One of the key concerns couples bring to me is putting together their wedding day timeline. They don’t know where to start and the task overwhelms them.
Putting together the timeline or, as I call it, your ‘Run-of-show' is literally one of my favorite parts of the planning process. It soothes me to think I have all the micro-events organized in a timely manner that makes sense. I also LOVE writing the actual time on the day when an event took place in the margins so I can see if we’re off by a couple of minutes and if we’ll need to adjust. I find it so gratifying to say we were on time to the minute.
Putting Together a Wedding Day Timeline
In today’s blog post, I’m going to walk you through the process of putting together your timeline and even give you a sample timeline so that you can add to it and adjust it for your needs.
It’s important to have at least the framework of your day when you’re reaching out to your vendors so you know potentially how long you’ll need their services and where the vendor fits into the overall timeline of the day. A wedding with a 1:00 pm ceremony and a 7:00 pm dinner feels very different from a wedding with a 4:00 pm ceremony and a 5:00 pm dinner.
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Step 1: Decide the Start time for your Reception and Ceremony
If you’re getting married at a place of worship, they will likely only have 1 or 2 slots from which you can choose, so choosing the ceremony start time will be easy.
If your ceremony is at the same venue as your dinner reception, I recommend starting it 1 hour before your reception. You can start it earlier, but you’ll need to build in time for your guests to travel from the ceremony to the reception.
If you can avoid it, try not to have too much time between your ceremony end time and your reception start time. No matter how many hints you give to your family, they *WILL* arrive early to your reception if they have nowhere else to go, which isn’t fair to your venue if they’re planning on guests arriving 30 minutes later.
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Step 2: Choose Your Reception End Time
Many people want to go into the wee hours of the morning. While that’s fun, that can also have an impact on your budget. (The more hours of dancing and open bar, the higher the cost.)
Some venues also have specific curfews when amplified music can end, such as 10:00 pm or 11:00 pm.
I think it’s better to end the part around 10:00 pm and then have an After Party for the younger crowd. You could even have the band for the main party and hire a DJ for the After Party.
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Step 3: Choose a Getting Ready Start Time
The time you begin getting ready will depend on the size of your wedding party, who needs services; how many stylists and artists you hire; and when you need to be ready for photos.
The decision to have a First Look with each other or a parent depends on each couple. Many photographers and I recommend having one, or at least having a lot of the group portraits taken before the ceremony so you have more time to visit with your guests during your cocktail hour and to break up all the photos. But again, it depends on you.
Having a First Look or an earlier ceremony time or a large wedding party who need hair and makeup services will push your start time up earlier, so definitely consider having multiple stylists so you don’t have to start getting ready at 6:00 am. It’s a long day for everyone when that happens and is usually hard to do when people have been celebrating the night before at your Rehearsal Dinner and Welcome Party.
Step 4: Plan Out Your Dinner
Now that you have the major events accounted for, you can start to build in the smaller micro-events, like your speeches, toasts, dances, and cake cutting.
I recommend starting with a blessing and a short welcome and then moving quickly into dinner. Guests always look forward to the food, so don’t hold them hostage at their seats with nothing to eat or drink.
Serve the food and once the staff has served everyone their entree, it’s okay to start with your toasts and speeches.
You can also opt to have your first dance at the beginning right when you’re introduced as a married couple, but save the parent dances for later.
It’s always nice to have your parent dances or cake cutting kick off the opening of the dance floor as many will already be standing.
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Step 5: Build in Transition Time
It’s wise to build in the transition time between the different events. Most people don’t take time to build in travel time from walking to your hotel room to your first look, or everyone boarding the limo, but these transitions also take time.
They also add cushion to your day so you don’t get too far behind and feel rushed.
Step 6: Add in Your Vendor Setup & Departure Times
This will come as you begin to refine your day. Once you’ve shared your overall framework with your vendors and venue, they’ll have a better idea of when they need to arrive and be ready to go. Don’t stress too much about this as it will evolve as you continue with your planning.
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Conclusion: How to Put Together a Smooth Wedding Day Timeline
I hope this blog post helps you feel empowered and excited to put together your wedding day timeline. If you think of your wedding as a string of micro-events that come together over time, it’s much more manageable and less intimidating.
I’ve also put together a wedding day timeline bundle for you to use to put together your wedding day timeline. CLICK HERE to grab your template so you can feel assured that you’ve covered all your bases and you’re not forgetting anything.
If you want more help putting together your day, make sure you add yourself to the waitlist for the Wedding Manner Planner. I devote an entire module to this topic so you can make sure your day is smooth and flawless.
If You Scrolled to the Bottom
Putting together your wedding day of timeline is easier than you think when you break it down into manageable pieces.
- 1: Choose your reception and ceremony start time
- 2: Choose your reception end time
- 3: Choose your getting ready start time
- 4: Plan out your dinner
- 5: Build in Transition times
- 6: Add in your vendor setup and departure times
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