One of the key elements to ensuring everything runs smoothly is having a solid wedding day timeline. A well-thought-out timeline will keep your day stress-free, allowing you to relax and fully enjoy each special moment. Whether you’re planning an intimate ceremony or a grand celebration, here’s how you can create a wedding day timeline that keeps things on track.

Wedding Timeline Curation

Start with the Ceremony Time

The best place to begin is with your ceremony time since everything else will revolve around this. Once you have the ceremony time locked in, you can work backward and forward to fill in the rest of the day.

Key Things to Consider:

• How long is the ceremony? Religious or traditional ceremonies may take longer than a civil ceremony.
• What’s the travel time between locations? Factor in the time it takes to travel from your getting-ready location to the ceremony site, and then from the ceremony to the reception venue.

Work Backwards- Prep Time

The morning of your wedding is all about getting ready. Hair, makeup, and spending time with your bridal party are the first major parts of your timeline. Here’s how to calculate your prep time:

• Hair & Makeup: Each person can take around 45 minutes to 1 hour, so factor in the number of people getting ready and add buffer time for touch-ups.
• Getting Dressed & Glam Portraits: Set aside at least one full hour for getting into your dress and taking some stunning glam portraits with your bridal party, family, or solo shots before the ceremony. This ensures you have time to soak in the moment, get help with your dress, and capture those gorgeous getting-ready photos without rushing.

Example:

If your ceremony starts at 3:00 PM, aim to be fully dressed by 1:00 PM. Plan to start hair and makeup around 9:00 AM, allowing you to stay relaxed and on time while enjoying the morning prep.

Photography and Videography

Your photographer and videographer will need enough time to capture all the key moments. If you’d prefer to do all your bridal party and family photos after the ceremony, set aside enough time between the ceremony and the reception for photos. Alternatively, you could do all of this before the ceremony to save time—this is a great option if you’re planning a first look!

Suggested Time Blocks:

• Getting Ready: 1-2 hours
• First Look & Couple Portraits (Optional): 30-60 minutes
• Post-Ceremony Family & Bridal Party Photos: 45-60 minutes

Reception Timeline

Once the ceremony is over, it’s time to celebrate! Your reception schedule will include everything from cocktail hour to your first dance. Here’s a breakdown of a typical reception timeline:

Sample Reception Schedule:

• Cocktail Hour: 60 minutes (while you take post-ceremony photos)
• Guests Seated: 15 minutes
• Grand Entrance & First Dance: 10-15 minutes
• Dinner Served: 60 minutes
• Speeches: 20-30 minutes
• Cake Cutting: 10 minutes
• Dancing: The rest of the night!

Add Buffer Time

No matter how carefully you plan, things can sometimes run a little behind. Adding buffer time throughout your timeline will help keep the day relaxed and prevent any major delays. Build in 10-15 minutes of buffer between key events like travel, group photos, or speeches to ensure everything flows smoothly.

Plan for Sunset

If you want to capture those dreamy golden hour photos, check what time the sun will set on your wedding day and work it into your timeline. Your photographer will be able to guide you on when the light will be best, but this typically happens about an hour before sunset.

Communicate with Your Vendors

Once your timeline is set, share it with your vendors! Your photographer, DJ, caterer, and planner will need to know the schedule to make sure everything stays on track. Having a detailed timeline also ensures that everyone is on the same page and that your day flows smoothly from start to finish.

Sample Wedding Day Timeline:

• 9:00 AM – Hair and makeup begins
• 1:00 PM – Bride gets dressed & glam portraits
• 3:00 PM – Ceremony begins
• 3:30 PM – Ceremony ends
• 3:35 PM – Group Photo
• 3:45 PM – Everyone Congratulates you
• 4:00 PM – Family and bridal party photos
• 4:45 PM – Cocktail hour
• 5:45 PM – Guests seated for reception
• 6:00 PM – Grand entrance & first dance
• 6:30 PM – Dinner served
• 7:30 PM – Speeches & cake cutting
• 8:00 PM – Open dance floor
• 10:30 PM – Exit/send-off

Creating a well-structured wedding day timeline will take the pressure off on your big day, allowing you to focus on what truly matters: celebrating your love with family and friends. I always work closely with my couples to ensure their timelines are realistic and stress-free, so you can enjoy every moment and feel confident that nothing is being missed.

As a wedding professional, I’ve seen firsthand how a great timeline makes all the difference in keeping things running smoothly. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, reach out—I’d love to help you plan your perfect day!

Lots of Love,

Jacynta xo