Couples cannot build a realistic wedding day timeline

“Hi all! I’m hoping to get some help here. We are doing a backyard wedding next may. Ceremony and reception will take place in the same spot. My main question is, how to ensure a smooth transition from the ceremony to the reception. We will have about a 2 hour gap in between the ceremony and the reception to ensure our wedding guests get fed, pictures, and a proper amount of time to get the reception area ready to go in that amount of time. Do you usually assign it to certain people? Like the gro”

“We are getting married in a historic hotel. The room we have rented requires 3 hours (will be 2pm to 5pm) between the ceremony and the reception to flip the room due to the constraints of the venue. We need somewhere to send guests during this time. We will be doing our photos during this time. The venue is downtown with plenty of things to do nearby. The hotel has a bar but it is often busy with the general public and cannot be booked out. Unfortunately this gap is non-negotiable and nothing ca”

“After the wedding, the reception is at a different location in the city, six minute drive away. We have 100 guests at the wedding and reception. Most of these people are from out of the city, and my family members are a three hour drive away. I feel like this is a mistake. This is way too much time in between events, no? What are people supposed to do while waiting? Especially if they aren't familiar with the city. submitted by /u/SeaworthinessNew4295 [link] [comments]”

“Hello! So we are having a wedding in the Botanical Gardens, in a lovely indoor garden. 30 guests, and a grazing/cocktail style for food. Will go from 9:30 am-1:30 pm Guests arrive 9-30 am Ceremony 10 am-10:20 am Photos 10:30 am -11 am or 11:30 am Food and drinks 10:30 am or 11 am -1 pm Cake cutting maybe around 11:30 or 12? We will have music, but no official dance floor. So if people want to dance there is space, but most guests aren't into dancing. We'll have a polaroid camera and book”

“Hi! How does my timeline look? Some things to consider: - I only have a photographer for 6 hours 14:30-20:30, - I have no bridal party. But my friends are getting their hair and makeup done for fun! - Our dog will be with us at the AirBNB - Ceremony is on the restaurant patio. Dinner inside the restaurant. AirBNB is 2 houses away from the restaurant. 7:00 Wake up + Breakfast 7:30 Set up AirBNB for people to arrive 7:45 Bride's friends and family arrive 8:00 HMAU begin * HMAU Timeline - *Groo”

“I’m trying to wrap my head around our wedding day timeline and would LOVE to see what other people did, especially if your wedding was somewhat similar! We’ll have 4–6 girls getting hair and makeup done (including me), and I’m trying to figure out what time we realistically need to start getting ready and what time makes sense for the ceremony. Things we need/want to fit in: Hair + makeup for 4–6 people Getting ready photos Family photos Wedding party photos Couple photos Ceremony Cocktail hour”

“Hi yall! My family owns are restaurant, so we’re trying to do our reception there just to make everything easier. We’re thinking of doing the ceremony and cocktail hour either at a chapel that’s 11 mins away or at a botanical garden that’s 10 mins away. After the reception on the rooftop of the restaurant we want to do an after party at a hotel that’s 12 mins away. My thought is that hopefully most people will stay at the hotel and then we can have fun and stumble back to our rooms. Is that too”

“I’ve never been married before, looking for options on my timeline 7:30: hair/makeup begings. Very slow chill morning. 7 getting each service including my mother. 1:30: hair/makeup finishes, everyone gets dressed 2:30 we leave getting ready location, ride to first location is 25 minutes 3:00: 30 or so minutes if photos with bridesmaids and mom/sisters (fiancé and I are skipping the first look per his request) 3:30 we leave and go to the venue to hide 3:45: we are hiding at venue, groom and groom”

“We have a shorter reception (3.5 hours to include everything and the ceremony) and I have no idea what to expect. This is my assumed outline but I could be totally wrong on how long it takes to do things. Please give insight! Wedding Timeline - Getting ready (drop off at venue for 11am and quick set up with friends and start getting ready right after) 3:00 - First look 3:00 - 3:30 - Bride and groom portraits 3:30-4 - portraits and family photos (brides maids and grooms men) 4-4:30: buffer time f”

