How to Create Your Wedding Day Timeline — 8 Key Details to Consider When Building a Timeline
You’ve booked your vendors, you’ve figured out your decor and centerpieces, and now the big day is getting close... How do you make it all come together to make sure your wedding day goes the way you’ve always thought it would?
1) An intentionally planned day of timeline, and 2) hopefully, a professional wedding coordinator to manage every moment!
There are so many variables that will impact the timing of your day, from how many hours you have the venue booked to how many bridesmaids are having hair/makeup done, your guest count and dinner service style, and how many hours you’ve booked your photographer or DJ/band.
A thoughtfully planned timeline will take each of these factors (and more!) into account to make your day flow seamlessly, without making you feel rushed or leaving too much time for guests to get bored waiting for the next major moment. A professional wedding coordinator will be your best resource for building your perfect wedding day timeline! But, for a little help along the way for those who are self-planning, here are 8 must-know factors to consider when building your wedding day timeline.
Key Factors to Consider When Building Your Wedding Day Timeline:
What time does your venue rental begin and when does everyone need to vacate end-of-night?
Before building out your day, you need to confirm when set-up at your venue can begin, and if you’re getting ready on-site, what time the getting ready rooms open. Some venues have an “early access” fee to add hours in the morning, which may be necessary if you have a lot of gals getting hair & makeup done, or a lot of decor to set up.
Additionally, when does your venue rental end? It is super important to confirm if that “end time” is the guest curfew or vendor curfew, as most vendors will need at least an hour for teardown.
What time would you like to begin your ceremony?
Determining your ceremony start time is the next most important factor when building your timeline. Sometimes your venue will have specific policies about your ceremony time based on their rules; for example, at public golf courses or museums, sometimes the earliest time to start is 5:00 PM, whereas at a church, sometimes your ceremony has to be at 2:00 PM. You might also consider the time of year — in the winter months, you may want to begin earlier, so that sunset photos (which end up around 4pm in December!) can happen right after the ceremony.
How long will hair & makeup services take?
The number of bridesmaids you have and any others who want professional hair and makeup services will determine how early in the morning you have to start getting ready! Be sure to confirm with your hair/makeup vendor how long they require for each service and how many hair stylists/makeup artists will be on-site. With this information, your hair/makeup vendor can confirm the earliest time you will all be photo-ready.
Are you having a First Look?
From a timeline perspective, there are many pros of having a first look, as doing so will generally speed up your timeline with pre-ceremony photos and allow more time for mingling with guests later. However, you can absolutely wait for the big reveal to happen at the ceremony! Read this blog post for pros/cons of first looks.
How long will your ceremony be?
Most marriage ceremonies are around 15-30 minutes. A more traditional church ceremony may be longer, whereas a ceremony without any readings or unity element could only be 10 minutes. The length of your ceremony impacts when social hour begins! And, if you plan to host a receiving line (greeting guests as they exit the ceremony), plan for this to take at least 30-45 minutes.
Are your ceremony and reception at the same location?
If your ceremony is being held at a location other than where the reception will be, be sure to factor extra travel time into your timeline! Also consider if you’ll want to make any picture stops along the way before arriving to the reception; if so, you may want to have an extended cocktail hour, or plan for more than a 1-hour gap between when the ceremony ends and reception begins.
How many guests do you have and how is dinner being served?
Your guest count and service style (buffet versus family-style versus food truck, etc) will determine how long your caterer needs to serve everyone, which in turn affects when speeches happen. Generally, you should plan at least 60-90 minutes for a nice leisurely meal, but be sure to confirm with catering how much time they need.
How much time do you want on the dance floor?
Most entertainment companies recommend 3-4 hours of open dancing at a wedding. This is the perfect amount of time to have fun and enjoy the party, without guests burning out and time dragging on. Many DJs may offer unlimited hours of music, but others only include a set number of hours, and most bands start at 3 hours of live music. Depending on when dinner ends and your venue's curfew, you may have to add time if you want the dance floor open longer. Be sure to also note if your venue imposes a music curfew, which may mean a hard stop at 10 PM in some Minneapolis suburbs.
Take all of the above into consideration, and you’ll have a thoughtfully planned timeline!
Ultimately, for the most stress-free wedding planning experience, lean on a professional wedding coordinator to navigate these details with your venue and vendors to create your timeline.
Pre-wedding, we will sift through vendor arrival times, navigate timing needs for hair/makeup and your photographer, and take into account your day-of needs and preferences, so we can create a seamless day-of timeline based on all the specifics of your event. And on your wedding day, we’ll keep things running smoothly from guiding your wedding party and assisting with decor to ensuring your vendor team stays in sync through every major moment!
