“My groomsmen are going to show up late and not dressed, I just know it,” one of my bride’s said as we stood inline for coffee.

I gave her a smile. “So, I have the same problem with Robert… Do you know what I do?!”

She turned her head to look at me “What?!” She said quizzically.

“I make sure he knows exactly when I want him to show up… 2o minutes before the ACTUAL go time.”

Early is always better than late. It’s never easy to get the guys ready and moving the day of.  Getting them in their suits and showing up for photos on time. Nothing against the guys, you know I love all the energy and vibrance the groomsmen bring to your special day. But, we all know how important it is to try to keep to the timeline. There is a lot to get done in such a short amount of time and we want every moment captured with the love and time it deserves. That’s why, I always suggest telling the groomsmen to be almost fully dressed 20 minutes before the time I actually need them ready! You might be thinking, Yael how can you lie! But trust me, it always takes the men more time than they think to get dressed. I mean, the pocket squares alone are always a trial and error situation. By the time my Second Shooter knocks on the door for the Groom getting ready photos, the men should have their pants on, shoes on, undershirts on and even dress shirts on! Trust me on this one, it makes things go a lot smoother. So, in other words, if your timeline says “Groom getting ready photos: 2pm” tell them “Getting Ready photos will start at 1:40pm.”