Your big day is drawing near. It’s all coming together beautifully, and you can’t wait to celebrate.
As you begin finalizing details, it’s important that you come up with a wedding timeline—a timeline that actually works for you.
Here’s everything you need to know about creating a workable timeline for your big day.
Wedding Day Timeline Overview
We’re breaking the timeline into sections, highlighting common wedding day events.
Since no two weddings are exactly alike, be sure to make any necessary adjustments so that your timeline accurately reflects your celebration.
Remember to account for the 30-5-minute rule which is, that what usually takes 5-minutes to complete on a normal day, may take 30-minutes on your wedding day.
Now, let’s get started on the timeline.
Getting Ready
Getting ready on your big day involves a lot more than getting ready. People will flock to you; you are the bride after all. There will be questions to answer, hugs to be had, and hairspray cans to hunt down.
As a rule of thumb, begin your hair and makeup 4-5 hours before the ceremony.
For capturing these beautiful, candid moments in the most cinematic way possible, a professional wedding videographer like Adam Gorham Films can make all the difference, preserving memories you will cherish forever.
Ceremony
Your wedding guests will start arriving and filling the seats about 30-minutes before the ceremony is scheduled to begin.
Many brides wait 10-minutes or so after the ceremony is scheduled to begin to make their entrance. This allows guests to settle in, and any people arriving last minute can quickly find their seats.
Time your ceremony beforehand so you have an idea of how long it will last. Most wedding ceremonies tend to be between 20 and 40-minutes long.
After the ceremony, be sure to reserve at least 30-minutes for post-ceremony wedding party pictures, while guests enjoy cocktail hour.
Reception
The reception kicks off with cocktail hour, which—you guessed it—is usually around an hour long.
After you two newlywed lovebirds make your grand entrance, the dinner service begins.
The amount of time you reserve for the dinner service depends on the number of guests in attendance, and the type of food you’re providing.
Be sure to speak with the caterer and servers to get an idea of how long service will take, especially if it’s a multi-course meal.
On average, the dinner portion lasts around an hour and a half.
As the cutlery gets set down, the table cleared, and the champagne flutes get passed around, it’s time for speeches and toasts.
Here’s where it may get a little off kilter. When it comes to toasts and speeches, some people tend to get swept up in the moment—especially if there’s alcohol involved.
This may lead to a reluctance to hand over the mic in a timely fashion.
If staying on time here is important, encourage those giving speeches to stick to a script, and give you an estimate of how long they’ll be commandeering the mic.
Typically, toasts last about 30-minutes, but are known to last much, much longer.
Dancing and Celebrating
The climax of the wedding reception is the music and dancing. This can go on as long as you’d like, you just need to make sure the venue is cleared out at the time stipulated in your contract
For many, the music and dancing lasts between 2 to 3-hours, with the couple making their big exit towards the end of the night.
Wedding Timeline Tips
Here are some final tips to help ensure the timeline runs smooth.
Include buffer time
Creating a time-buffer is a great way to not get too worried if things end up going off schedule.
Try to create a 30-minute buffer in between major events, and if you’re able to, give yourself an extra hour of prep time to absorb an unexpected delay.
Start hair and makeup earlier than you think you need to
Giving yourself more time to get ready than you think you’ll actually need can save you a ton of stress and heartache. Plus, it’s not just you who’s getting ready, your bridesmaids have to get all dressed up too.
Include time for your vendors to set up and breakdown
Before finalizing the timeline, make sure that what you’ve created works for all your vendors. If not, make any adjustments that they recommend.
Then, once the timeline is finalized, be sure to share it with your vendors so they know when to be ready, and when to start cleaning up.
It can also be helpful to appoint a contact person, someone to communicate with the vendors in case of any last-minute unexpected scheduling changes.
Conclusion:
Creating a wedding timeline that works for you is key to warding off wedding day stress. With a realistic timeline in place, you’re free to simply enjoy your big day. Knowing that everyone is aware of where they need to be, and when.
