Suite Sheets: A How To Guide
Not looking forward to feeling rushed and fielding a million questions from your own bridesmaids & groomsmen the morning of your wedding? Might I recommend Suite Sheets?!
What is a Suite Sheet?
Suite Sheets are the affectionate term that I gave to a document that holds important details for your wedding party to reference the morning of your wedding. This document goes in your bride and groom suites and it should include a schedule, contact information, and important details for your people to know.
Want to use my template? Get an editable version here.
Why do I need one?
Suite Sheets help keep your people organized! The more information you can put directly in front of someone’s face, the less likely it is for you to be the one to answer their questions. Groomsmen will know when they’re expected somewhere and where that is. Bridesmaids will know who is next in the hair and makeup chair. And EVERYONE will know how to line up for the ceremony!
Bridal Suite Sheets
Each set of Suite Sheets will look a little different because each group has a different schedule and different needs. Here are some ideas for information you can include in the Bridal Suite Sheet.
Contacts
Vendors – You’ll need your Coordinator, your venue contact, and your hair and makeup contact information on hand in case someone needs to make a call or ask a question.
Bridesmaids – Including all of your bridesmaids’ contact information onto a document prevents you from being the one to go through your phone in case you need to get in touch with one of them.
Moms – We always need our mom! Having your mom and your partner’s mom on the contact list is always a good idea.
Assignees – If you assigned anyone to anything important for the day (like picking up dessert or decorating the ceremony space) it might be a good idea to have their contact info out for someone else to check-in and answer questions for you.
Places
Your getting ready suite – You might not always be getting ready in the same location as your significant other or as your ceremony. Having the address and contact info available will help in case any coordinating needs to be done.
Your partner’s getting ready location – If you are both getting ready somewhere else it’s a good idea to have both locations listed out for the same reason as is listed above.
Ceremony/Reception Location – Definitely include your venue’s address and contact information so that your wedding party has the right location. If your ceremony and reception are happening at different venues, include both addresses on your Suite Sheet.
Lunch – If you are having lunch catered or are having someone pick it up you should include this location in your Places section. Even if it’s Panera, adding the address ensures that the pick up/delivery AND the order both came from the same spot.
Details
Rules – If your venue or getting ready location has strict rules regarding food or alcohol this is a good place to include that information (as well as let everyone know beforehand).
Packing List – This is a good idea to include only if you are sending out your Suite Sheets before the day of. Having a quick reminder in your details section will ensure that everyone is prepared.
End of Night Reminders – If you have already had the discussion with your wedding party and everyone has agreed to help clean up at the end of the night it would be a good idea to put the reminder and the times in this section. No one likes being surprised with more work at the end of a very fun night.
Picture Policy – Everybody loves a good selfie with the happy couple, and your wedding party is no different! However if you would rather your wedding party wait to post photos after the ceremony then you need to add this reminder and tell your wedding party that morning. Here is a good wording choice if you need help with this.
“While we want you to take all the pictures you’d like (you look amazing by the way), please do not POST any before the ceremony unless otherwise instructed. Afterwards, POST AWAY!“
Morning Schedule
Since the girls’ morning schedule is typically different from the boys, I would recommend adding the getting ready and the photo schedule until the two merge and everyone is doing the same thing. I’ll include an example schedule for the girls:
Morning Schedule
9:00 AM – Vendors Arrive: Hair and Makeup; Coffee at hotel
9:10 AM – Hair & Makeup Begins
Hair Order: BM 3, BM 2, MOH, Bride, MOB
Makeup Order: Bride, MOB, MOH, BM 2, BM 3
11:00 AM – Vendors Arrive: Coordinator; Setup begins
11:30 AM – Groomsmen arrive at venue
11:45 AM – Lunch Arrives: Panera order to hotel/venue
12:00 PM – Vendors Arrive: Photo/Video; detail shots
1:00 PM – Bride arrives at venue
Photos & First Looks
1:15 PM – Mock getting ready photos
1:30 PM – Bride & Groom dressed; Gift exchange
1:50 PM – First Looks with parents; bridesmaids arrive at venue
2:00 PM – First Look Bride & Groom; Exchange letters
2:45 PM – Bride & Bridesmaids formal photos
3:15 PM – Groom & Groomsmen formal photos
3:30 PM – Full wedding party photos
4:00 PM – Wedding party toast; everyone in holding rooms
Groom Suite Sheets
The groom’s Suite Sheets (or your partner who isn’t doing hair and makeup) will most likely look very similar to the bride’s minus the hair and makeup schedule. However I’d like to a few alternative options and ideas.
