Building a solid wedding day timeline is probably one of the most important things you can plan for your wedding day. After all, without it, your day can easily fall into chaos! No matter if you are having an extravagant affair, or an intimate elopement at Petit Jean State Park.
A wedding day timeline that is clear and punctual will help alleviate scheduling conflicts, confusion, and disorder. Plus, there are many benefits to why one is so important – particularly that it keeps everyone on the same page. From your bridesmaids to the groomsmen, wedding photographer and all other wedding vendors.
In some instances, it can even help your wedding guests as it can be used as an itinerary for the order of the day. All this said and done, it’s likely you haven’t planned had to plan a wedding day timeline before. So how does one go about doing this?
Keep reading for practical steps to create your wedding day timeline, or get a quick start with the Wedding Timeline Generator!
Wedding Day Timeline: How To Create One
Start With The Ceremony
When creating a timeline, I recommend starting with the ceremony. That’s because this is the central piece to the entire day! Getting ready happens before the ceremony, and the reception happens afterward.
By starting with the ceremony, you can plan everything around it.
Determine If You Are Having A First Look
The next item on the agenda to consider if you are going to have a first look. The reason for this is because it can effect the order of your portraits.
For instance – a couple having a first look before the ceremony will be able to schedule bridal portraits, bridal party portraits, and family photos prior to the ceremony.
On the other hand, by having a traditional wedding and not seeing each other before the ceremony, all portraits will be completed after the ceremony.
Having a first look can open up the wedding day timeline, and many couples find themselves to be more relaxed on the day of the wedding than those who do it traditionally.
Know When Sunset Is
Sunset during the summer months in Arkansas is around 8:00 PM CST, while it sets at 4:00 PM CST during the winter.
If you are wanting gorgeous sunset photos of your wedding, it’s important to take into account when the best time to take photos will be.
For example, if you are not having a first look during a winter wedding and the ceremony is not until 3:30PM CST, you will not have much time for portraits together.
This could be solved by simply moving the ceremony to 2:00PM CST to allow for family portraits afterward and bridal portraits to follow immediately after.
Make sure you coordinate with your photographer and wedding planner to plan the best time of day for the ceremony.
Understand the Parts Of The Day Of Your Wedding Day Timeline
Once you determine the ceremony time and whether or not you are going to have a first look, you are able to start planning your wedding day timeline.
To do this, you need to understand the different parts of the day, and approximately how long each part lasts.
Getting Ready: 3 to 4 hours
Bride + Bridesmaids
- Hair and Makeup: 2 Hours – Arguably the longest part of the day, hair and makeup will take up the majority of your time. Of course, this can fluctuate based on the size of your bridal party and the number of hair and makeup artists helping. While a party of only four bridesmaids may take only two hours to get ready, eight or more can take up to as long as three or more hours to get ready. It’s best to ask your hair and makeup artist how long it would take to complete your bridal parties aesthetics.
- Putting On Bridesmaid Dresses: 15 to 30 minutes – Once the hair and makeup is complete, it’s time to put on the bridesmaid dresses. Again, depending on size of the party (and the bridal suite), the time to complete this can vary. Sometimes when putting on the dress, hair and makeup can get slightly undone, leading to minor touchups after putting on the dress.
- Putting on the Dress: 15 minutes – Easily one of the most memorable moments of the wedding day, putting on the dress only takes about 15 minutes. The main things to consider why it may take more or less time are: the type of dress, lace style (button, lace, snap, zipper, etc.), and emotions (it’s hard to button a dress when mother and daughter are crying!)
Groom + Groomsmen
- Cosmetic Touchups: 15 minutes – The groom and groomsmen don’t require much time to get ready. Style the hair in five minutes, trim an unkempt beard, shine shoes.
- Getting Dressed: 5 minutes – Again, there isn’t much to get a groom ready. Pants, shirt, tie, jacket, done. Easy as 1, 2, 3. (Pro Tip: Practice tying the tie or bowtie before the wedding, and save up to an hour of time!)
- Groom + Groomsmen Portraits: 15 minutes – Groomsmen portraits are included during the getting ready portion of the day because this is the best time to get portraits of them. Because of how quickly guys can get ready, they can just as quickly get relaxed. It’s worth building it into your wedding day timeline that groom and groomsmen portraits are taken during hair and makeup time.
First Looks + Portraits: 45 minutes to 1 hour
- With Bridesmaids: 10-20 Minutes – Your bridesmaids are going to be the first ones to see you in your dress (as they should be). When they do finally see you, guaranteed they will be your biggest cheerleaders as they ooh and ahh and your beauty. To maximize your time, this is also the opportune moment to go ahead and have portraits with your bridesmaids. (If you do portraits with them later, this section will take about 10 minutes.
- With Father / Mother / Loved Ones: 5 minutes – With each set of first looks you perform, outside of your bridesmaids, you can assume it will take at least 5 minutes. This will include the shock of seeing you, the words of love shared, and a quick portrait with each other.
- With Groom: 30 to 45 Minutes – Yes, at least 30 minutes. Aside from building up the anticipation of seeing each other for the first time on your wedding day, once you see each other, you will not separate until the ceremony! Now is the ideal time to have your bridal portraits with each other too.
Portraits (Regardless of First Look): 30 to 50 minutes
- Bridal Party Portraits: 10 to 20 minutes – Depending on the photos you want (such as couplings and how you line up), full bridal party portraits can take up to 20 minutes. However, if portraits have been completed during the getting ready stage, it can be as short as 10 minutes.