“I was wondering if anyone had a daytime wedding and what the day-of timeline was? I want the first look to be when I walk down the aisle, but how would that work with photos? The ceremony would have to be super early to give enough time between ceremony & reception for photos, right?? Anyone have ideas? submitted by /u/LoudEntertainer4537 [link] [comments]”

“Currently designing my Save the Dates and trying to figure out how to word the fact that it's a daytime wedding. Our timeline will be roughly 11:30am ceremony, 1:00pm lunch, and exit at 4:30pm. The timeline might shift a bit still, but I want to be clear that it is a daytime celebration so people don't feel the need to book hotels etc. Most guests live about 1 hour away from our venue. submitted by /u/stormysss [link] [comments]”

“Hi! Looking for feedback on our wedding timeline for a covered outdoor cocktail hour and indoor reception with ~75 to 80 guests. Some key elements are: For music we will have an emo cover band who hasn't played weddings before, and they're looking for our expectations on timeline. They've agreed to put a playlist of our choice on in between their sets and are very flexible on timing. We really don't want a grand entrance, and plan to walk in with everyone else to the reception, s”

“My wedding is in two weeks and my fiancé and I are trying to lock in the day of schedule. We were originally planning for our entrance into the reception followed immediately by our first dance. Then we'll do dinner, toasts, etc. I'm a little anxious so we wanted to do the dance first to let us relax through dinner and enjoy the rest of the evening. The problem is that we don't have any parent dances or anything planned after dinner (her father is deceased, my mother is in a wheelcha”

“Hi! I am getting married in January at a restaurant for a lunch ceremony and reception. The whole event will be approximately 4.5 hours, with a 30 min ceremony, 1 hour cocktail hr, and a seated lunch. I can either hire a string duo for ceremony and cocktail hour. The cellist is a friend so she isn’t charging us and the violinist is charging $400. We would be getting the cellist a gift so total will probably be ~$600. Or I am wondering if it’s better to do a photobooth from 12-4 for $850 total. I”

“I'd appreciate feedback and critique for this timeline for a 3:30 ceremony start time, 60ish guests with buffet dinner. All events take place at the same location. 3:30-ceremony 4:00-cocktail hour/family photos 5:00-wedding party and bride/groom entrance at reception. 5:10-first dance 5:15-begin dinner service 6:30-speeches 6:45-cake cutting 7:00-shoe game, following by open dance floor 8:15-bouquet toss 8:20-Guests line up for exit 8:25-Grand exit submitted by /u/South_Section_5”

“We’re having a 75 person outdoor wedding ceremony the week before Thanksgiving, so after the clocks fall back an hour. I want to take some pictures and have cocktail hour during golden hour, which starts at 4:35. My planner is giving me a hard time, saying “4:00 is sooooo earrrrly” for a Saturday night wedding. Like, she won’t stop saying it. My photographers say 4:30 is way too late for the pictures we want. Is it? Is 4:00 that “early”? submitted by /u/littleredditho [link] [c”

“Does anyone have an example of a day of timeline they’ve had with an earlier ceremony time? We are doing a shortened Catholic ceremony that will only take 30 minutes, but it has to be at 2:00 because of regular service times at the church. A few details about our day: We are getting ready 5 minutes from the Church. After the ceremony we have a party bus to take us to a bar for a bit. Other guests are invited to meet us at the bar or can have some downtime before they head to the venue for a happ”

“Hi I’m getting married soon, and I found out my suite is only allowing the wedding party to get changed and be ready in 1.5 hours prior to ceremony… is that enough time?! Any additional hours is 650 dollars, does that sound crazy to you?! submitted by /u/Immediate-Strategy-4 [link] [comments]”

“I am struggling so hard building out a getting ready timeline. I have 3 makeup artist and 2 hair stylist. The bridal party needs to be ready by 2pm and there are a few people that don’t need to be ready by 2. I’ll mark those with * Brides hair and makeup will take 3 hours total (1.5 hours for each service and I would like a little buffer to eat in between) Main makeup artist: (1 hr per service minus bride, 1.5 hours) Bride Annelise Paula Paulina Makeup artist 2 (needs 1hr 15 min per service) Dan”

