A Wedding Day Timeline for All Brides
For a smooth wedding day, the key is to plan ahead! Breaking down each portion of your day will allow you to give each part of your wedding the attention it deserves. In this blog, you’ll find a sample wedding day timeline for the possibilities of what your day will look like: a morning ceremony, afternoon ceremony, or if your ceremony & reception are in two different locations.
If you’re looking for some more help in wedding planning, check out my FREE guide in how to plan your wedding here!
A quick glance at about how much time each portion of your day should have:
GETTING READY | 2-4 HOURS
FIRST LOOKS | 15-30 MINUTES
CEREMONY | 15-30 MINUTES
COCKTAIL HOUR | 1 HOUR
FAMILY/WEDDING PARTY FORMALS | 30 MINUTES – 1 HOUR
RECEPTION | 4-5 HOURS
Sample timeline for a morning wedding:
6:00AM: Hair and makeup artists arrive – getting ready
6:30AM: Bridesmaids begun hair & makeup
7:30AM: Bride begins hair and makeup – Photographer arrivals, begins shooting getting-ready photos
8:30AM: Bride gets into her wedding dress
9:00AM: Wedding party and family photos start
9:30AM: Guests begin to arrive
10:00AM: Ceremony starts
10:15AM: Ceremony ends
10:30AM: Family/Wedding party formals begin, couple’s portraits to follow
11:30AM: Couple’s introduction to reception
11:35AM: Dances – first dance, father-daughter, mother-son, etc
11:50AM: Brunch reception begins
12:30PM: Any toasts/speeches
All guests invited onto the dance floor
1:45PM: Cake cutting
3:25PM: Last song
3:30PM: Guests depart
Sample timeline for an afternoon wedding:
10:00AM: Bride & bridal party arrive to getting ready site / breakfast & mimosas
11:00AM: Vendors arrive for setup – bridesmaids begin their hair & makeup
12:00PM: Bride begins hair & makeup
1:00PM: Photographer arrivals – begins shooting getting ready photos
2:15PM: Bride getting into dress
2:40PM: First look and couple’s portraits (if applicable, if you’re not doing a first look then portraits will be done after your ceremony! Some like to do a first look with parents, siblings, bridesmaids etc.)
3:15PM: Wedding party and family photos with the couple
NOTE: if you are not doing a first look, these time slots can be moved to AFTER your ceremony. Still reserve the same amount of time (wedding party/family formals take about 45 minutes – 1 hour depending on the size of your groups. If your cocktail hour is 1 hour, that is perfect!).
4:00PM: Bride & groom back to suites to breathe before ceremony / photographer off to shoot ceremony & reception decor/details
4:30PM: Guests begin to arrive
5:00PM: Ceremony
5:30PM: Cocktail hour begins
NOTE: if you are doing a first look and this timeline applies to you, during this hour the couple can step away for some alone time, a bite to eat, & then head into their cocktail hour to mingle. If you are NOT doing a first look, this would be the time to do your wedding party/family formals.
6:30PM: Cocktail hour ends / guests are invited into the reception
6:45PM: Newlyweds’ introduction and first dance
6:50PM: Dinner has begun to be served
7:30PM: Welcome toast
7:35PM: Any speeches
8:00PM: Parent dances (father-daughter dance and mother-son dance)
8:10PM: All guests invited onto the dance floor
9:00PM: Cake cutting
10:55PM: Last song
11:00PM: Wedding exit (if applicable) & guests depart
TIP: your photographer can pull you during golden hour to get some more portraits of the two of you with the sunset!
Sample timeline for the ceremony & reception at different venues:
8:00AM: Bride & bridal party arrive to getting ready site / breakfast & mimosas
9:00AM: Bride begins hair and makeup
10:00AM: Photographer arrivals; begins getting-ready photos
NOTE: if you have two photographers, the second shooter will be with the groom & his groomsmen during this time
11:00AM: Bride getting into dress
NOTE: If your ceremony venue is 15 minutes from where you’re getting ready, allow a half hour. Always give yourself more time in the event there is traffic or any hold up in getting you there!
11:45AM: All wedding party members arrive at ceremony venue
12:00PM: Couple’s first look and portraits
12:30PM: Wedding party/family formals
1:00PM: Bride & groom off to suites to breathe before the ceremony
1:30PM: Guests begin to arrive
2:00PM: Ceremony
2:30PM: Guests & wedding party travel to reception venue
3:00PM: Cocktail hour begins
NOTE: if you are doing a first look and this timeline applies to you, during this hour the couple can step away for some alone time, a bite to eat, & then head into their cocktail hour to mingle. If you are NOT doing a first look, this would be the time to do your wedding party/family formals.
4:00PM: Cocktail hour ends / guests are invited into the reception
4:15PM: Newlyweds’ introduction and first dance
4:30PM: Dinner has begun to be served
5:00PM: Welcome toast
5:05PM Any speeches
5:20PM: Parent dances (mother-son & father-daughter)
5:30PM All guests invited onto the dance floor
6:30PM Cake cutting / dessert is served
9:55PM Last song
10:00PM: Wedding exit (if applicable) & guests depart
If you found this helpful, check out all the other tips in wedding planning on our blog!
