Sample Wedding Timeline
One of the most commonly asked for resources by our couples is a sample wedding timeline. You spend months or even years planning all the details of your wedding, and eventually it can start to feel overwhelming. We always meet with our couples around 4-6 weeks prior to the wedding to go over a detailed hour by hour timeline of their wedding day. This meeting often calms a lot of nerves and helps consolidate all of that planning by our couples.
Below we will lay out a few sample wedding timelines based on a number of different factors – ceremony start time, reception start time, and relative ceremony and reception locations. These sample wedding timelines will not fit every wedding, but they should help guide most couples.
If you would like a copy of one of these sample wedding timeline’s, please CONTACT US as you will likely have trouble copy and pasting the content below, as we have that feature disabled on our website to stop people from stealing our photos.
One last note to keep in mind:
We assume travel times of 30 minutes between each location. In reality that is 15 minutes on a regular day in a regular vehicle. For all travel on your wedding day add AT LEAST 50% more time if you are travelling in a limo. Limos drive much slower than regular vehicles and often have to take different routes in order to ensure they can safely navigate tight turns, parking lots or other obstacles. Additionally, simple things like loading and unloading people, bags, flowers etc. from a limo takes much more time than you would think. Always add in buffer time when accounting for travel times!
Ceremony & Reception In Different Locations
1pm ceremony
7am-9:30am – Bridesmaids & other ladies get hair & makeup done.
9:30am – Bride begins hair & makeup
10:30am – Photographer #1 arrives with ladies
10:45am – Groom showers
11:00am – Photographer #2 arrives with gentlemen
11:00am – Groom begins getting ready – shave & hair
11:30am – Gentlemen begin to suit-up
11:45am – Dress goes on, final hair & makeup touchups
12:00pm – Gentlemen depart “getting ready” location
12:15pm – Ladies depart “getting ready” location
12:30pm – Gentlemen arrive at ceremony location
12:45pm – Ladies arrive at ceremony location
1pm-1:30pm – GET MARRIED!
1:30pm-2:30pm – Family photos (this should ideally be completed at or near the ceremony location in an effort to cut down the amount of travel required. Older family family members and children should be photographed first)
2:30-3:00pm – Leave family photo location and travel to wedding party location
3pm-4pm – Wedding party pictures
4pm-5pm – Bride & Groom pictures
5pm-5:30pm – Travel to reception location
5:30-6pm – Wedding party arrives, freshens up, takes a break
6pm – Wedding party makes entrance into reception venue
6-6:30pm – Wedding party introductions & housekeeping notes by MC
6:30pm-7:30pm – Dinner
7:15pm – Photographers steal the couple for a few sunset/evening pictures
7:45pm – Speeches begin
8:30pm – Speeches & Slideshow are finished
9pm – First Dances
9:15pm – PARTY TIME!
10:30pm – Photographers leave
11pm – Late lunch
Ceremony & Reception In The Same Location
4:30pm ceremony With A First Look
8am-10:30am – Bridesmaids & other ladies get hair & makeup done.
10:30am – Bride begins hair & makeup
11:30am – Photographer #1 arrives with ladies
11:45am – Groom showers
12:00pm – Photographer #2 arrives with gentlemen
12:00pm – Groom begins getting ready – shave & hair
12:30pm – Gentlemen begin to suit-up
12:45pm – Dress goes on, final hair & makeup touchups
1:00pm – Gentlemen depart “getting ready” location
1:15pm – Ladies depart “getting ready” location
1:30pm – Gentlemen arrive at first look/portrait location
1:45pm – Ladies arrive at first look/portrait location
1:45pm – First Look (bride & groom see each other for the first time in private)
2:00pm-2:45pm – Wedding party pictures
2:45pm-3:30pm – Bride & Groom pictures
3:30pm-4:00pm – Travel to ceremony/reception location
4:00-4:30pm – Wedding party arrives, freshens up, takes a break
4:30pm-5:00pm – GET MARRIED!
5:00pm-5:45pm – Family photos outside & cocktail reception inside
6:00pm – Wedding party makes entrance into reception venue
6-6:30pm – Wedding party introductions & housekeeping notes by MC
6:30pm-7:30pm – Dinner
7:15pm – Photographers steal the couple for a few sunset/evening pictures
7:45pm – Speeches begin
8:30pm – Speeches & Slideshow are finished
9pm – First Dances
9:15pm – PARTY TIME!
10:30pm – Photographers leave
11pm – Late lunch
4:00pm Ceremony Without A First Look
9:00am-11:30am – Bridesmaids & other ladies get hair & makeup done.
11:30am – Bride begins hair & makeup
12:30pm – Photographer #1 arrives with ladies
12:45pm – Groom showers
1:00pm – Photographer #2 arrives with gentlemen
1:00pm – Groom begins getting ready – shave & hair
1:15pm – Dress goes on, final hair & makeup touchups
1:30pm – Gentlemen begin to suit-up
1:45pm-2:15pm – Ladies travel to portrait location
2:00pm-2:30pm – Gentlemen travel to portrait location
2:15pm-2:45pm – Bride & bridesmaids pictures
2:30pm-3:00pm – Groom & groomsmen pictures
3:00pm-3:30pm – Gentlemen travel to ceremony location
3:15pm-3:45pm – Ladies travel to ceremony location
3:30pm- Gentlemen arrive at ceremony location
3:45pm – Ladies arrive at ceremony location
4:00pm-4:30pm – GET MARRIED!
4:30pm-5:15pm – Quick family photos
5:15pm-5:45pm – Quick wedding party pictures
5:45pm-6:15pm – Quick Bride & Groom pictures
5pm-6pm – Cocktail reception inside
6-6:15pm – Housekeeping notes by MC
6:15pm – Wedding party makes entrance into reception venue
6:30pm-7:30pm – Dinner
7:15pm – Photographers steal the couple for a few sunset/evening pictures
7:45pm – Speeches begin
8:30pm – Speeches & Slideshow are finished
9pm – First Dances
9:15pm – PARTY TIME!
10:30pm – Photographers leave
11pm – Late lunch
