Timeline Help - Getting Dressed?

It took me less than 10 minutes to get dressed, and also less than 10 minutes to change into my reception dress. That being said, I didn’t have staged photos of people helping me get dressed, put on my accessories, etc. If you are doing those photos, I would consult with your photographer how long they think those pictures will take.

It took me about 10 minutes to get dressed as well. This included taking a few getting ready pictures with my maid of honor. The photographer came by 30 minutes before the ceremony and was surprised I wasn't dressed yet. I knew that it would not take long to get my dress and veil on.

View Quoted Comment I am so intrigued by the concept of having 2 dresses! What made you decide to go that route, and what were the style differences between 1st dress and 2nd? We are doing a private ceremony on the beach, just us and our parents so if anything I would wear the more casual sundress to the beach and then change into the fancy party dress.

View Quoted Comment There were actually two reasons I decided to wear multiple dresses!

1. Convenience and comfort - my ceremony dress had a huge train, and I didn’t want to lug it around all night or worry about people trying not to step on it.

2. My fiancé really wanted the first time he saw me in my dress to be at the altar, but it made more sense for us to do photos with our WP before the ceremony. So I kept the fact I had 2 dresses a secret, and wore the second dress for our “first look” photos. Then I quickly changed into my big ceremony dress right before walking down the aisle. So he still got the surprise of seeing me in my dress for the first time when I walked down the aisle!

I will say, looking at pictures, I'm so glad I had a wardrobe change! You get SO many pictures from your photographer, and there's only so many photos I can look at the same dress in LOL The 2 dresses really broke up the photos and made them more interesting. I think it would be really cool to have a wardrobe change from your beachy wedding dress to a fun party dress!

View Quoted Comment Aww I love the surprise dress and the tradition of your fiance not wanting to see your dress until he saw you at the altar!! That must have been a wonderful surprise for him!! I initially thought we were going to do the ceremony in a courthouse on a different day than the reception, but now it looks like we’ll be doing it in the afternoon on the beach adjacent to the venue, followed by the reception about 2 hours later. I love the designer Nicole Miller and bookmarked a lacy vintage sundress of hers, originally thinking I’d wear it at the reception and a fancier dress for the ceremony - but now I’m thinking I’m gonna flip that around and start off in the sundress for the beach part. So many exciting possibilities!