Contacts
Transportation – More often than not, the groom is responsible for the getaway car. If you are renting one or going through a service having their contact information readily available is a must. This is also great if everyone is riding together to the venue and you have an existing agreement with a service. That way the groom is not the only one with the contact information.
Barber/Stylist – If a barber is coming in to style hair the morning of this would be a good contact to add to the list.
Places
Rentals – Sometimes couples have an agreement with the rental company to pick items up on the day of the wedding. While I don’t think this is a good responsibility to place on the groom or groomsmen, the contact information and the location is great to have in case they are coordinating with the person who is in fact picking everything up.
Details
Activities – If you groom’s crew has a lot of hang time in the morning it could be fun to add some games or activities they can do together. They’ll most likely sit around and talk, but you never know when a fun idea will get used!
Important Reminders – If your groom is the forgetful type, use this space to remind him to write you a note, or to tell the groomsmen that beer is in the mini-fridge.
Morning Schedule
The boys will probably have more free time in the morning and, because of this, will have a shorter schedule. You might be able to use the extra space to add the addresses INTO the schedule itself for them to reference. Here’s an example of a morning schedule for the guys.
Morning Schedule
11:00 AM – Groomsmen meet at groom’s house
11:30 AM – Groomsmen arrive at venue
11:45 AM – Lunch Arrives: Panera order to hotel/venue
12:00 PM – Vendors Arrive: Photo/Video; detail shots
1:00 PM – Bride arrives at venue; Groom in hiding
1:10 PM – Groomsmen dressed and ready
Photos & First Looks
1:15 PM – Mock getting ready photos
1:30 PM – Bride & Groom dressed; Gift exchange
1:50 PM – First Looks with parents; bridesmaids arrive
2:00 PM – First Look Bride & Groom; Exchange letters
2:45 PM – Bride & Bridesmaids formal photos
3:15 PM – Groom & Groomsmen formal photos
3:30 PM – Full wedding party photos
4:00 PM – Wedding party toast; everyone in holding rooms
Full Schedule (for both suites)
This part is where the schedules merge, so you can create a separate page that goes into both rooms. The actual order of events is important, but also take into consideration who this schedule is for. This document should answer questions like: Where does the wedding party need to be at this time? When do I want them to start lining up for things? Are they eating at a different time from the guests? If so, where would they go to do that? Here’s an example to help get you started.
Ceremony Schedule
4:00 PM – Wedding party in holding rooms
4:20 PM – Line up for Processional
Mother of the Bride / Usher
Mother of the Groom / Groom
Father of the Groom
Junior Bridesmaid / Junior Groomsman
Bridesmaid / Groomsman
Bridesmaid / Groomsman
Bridesmaid / Groomsman
Maid of Honor / Best Man
Bride / Father of the Bride
4:30 PM – Ceremony Begins!
Pre-Reception Schedule
5:00 PM – Cocktails and Activities on the patio
5:10 PM – Family photos
5:55 PM – Wedding party line up for entrance
Junior Bridesmaid / Junior Groomsman
Bridesmaid / Groomsman
Bridesmaid / Groomsman
Bridesmaid / Groomsman
Maid of Honor / Best Man
Bride / Groom
6:00 PM – Guests released to reception
Reception Schedule
6:10 PM – Wedding party entrance!
6:15 PM – First Dance; B&G Thank You speech
6:30 PM – Blessing for Dinner; Bride & Groom sunset photos
7:00 PM – Father of the Bride, MOH, Best Man Toasts
7:15 PM – Special Dances (Father/Daughter, Mother Son)
7:25 PM – Dance floor opens
8:30 PM – Dessert table opens with cake & cookies
8:45 PM – Group photo on dance floor
9:55 PM – Bride & Groom send-off
10:00 PM – Wedding party change; Venue cleanup begins
11:00 PM – Hard out. All personal and vendor items packed.
In Conclusion
There are so many ways to get your crew organized on your wedding day, but this is by far the easiest and one of my favorites. Use my Canva template to get you started, or just dive right in and make your own!
Would you rather have me make one specifically for you? Check out our Services page and get in touch! Here at AAnd Then Weddings we’re dedicated to helping you plan your amazing day YOUR way.
