Free wedding tool · 20 seconds
Free Hair and Makeup Timeline Calculator
Work out what time hair and makeup have to start, scheduled backwards from the ceremony, with a chair-by-chair running order.
Start hair and makeup at
10:00
Everyone is finished by 13:45, which leaves 45 minutes for photographs and 30 to travel before a 15:00 start.
People in the chair
10
Hair takes
4h 45m
Makeup takes
3h 20m
Ready by
13:45
Your morning
Everything is scheduled backwards from the ceremony.
The schedule
Print this and put it on the wall. Whoever is going last should be whoever needs to look freshest.
| Start | Finish | Chair | Who | Service |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10:00 | 10:45 | Hair 1 | Person 1 | Hair |
| 10:00 | 10:40 | Makeup 1 | Person 1 | Makeup |
| 10:40 | 11:20 | Makeup 1 | Person 2 | Makeup |
| 10:45 | 11:30 | Hair 1 | Person 2 | Hair |
| 11:20 | 12:00 | Makeup 1 | Person 3 | Makeup |
| 11:30 | 12:15 | Hair 1 | Person 3 | Hair |
| 12:00 | 12:40 | Makeup 1 | Person 4 | Makeup |
| 12:15 | 13:00 | Hair 1 | Person 4 | Hair |
| 12:40 | 13:20 | Makeup 1 | Person 5 | Makeup |
| 13:00 | 13:45 | Hair 1 | Person 5 | Hair |
Why it helps
- The one number that matters: what time you actually have to start
- A running order per chair, so nobody is left waiting
- Warns you when the maths means a five in the morning alarm
The quiet hours
The getting-ready room is where the best unposed photos happen.
OnceRoll gives everyone in the room a shared camera, so the morning is covered even before the photographer arrives.
Keep planning
Tools that go with this one
Related reading
More on planning this part
Frequently asked questions
Getting-Ready Timeline questions
What time should hair and makeup start on a wedding day?
Work backwards, never forwards. Take the ceremony time, subtract travel and photographs, then subtract the longest chair's full queue — that is your start time, and it is usually earlier than people guess.
How long does bridal hair and makeup take?
Around 45 minutes for hair and 40 for makeup per person is a reasonable planning figure, with the bride usually taking longer. Ask your stylist for their own numbers and put those in.
How many stylists do we need?
Add a second chair and you roughly halve the morning. If this tool is telling you to start before seven, another stylist is almost always cheaper than the alternative.