Do weddings really start on time?

I would say screw em to the people who are late...unless they are BP members or close family, which i would hope would all be on time. why dont you set aside 30 min before the ceremony instead of running into the ceremony time slot?

My wedding started right on time ... no ifs ands or buts ... people came in late to bad for them, they were asked to sit in the back of the church ... they just had to deal ...

Well, I guess my other question would be is 15 minutes long enough to get a few shots of us? Blaaahhh... I hate this. I have a headache...

Our ceremony starts at 4:30 PM...but on our invites, I put that it starts at 4:00pm. My family is always late to weddings - ALWAYS - so I decided to be a little sly and "force" them to watch us get married. (totally kidding about the last part)

I also think you should give at least 30 mins for shots prior to - you don't want to feel TOO rushed and the shots not come out that great because you're worried about being on time

No IMO 15 minutes is not enough. i would set 30 aside just to be safe.

I've been to weddings that have started an hour or two late....which is why I'm scared people may not show up on time to mine.

I think most weddings start on time or within a 30 minute window. 15 min is NOT enough time for a few shots. I'd say 30 or maybe even 45, you have to account for those unexpected things that will slow you up...use the bathroom, a phone call, forgot your earrings, etc.

30-45 minutes at least

I am a complete psycho about timing, because if your wedding is late then your reception will start late and so on and so on....AND because it's rude.

Invite them for a half hour ahead and start on the dot. If they don't care enough about your wedding ceremony to get there on time, why on earth would you wait for them?

Starting an hour or two late????? I'd walk, and I bet I'd have a line of guests behind me.

Mine will start @4:00pm But they are told to be there @ 3:30pm

I would start photos more than 15 min before the ceremony. Is that a possibility?

We did all our photos before the ceremony

30 min bridal shots

30 min bride w/ family and wedding party

30 min groom w/ family and wedding party

15 min first look

10 min bride and groom with wedding party

30 - 45 min pictures just the bride and groom

Then for cocktail hour we only needed to do the GIANT family photos.

The ceremony starts when ever you want it to (or when the priest wants to.) If you want it to start on time, be there and be ready and Start. My brother's priest wouldn't go longer than 5 min late (he didn't care who wasn't there, he was starting)

I'm like Celia--psycho about being on time. If they're late, then they can sit in the back. I even have the issue addressed on the FAQ page of my wedding wire website:

Q: What time is the ceremony?

A: The ceremony begins at 4PM

Q: What time should I be there?

A: Please arrive no later than 3:50

Q: Do I have to be there on time?

A: Emergencies happen (not being able to find a pair of shoes does not constitute an emergency!) but otherwise—yes. If you do arrive late for the ceremony, please sit at the back as to not disturb the other guests.

Yippeee Sharron!

My wedding started at promptly 4:30pm ... it said promptly at 4:30pm and it wasn't going to start any later. Those guests who showed up late (only 2 people total) were not allowed to watch the ceremony outside, they had to watch from a window inside. My family and friends know how anal I am about being late...so yes, it's possible to have a wedding start right on time.

Your vendors will charge you extra if you keep them there longer, so yes, you should start on time!

Why 15-20 minutes for photos? If you are already seeing your huband before wedding... do 1-2 hours photo session then.. wrap up 30minutes before ceremony and relax...

but start on time, people who late are not going to be mad

You should give at least an hour for photos, if not more time.

But dont' keep your guests waiting. And you want to be able to slip back and touch things up before the ceremony starts. You don't want your guests to see you before you walk down the aisle.

Photos are typically taken during the cocktail hour. That's kind of why it was invented. Give your guests something to do, while you guys slip out and take some pics/have a few minutes alone.

If you decide to do pictures ahead of time, that's fine. But give at least an hour and half, so you can have 20 minutes of not being in view when your guests begin to arrive.

Sometimes, things do happen that cause the ceremony to start a little late. But, I wouldn't plan to start late. I think that is rude to the guests who do arrive on time (or early even!)

Late=rude in my book. We had a lot of construction where our ceremony was, the city said it would be done by october 1st but go figure, it was not. On our wedding website I gave directions to the location of the ceremony and I told people about the construction going on. I said our ceremony would start at "promptly 3" and I meant it. We started at 3 on the dot and only 3 guests came late by 2 minutes!! You cannot keep people waiting. How is waiting around fair to the guests that came on time?

And 15 of photos is enough for like 3 shots at the most! It takes time to get the right lighting etc. etc.

From my experience in coordinating, most guests arrive early--many as early as a half an hour before the ceremony start time. If you start a half an hour after your invitation time, those people who got there early are sitting for a LONG time (sometimes an hour or more). I am a stickler for starting on time. Why cut into your drinking and dancing and celebrating because people are late?

And fifteen minutes, as has been stated already, is definitely not enough time for pics. I agree with Jabez, if you're going to see each other before the ceremony, block out an hour or so of time for pics.