- Family Portraits: 20 to 30 minutes – Whether this happens before the ceremony or after, family portraits will last the longest. There’s no sugar-coating it. Most couples view this as the most stressful part of the day. And with good reason! Each family setup can take up to 1 to 2 minutes to setup. Depending on family size, this can either go quickly or be drawn out. The best way to speed this part of the day up is to provide a list of family portraits wanted by family name. Your photographer doesn’t know who mom and dad are. But they can easily call out Deb and Bobby Hopkins to join the couple for portraits!
Bridal Portraits (No First Look): 15 to 20 minutes
- Bride and Groom Portraits After Ceremony: 15 to 20 minutes – When you do not have a first look, you will inadvertently shorten your bridal session. There are two reasons for this. The first is that by not having a first look, you will have to do your portraits together after the ceremony during cocktail hour. Secondly, to keep from seeing each other, family portraits will also be right after the ceremony. Since cocktail hour is one hour, if it takes 30 minutes have your family portraits, you will be left with 20 minutes for portraits to mingle during cocktail hour.
Non-Portrait Moments: 2-3 hours
- Touch-up and Rest before Ceremony: 30 minutes – In an ideal timeline, you are able to have 30 minutes to rest prior to the ceremony. This factors in regardless of a first look or not.
- Travel to Ceremony Location: 20 minutes to 1 hour – If your getting ready location at a separate location from your ceremony, you will need to factor in travel time.
- Travel from Ceremony to Reception Location: 20 minutes to 1 hour – Just the same as leaving to the ceremony location, traveling to the reception area must be accounted for too.
- Ceremony: 10 minutes to 2 hours – This is dependent on the type of ceremony you are having. An elopement ceremony may only last 10 minutes, whereas a catholic or other religious wedding may last up to 2 hours.
- Cocktail Hour: 1 hour – Not every wedding includes a cocktail hour, but it is a great way to transition from the ceremony to the reception. This may be necessary if your ceremony and reception are in the same location and require a room flip.
Reception – 3-4 Hours
The reception is the most exciting part of the day! This is when the party starts! Depending on what is going on during the reception, you can expect it to last 3 to 4 hours. Here are some key moments you can expect to happen during the reception:
- Grand Entrance: 5 minutes
- Special Dances (First Dance, Mother/Son, Father/Daughter): 15 minutes
- Speeches: 5 minutes to 1 hour – This is really dependent on how many guests speak and how long-winded they are. To prevent this from going on too long, only ask key members to give a speech if they want to, and give a time limit.
- Eating: 30 minutes to 1 hour – It’s courtesy to give your guests plenty of time to eat. If it is a buffet style, 30 minutes should be enough time for everyone to get their food. The additional 30 minutes allows time to eat, but other activities can happen during this time.
- Open Dance Floor: 2 to 3 hours
- Grand Exit: 30 minutes – This is the moment that takes the most coordination during the reception. This is simply because your guests are likely having a great time and enjoying cocktails and dancing! It also takes time to make sure everyone has a sparkler (if you are doing those) and lighting them.
Sample Wedding Day Timelines
Sample Wedding Day Timeline: Spring Wedding At 12:00 PM With A First Look
- 06:30 am – Bride and bridesmaids arrive for hair and makeup
- 07:00 am – Hair and makeup begins
- 09:00 am – Groom and groomsmen arrive to venue
- 09:30 am – Guys get dressed + bridal reveal to bridesmaids
- 10:00 am – First look and bridal portraits begin
- 10:30 am – Bridal party portraits begin
- 11:00 am – Family portraits begin
- 11:30 am – End photos to rest and fix hair/makeup
- 12:00 pm – Ceremony
- 01:00 pm – Ceremony ends, cocktail hour begins
- 02:00 pm – Reception begins, grand entrances, first dances, and food served
- 02:30 pm – Toasts
- 03:00 pm – Cake Cutting, Bouquet Toss, and Garter Toss
- 03:30 pm – Open dance floor
- 05:00 pm – Grand exit
Sample Wedding Day Timeline: Winter Wedding At 5:00 PM With No First Look
- 11:30 am – Bride and bridesmaids arrive for hair and makeup
- 12:00 pm – Hair and makeup begins
- 02:00 pm – Groom and groomsmen arrive to venue
- 03:00 pm – Guys get dressed + bridal reveal to bridesmaids
- 03:30 pm – Bridesmaids portraits begin
- 04:00 pm -Groomsmen portraits begin
- 04:30 pm – End photos to rest and fix hair/makeup *likely when golden hour will be*
- 05:00 pm – Ceremony
- 06:00 pm – Ceremony ends, cocktail hour begins, Family Portraits Begin
- 06:30 pm – Bridal party portraits begin
- 06:45 pm – Bride and groom portraits begin
- 07:00 pm – Reception begins, grand entrances, first dances, and food served
- 07:30 pm – Toasts
- 08:00 pm – Cake Cutting, Bouquet Toss, and Garter Toss
- 08:30 pm – Open dance floor
- 10:00 pm – Grand exit
Generate Your Wedding Day Timeline In 30 Second Or Less!
This can be a lot to go through when planning your wedding day timeline. That’s why I put together a tool for you to help you create your wedding day timeline in less than 30 seconds!
Just answer these three questions and enter your email, and I will send you your wedding day timeline. Happy planning!
