Outside December wedding timeline!

I would move it to 4 that not a odd time most weddings i went to started 3 or 4 and your pictures are important so i would move forward a hour

Hi Monica!! This is definitely something to think about. Moving the ceremony to 4pm will have the reception pushed to 6-10pm. If you would like to have a later reception like you had planned then I would keep everything the way it is. What time were you originally thinking for pictures? Would it be possible to have the photos taken before the ceremony, maybe at 4 or so? Also, think about the ceremony and how long it is. If there's enough time between the end of the ceremony and the cocktail hour, you could possibly take photos then!

9 Wedding Day Timeline Rules Every Couple Should Follow has some great tips and a mock timeline that I think will be very helpful!

Are you actually getting married outside in December? Unless you are somewhere that it is still over 65 degrees at night at that time of year I would try to find an indoor place ASAP! If you are just worried about being able to take outdoor pictures... ask your photographer what time/light is best. You could take a lot of the pictures beforehand so you won't have to spend a long time on photos between the ceremony and reception. I also think moving the wedding up to 4 is a perfectly fine option. Cocktails at 5 then a 6-10 reception with a dinner is a great timeline IMO.

My wedding is starting at 4:30...it's not an early time at all.

I'd move it up.

Where are you located? I'd hope it doesn't dip down past 50 (and that's pushing it) where you live or you will have some VERY cold and unhappy guests!

It can even be pretty dark at 5, if you're wanting light outside I would say no later than 4. We started at 3:30.

Are you doing a first look? Is there a way to do your pictures before the ceremony?

Where do you live? I am in the warmest city in the country. I went to a 12/8 wedding last year, at 4 pm and needed a wrap for the outside ceremony. Everybody was so glad when it was time to move inside. Unless you are in the Southwestern US I think you really should be indoors.

My wedding is outside in November (in Florida) right after the time change, so we are having our ceremony at 4pm. It’s earlier than I would like, but I think it’s going to work out. We would like to do a first look and most of our pictures before the ceremony. Our ceremony will likely only take 30 minutes, so I’m hoping to do 90 minutes for the cocktail hour (with open bar, champagne bar, plenty of food, live musicians so I think the guests will be fine) so our reception doesn’t start until 6pm. This will allow for both a later reception and for us to enjoy some of the fun things we planned for the cocktail hour and not miss out due to pictures. We are also planning an after party since we don’t plan to stop having fun at 10pm!

Its cold in december anyways, how many outdoor pictures were you thinking of having?

Where are you getting married? I live in New England and it starts getting dark at 4. So, yeah, I would move your reception up. Can you do a first look to get outdoor photos out of the way early?

Daughter's wedding is in mid-January, in SoCal, at a very experienced semi-inclusive venue. They told us ceremony should start at 3:30, which is about 90 minutes before expected sunset. Weather permitting, 30-minute ceremony & cocktail hour will take place outside, then reception will be inside. (There is an excellent inside option for ceremony/cocktail hour in case of bad weather.) Venue and photographer were both very much on-board about the timing/lighting. (They will also be doing first look and most wedding party photos prior to the ceremony.)

We're getting married outside the week after daylight savings ends. Our ceremony is at 4, cocktail hour 4:30-5:30, reception 5:30-10. Sunset is around 5:30, so we'll go get some sunset pictures during cocktail hour. This was the timeline recommended by my venue for the time of year.

I got married December 23rd and the ceremony started at 3. It was over by 4 and the sun was starting to go down. By the time we joined our guests for cocktail hour at 5 it was dark already. This was in Sonoma, CA. Our dinner was served at 6 and the reception ended at 11. We took most of our pictures before the ceremony between 1-2:45.

Definitely move it up especially if you want to take pictures afterward. My wedding will start at 330, cocktails start at 5 but there's travel time to the reception.

View Quoted Comment We plan on having an after party as well! I guess if our reception does end up finishing at 10, it won’t be a problem.