“Thoughts on the ceremony and reception being at 2 different locations? Ceremony around 11, would only be like 30 min, and then some snacks etc and people can mingle or go home to chill Then reception from 5:30PM onwards to midnight or so Thought a break could be nice for some people, easier to change if they want to, and might allow for more of that late night vibe, but also could be inconvenient. submitted by /u/cupcakeAnu [link] [comments]”

“We’re trying to finalize our day of timeline and would love some honest feedback from people who have planned/attended NYC weddings, especially ones with a church ceremony and yacht reception. Here’s what we’re thinking: Getting Ready 8:15 AM–1:00 PM - Hair & makeup 1:00–1:30 PM - Bride/bridesmaids get dressed 1:30–2:30 PM - First look & photos at hotel 2:40 PM - Depart for church (10 min drive) Ceremony 3:00–4:00 PM - Ceremony at Church 4:15 PM - Guests leave church (can walk 25 mins or”

“I'm planning a lunchtime wedding with no dancing for 75 people indoors with a room flip. I've never been to a lunchtime wedding myself and I'm having trouble working out the timeline for the day. If you are planning/planned a lunch wedding would you be able to share how you paced the day? There's some disagreement amongst the parents on how we ought to pace things. submitted by /u/teatuk [link] [comments]”

“Hi there, I am planning a backwards wedding. We like the idea of having speeches and sentimentality building up towards the I Do, then immediately celebrating with a dance. 2:30- 3:45 is the cocktail hour. We will do speeches and toasts from parents at this time. 4-5:15 is a buffet dinner. Same venue as cocktail hour, assigned seating. Speeches from MOH and best man during dinner. 5:45 is the ceremony. It's about a 10 minute walk from the venue down a gravel path to an outdoor setting. Sunse”

“Okay, so I think some backstory is needed for this. The thing is, as much as I love my fiancé, he is not always the best at being on time. This is not something that I've ever felt is a big deal, as I am sometimes late as well. Anyway, in discussing wedding times, he said that his family is a lot like him in terms of running late at times. Then, he said that we should list a time on the invitations to be an hour before the ceremony starts to ensure that everyone gets there in time! He is 100”

“We did a rough walkthrough of our wedding day this weekend, and I'm glad we did because the timeline that looked perfectly reasonable on paper suddenly felt ridiculous. Nothing was wildly wrong. It was just all the little things. Walking from one area to another took longer than expected. Getting everyone together took longer. We kept forgetting that people would need time to actually eat instead of just magically having food appear and disappear. It made me realize how easy it is to build a”

“Fiancé and I are getting married at city hall next summer, and immediately following we are having our reception at our favorite restaurant with our close friends and family (~ 50 people) at 1pm. We chose lunch time because the lunch restaurant buyout is SIGNIFICANTLY more budget friendly than the dinner buyout. We have the restaurant until 4pm which gives everyone plenty of time to mingle, eat, drink and be merry. We love this spot and are so excited to share it with our loved ones on our weddi”

“We are having a micro wedding at a photo studio. We will only have 7 guests, all family members. We booked 2 hours for the studio and photographer. We are planning on 1 hour for first look and bridal portraits, then the guests will arrive and we will do the short ceremony, register signing, and family portraits in the next hour. We have a small cake that we want some traditional “cake cutting” pictures with but unfortunately the studio doesn’t allow us to eat the cake there. So what I am plannin”

“Each day as my wedding gets closer I start obsessing about something else. My Fiancé and I are getting married in less than two months in a destination wedding of about 100 guests. He is catholic and I am Persian/non-religious. To honor both our traditions we have decided to have two separate ceremonies. Day 1 - catholic mass ceremony followed by welcome dinner and everyone is invited but it’s optional (so far most guests have rsvpd yes). Day 2 - actual wedding day with a Persian ceremony follow”

