As we prepare for upcoming weddings this weekend, our staff puts together a day of timeline, and we know a good timeline can be a powerful tool to have in your wedding day toolkit. We use it to keep all our staff on the same page. Lately we have had many brides create their own timelines that they have shared with us, and believe us when we say it makes everything go so much better. Keeping yourself, your vendors, your bridal party and guests all on the same page can make your day go drastically smoother! You may of attended several weddings but never payed attention to how long every aspect of the event lasts. Keep in mind this is a guideline and not canon! Even if you plan out every single thing every person is doing that day something is going to change!
We found this awesome article from Elizabeth at A Practical Wedding and knew we just had to share it with you.
The template for your day of timeline looks as followed:
10:00am—Hair and Makeup/Getting ready
12:00–2:00pm—Most vendors arrive for setup
2:00pm—Wedding party and family photos start
3:30pm—Doors open/Guests begin to arrive/Pre-ceremony music starts
4:00pm—Invite time
4:15pm—Ceremony starts
4:35pm—Ceremony ends
4:40pm—Cocktail hour starts
5:45pm—Move guests into dinner
6:00pm—Buffet opens/Dinner served
6:20pm—All guests have food
6:30pm—Toasts
7:30pm—First dance
7:35pm—General dancing music starts
8:00pm—Second set of pre-sunset portraits
8:26pm—Sunset
8:30pm—Dessert
9:45pm—Last call
9:55pm—Music off
10:00pm—Guests depart
11:00pm—Breakdown done, all staff departs
This is just a small part of what Elizabeth and A Practical Wedding covers, but she goes into a lot more detail about timelines you should realy check out! This is going to be a huge help.