that was a special moment for us. Also Having them finish getting ready after me helped with the flow of the day. Hair and makeup started at 8:30am, we had two hair dressers and one makeup artisrt and the timing was perfect with me being done by 11:30am and the bridesmaids being done by 1pm.

I think your timeline sounds good. It’s similar to what I’m thinking. I actually want my BMs to still be getting ready while I’m doing my first look so that the HMUA will still be there afterwards. (Makeup touchup and im planning on saving my veil as a “surprise” for the ceremony so I’ll need her to put it in after the first look.)