“So we are having a morning wedding, dictated by our reception starting at 11am. It takes 20 minutes to get from our ceremony to reception venue by car (everyone will be driving or carpooling). The ceremony is expected to take 20 minutes. I’m not sure how strict our reception venue (a restaurant) will be about people arriving early, but we do not want anyone just waiting in the parking lot for things to open up. Would it be weird to have a ceremony starting at 10:15 rather than 10:00? Am I overth”

“Hi everyone, we finally picked our ceremony venue and the only Saturday they have left in June is a 1pm and a 5pm slot. This venue typically does ceremonies at 1pm, 3pm and 5pm. The 3pm would be ideal, but as of now our heart is set on a Saturday June wedding so I’m stuck trying to pick between 1p and 5p. My vote is for the 1pm slot. I think a 5pm ceremony would feel rushed. The reception venue is 10 minutes away, but after ceremony and photos we wouldn’t get there until like 6:30-ish? Feels kin”

“Our wedding is in two months and im still struggling with the timeline, the issue is that we only have our photographer for 5 hours since it's a small wedding with about 30 people. Any advice is greatly welcomed. 3:30 - Photographer arrive 3:30 - 4:00 - detail shots and final getting ready shots 4:00 - 4:15 mom and dad first look 4:15 - 4:25 private prayer with groom 4:30 - 4:50 - ceremony 4:50 - 5:20 - family and wedding party photos (before everyone goes wondering off) 5:20 - 6:00 cocktail”

“Additional Details: It’s a wedding weekend where people are staying on site so there is time to socialize outside of this. We’ll do family pictures during cocktail hour and sneak away for a few after we eat dinner to get some golden hour pictures just us. There is no wedding party so procession and pictures will be a bit shorter than average. We’ll be doing relatively short parent dance that happens at same time. 10pm is when music has to stop and any off-venue guests have to leave, but we can k”

“So my fiance and I want to spend around 1 hour 30 mins with our guests before dinner service begins. Taking into account photos after ceremony and having to change into my second dress cocktail hour is looking at around 2 hours 30 mins. Also, we don’t want to do a first look so we can’t take photos before the ceremony. But here’s the catch! There are lot of things to do. Reception is going to be at a historical landmark/garden so people can wander around and enjoy the garden and the old ruins su”

“My wedding is in 4 weeks and I just went over the final timeline with my coordinator. The reception just feels so incredibly short, like I won't have any time to have fun and mingle with everyone. It's a 4 hour reception, which should be enough time right? The ceremony is 11-11:30 Guests take shuttle bus to reception for cocktail hour starting at 12:30 Cocktail hour is 12:30-1:30 Lunch is planned to start at 2 Desserts available at 3 And then farewell exit at 4, with guests leaving by 4:”

“After seeing other posts on this sub, I am so curious to see what a typical wedding timeline looks like where you live! I live in Ireland and a standard wedding would be: 1pm-2pm - ceremony 3pm-6pm - drinks reception (sparkling wine and snacks in the hotel lobby/bar) 6pm-8.30pm - 4/5 course dinner 8.30pm-9pm - speeches 9.30pm - first dance 9.35pm-11pm - band plays 11pm-1am - DJ plays 1am-4am - move to hotel bar for drinks until it closes submitted by /u/csomoder [link] [comment”

“Hi Everyone! I just have a question regarding hair and makeup day of the wedding. I’m having 4 bridesmaids and all are getting hair and makeup done. The hair and makeup artists are allotting 45 minutes for each person, which makes sense to me. However, as the bride I am also slotted to have the same amount of time. In every wedding I’ve participated in, the bride has around a 60-90 minute window. My makeup and hair also costs significantly more than everyone else’s (upwards of $300 more). Am I w”

“Let me know your thoughts on my timeline. First Dance is not 10 min, it’s a combo of first dance, dad bride, and mom groom dances submitted by /u/Pickledginger94 [link] [comments]”

