Change after the last moment you want photographed in your ceremony look and before the first moment you want in the reception look. That may be after portraits, after the first dance, after dinner or before the dance floor opens. The right point comes from your own list of must-have moments.
Mark the moments
Put the entrance, first dance, speeches, dinner, cake cutting and open dancing on one page. DJ Angel Alba’s planning guide, for example, places the entrance and first dance before dinner, then parent dances and open dancing later. Alba builds each couple’s timeline with their planner and venue, so use the example to start a conversation with your own team instead of copying its order.
Changing after portraits keeps the ceremony outfit in the formal photographs and gives the reception look an early entrance. Waiting until after the first dance keeps that moment with the ceremony look. A change after dinner gives the first outfit more of the evening, while a change before cake or open dancing places the second look in those later photographs. Choose the moments you want in each look before setting a time.
Rehearse the gap
Confirm the changing room, walking time, fastenings, shoes and any jewellery or hair adjustment. If the second look includes a Room 22 corset, review our corset lacing guide with the person helping you. The guide explains our pre-laced bunny-ears method; rehearsing your exact outfit gives you the timing to put in the schedule.
Your final timeline should show when the change starts and when you’ll be back. Share both times with the photographer and coordinator so nobody calls you for a photograph, speech or entrance while you’re away.