How to create your Wedding Day Timeline
Figuring out your wedding day timeline can seem like a daunting task at first, but once you get the big pieces in place, you can follow a simple formula to figure out where everything else will fall. Some of these details may be determined by your venue, like ceremony and reception start time, length of cocktail hour, and how the reception events move along. I’m here to share some helpful tips in getting the rest of your day in motion so that things can run as smoothly as possible.
1. Determine your ceremony time. If you have any control over the timing of your ceremony, I would urge you to consider what time the sun will be setting on your wedding day. Not every day has a picture perfect sunset (hello grey skies!), but if you can align your ceremony and formal portraits to be done prior to sunset, that allows a perfect window of opportunity for some stunning couples portraits with an epic sunset! Taking several factors in consideration, one ideal timeline would be to have your ceremony 1.5-2 hours before sunset. That would give you an hour of the best light for your family and couple portraits, before it gets too dark outside. One downside of this is if the sun is setting a little later and you get rushed off from portraits into your reception before the sky really shows off for you. An alternate timeline to consider would be to set your ceremony time 3.5 hours before sunset. This would allow more full sun for your cocktail hour portraits and give you ample time to get your reception going. You could plan to sneak away for some sunset or evening portraits during your reception time. Be sure to talk about this with not only your photographer, but your DJ and coordinator as well. If they know you want to prioritize this photo opportunity, they should be able to adjust their typical schedule by 20 minutes or so to allow for that. A quick Google search can estimate the time of sunset for your wedding day but listed below are some common sunset times in Massachusetts to consider for your planning:
January/February: 4:30 pm
March: 6:30 pm
April/May: 7:00 pm
June-August: 8:00 pm
September: 7:00 pm
October: 6:00 pm
November/December: 4:15 pm
Example: Ceremony at 6pm for a September wedding
2. Factor in travel times. Do you need to travel from the ceremony to reception site? Or from where you’re getting ready to the ceremony? Will you be having a First Look, if so is it at the same location that you are getting ready? How will you transport all of your Wedding Party (and bags) to each location? Be sure to factor this in to your timeline, plus a few minutes for traffic.
Example: First Look @ 4 pm for September Wedding
3. Be sure to leave enough time for each lady to get hair and make up done. Hair and make up artists can typically swap members of the wedding party throughout the morning but you need to be sure to factor in enough time for each bridesmaid, mothers of the bride and groom, and as a bride, yours may take a little more time! You should also have a buffer of about 30 minutes when you calculate your start time to allow for eating a quick snack before its go time and gathering together bags and essential belongings. Talk to your hair and make-up artists and get a realistic estimate for how long they take to do their work. Start with a realistic head count, overestimate if needed. Allowing plenty of time will set you up for a relaxed and stress free morning of being pampered. People to consider when timing hair and make-up:
the bride!
each bridesmaid
mother of the bride
mother of the groom
flower girls
junior bridesmaids
other important women who will be attending (grandparents, aunts, officiant if related)
4. If your groom is a typical groom, he will probably not mind if you help decide the getting ready details for him. He may be unaware of things to consider (like where he will begin his day and how he needs to get to the next location). That doesn’t mean he doesn’t have an opinion though! Start the dialogue with some suggestions but reassure your future husband that this is his day as well! Does he want to have a low key morning playing yard games with his groomsmen? Will they be in charge of delivering items to the venue the morning of the wedding? Can the groomsmen transport any special guests or belongings to the reception site? Consider these details as you determine where the men will begin their day and at what time they should gather.
5. Once you get to the ceremony, your vendors should keep things flowing for you! Between your photographer, the DJ, and your coordinator, we all want to make sure you have plenty of time to celebrate your love with your loved ones! It is important to communicate your priorities honestly so that your vendors can make your day special and enjoyable for you! Factors to consider in the flow of your day, after the ceremony include:
Do you want to have a receiving line immediately after the ceremony? These sometimes occur on a whim so you should decide ahead of time if you want to go with the flow or if you have a vision for your time. Pros- you see each guest right away and feel less pressure to make the rounds during the ceremony. Cons- it takes up time during the Cocktail Hour if you have several family portraits, wedding party, and couple portraits to take as well.
Do you want a large group photo immediately after the ceremony? If so, talk to your officiant, coordinator and photographer to arrange the details!
Would you prefer to sneak off as a couple for your portraits right after the ceremony or would you prefer to knock out family portraits while everyone is gathered in one spot? Ask your officiant if they can announce at the end of the ceremony what your photo plans are to help eliminate confusion. You can also employ 1-2 members of the Wedding Party to help keep all of your important people nearby. It can be a hassle to gather groups together once they disperse into the excitement of cocktail hour mingling. Consider also grandparents that may be present and how mobile they are.
During the reception, your venue and coordinator should have lots of possible timelines for you to choose your ideal flow of the evening. Don’t forget to let them know if you would like to block off 20 minutes to sneak out for some couple portraits at sunset. Making that decision ahead of time is crucial to avoid frustration between vendors. If your DJ or coordinator are unaware, the photo op could interfere with another big happening such as cake cutting or toasts.
Example: Reception 7-10 pm