“Hello! We are hoping to book a live band for our wedding. Just wondering what you guys think about this timeline? Ceremony - just acoustic music (one of our friends) Cocktail hour+ dinner - just playlists After dinner until end- live band! I've never been to a wedding with a band so not sure what works best! Should we just pay for the whole night ? submitted by /u/MostMediocre14 [link] [comments]”

“We’re set on the ceremony start time and I have my photographer until 9pm so I’m trying to make sure all important moments are captured. Dinner is family style/plated. submitted by /u/HedgieCake372 [link] [comments]”

“Hi! Can anyone who had a ceremony and reception at 2 different locations offer any advice regarding a timeline?I'm getting married at a Catholic church that is 20min away from my reception venue. We aren't doing a full mass so I'm thinking it will be 30-45 minutes maximum with 15-30min for pictures after (immediate family and bride/groom only). Our ceremony starts at 4:15pm but can be changed a little earlier and we have our venue from 5-11pm but can change the time. We are thinking”

“Hi! Im the first in my family to get married and have no one to ask for wedding advice 🥲 I’m in the midst of wedding planning and I’m so lost on how the wedding day timeline should be…. The only thing I’m sure of is: Prior to ceremony: - 15-30 min prior for guest arrival - 1 hour-1hour 15 min prior for bridal party arrival - 2 hours prior for vendor setup - 4:30pm ceremony - 5pm-6pm cocktail reception - 6pm-10pm ??? I know every wedding is different and based on how each individual couple, but”

“Hey everyone, my fiancé and are are getting married June 5th. Smaller wedding ~60 people. We are getting married at a garden and having the reception at a restaurant patio that is 12 minutes away. There will be 1 hour and 15 minutes between ceremony and cocktail hour starting at the restaurant. Photos will be relatively limited to the gardens. We are not planning on having a wedding party and my partner has very limited family, only her grandma. One of the tasks I volunteered to look into was tr”

“Getting married in a month 🌼 the plan is to have a couple hour break between the ceremony and the evening part. The break is for me and the groom - for a photoshoot. I have mentioned for some people that there is a plan for me and the groom to change our outfits. It’s because the wedding dress is not that comfortable for dancing, and the groom wants to be a bit casual too. The reactions that i have received are a bit weird. My sister told me that she is planning to change her outfit too. Same w”

“Hi everyone! I'm looking for some advice/feedback on the flow of our wedding. We're planning a cocktail-style dinner rather than a traditional seated reception. We're serving a full meal (burgers, sandwiches, etc. from a food truck), and since cocktail hour is always one of my favorite parts of weddings because everyone can mingle so easily, we thought it would be fun to carry that vibe into dinner. Here's the tentative timeline: 5:30 PM – Ceremony 6:00–7:00 PM – Cocktail hour 7:”

“Hello! I'm getting married in 2 months and need to figure out my wedding timeline. We get the venue at 10am and the ceremony starts at 4:30pm. We are not doing a first look, but I am doing a first look with my dad and we are taking our family photos separately before the ceremony. My aunt is my wedding coordinator so I don't have a professional team setting up, I'm relying on our wedding party and family. Would it be reasonable to have 2 hours to set up (10-12), then 12-2 for everyon”

“Hi all! Our wedding is coming up very quickly now that we are half way through summer! My fiancé and I are getting married in a destination wedding this fall and are working to iron out all the loose ends. We had a call with our wedding planner, and she said it is common for them to do speeches, first dance plus father/daughter and mother/son dance all before dinner. All the weddings I have been to in the states have done dinner, speeches, then all the dances before opening the dance floor. I ca”

“Hi there. Sorry I don’t know how to explain what I mean. Essentially, my wedding plan looks like: Morning: Ceremony in a 20 person capacity venue Afternoon: Ceremony finished, photos, casual drink reception and canapés in area beside ceremony venue for ceremony guests. Additional guests welcome to join and make our way to reception venue together Early evening: seated dinner, venue capacity 80 - anyone not at the ceremony invited to join at 5pm for drink on arrival, dinner, speeches etc. Late ev”

