The right time! It is very important that as a bride you aim to arrive as close to the correct start time as possible. The reason for this is that even if you arrive 15 minutes late (viewed by some as the tradition!) it takes 15 minutes away from the time you have to take photographs or even time from your reception. Remember also that once your wedding car arrives it can often take up to 15 minutes to get you and your bridal party out of the car, give the photographer ample opportunity to take photos and get you ready to walk up the aisle. Fortunately nowadays guests are fairly punctual. In fact in our experience many are arriving particularly early. In the unlikely event that a bride arrives before many of the guests the simple suggestion is to wait – either at the venue or literally in a nearby side street. The only exception we suggest is when your ceremony is on a Friday. Since many guests will probably be coming from work or rushing from home (in Friday afternoon traffic!), we suggest the time you put on your invitation is 15 minutes earlier than the real time the bride intends to arrive. This gives guests a bit more time and they will simply think the bride is 15 minutes ‘traditionally late’.