“Officially 2 weeks from wedding... still feel a little unsure about my vows. especially the opener. (Bride), I’m a little nervous and mostly excited, because in a few minutes, I get to call you my wife. From the very beginning, my favourite moments with you have been the simple ones. Sharing a coffee in the morning, going for our daily walks, and dreaming about the life we're building together by the water. You inspire me to be a better person, to be kinder, more caring, and more understandi”

“Really struggling to find a timeline where there isn’t a first look so would appreciate any help! Edit 5:30 pm! submitted by /u/Popular-Baker6776 [link] [comments]”

“I’m trying to figure out the timing of my ceremony and whether it’s worth it to have downtime between the ceremony and reception in order to fulfill my dream of not having my fiancé see me until the aisle moment. Any experience or insight is appreciated!! For context, we’re getting very close to choosing our venue, but my last hold up is the ceremony timing. We’re looking at a vineyard next to the forest with a converted barn for the reception, so everything would be on the same property and whi”

“Hi! I'm doing a courthouse wedding and then just a small reception afterwards. My colors will be light pink (blush) and white and my dress will be pink with white shoes. I'm keeping it pretty simple. Groom will just be wearing a white button up with khakis. I just don't know how to decorate for the small reception. He's into cars so I'm doing a tire cake stand and a mechanic style cake topper for the grooms cake (which will be a tower of brownies). I just dont want the entire”

“I am having trouble with my timeline. We're getting married in December and will have ~100 guests. 10 people in the wedding party (5 on each side). Our venue contract is for 12 hours of time, and we could pay $200/hour to extend. We're doing 2 hairstylists for the bridal party (6 people including me) and we're all doing our own makeup. How much time to budget for getting ready? I'm trying to decide if I want to cough up an extra $600 for getting ready at the venue that has beauti”

“Hi everyone! After a lot of discussion, my fiancé (wants a wedding) and I (wants to elope) have come to a tentative compromise: private courthouse ceremony for me on our weekday anniversary, with a "reception" thrown later on a weekend. However, I'm not really sure what that has to look like and need some advice, as I am super nervous about how his family will react. (For context, I don't have anyone to invite besides my mom, whereas he has 30 or so family members he wants to a”

“Hi everyone. I just sent my wedding invites, with doors opening at 4:30 and ceremony at 5:00. The ceremony should be about 20 minutes, with cocktail hour and reception following. Everything is at the same location (ceremony space turned reception during cocktail hour). Due to several large events happening in our city during the wedding weekend, my photographer + fiancé and I decided on 5:00 so we’d have enough time for a first look, private vows, and photos, including those with immediate famil”

“I’m getting married at a high-end restaurant that has old Hollywood vibes with luxurious decor, art deco art, and historical pictures. I want to lean into the vintage Hollywood vibes and plan our wedding around it. I’m struggling with what colors would be best for the bridesmaids and flowers; men will wear tuxedos. The wedding will be during fall and we hope to have a quick ceremony on the patio and then go inside for the dinner/reception. What wedding colors would best fit this theme? I was goi”

“I’m getting married at a high-end restaurant that has old Hollywood vibes with luxurious decor, art deco art, and historical pictures. I want to lean into the vintage Hollywood vibes and plan our wedding around it. I’m struggling with what colors would be best for the bridesmaids and flowers; men will wear tuxedos. The wedding will be during fall and we hope to have a quick ceremony on the patio and then go inside for the dinner/reception. What wedding colors would best fit this theme? I was goi”

“Hi there, my fiance just recently got engaged. We live in Canada. We moved to Alberta three years ago, my parents just recently moved to the Rockies. My fiancies side of the family lives in AB and we have made a lot of friends in AB, but we still have a lot of family in Ontario and even more friends in Ontario. I guess my question is how do you plan a wedding and find a spot thay accommodates everyone. We arent really sure what we want to do to ensure we can have ALL of our loved ones in one spo”

“Its a low setting so the wedding band would have to be curved, and it is yellow gold despite looking like white gold on top. Any advice on wedding bands that will look good with my ring are welcome. submitted by /u/kelpkelso [link] [comments]”