timeline heeeelp

This is my timeline for our 3:00 Sunday ceremony. We aren't having much dancing, so you may have to alter that into this if you wanted to use it as your template Hope it helps!

9:00 Arrive at venue to begin setup
11:00 Brief lunch break/begin getting ready
1:15 Pre-wedding photos (bride w/ her family, groom w/ his family, bride & bridesmaid, groom & groomsmen)
2:15 Finish photos to return to bride/groom suite (snack, relax, shake the nerves lol)
2:40 Early bird guests start to arrive
3:00 Invite time
3:10 Ceremony Begins (to accommodate late comers if necessary)
3:35 Ceremony Ends/Guests move to reception area
3:40 Cocktail Hour/Post Ceremony Photos
4:40 Introduction of Bride & Groom/First Dance
4:50 Welcome (Father of the Bride)
4:55 Prayer from Groom's Grandfather
5:00 Dinner begins (buffet style)
5:30 Toasts
5:45 Father/Daughter & Mother/Son Dances
6:00 Dancing
6:40 Cake cutting
7:05 Bouquet/Garter Toss
7:10 Sunset Photos
7:30 Last Dance
7:45 Send Off

I think this also depends on how long your ceremony is? will you have a cocktail hour? do you want to do photos before ceremony or during your cocktail hour? and then after that for your reception schedule i would think about things like do you think it's better to have the dance and toasts before or after dinner, etc.

I would need a little more info before I could give you a sample timeline. First, are you having professional hair and makeup done before the ceremony? What about your bridesmaids? So, you'll have to allow time for that--at least 90 minutes, but likely longer if more than just you are getting pro hair and makeup. Then, are you doing a first look with FH? That will also be pre-ceremony, probably 20-30 minutes. It usually gets a bit easier after the ceremony. Most ceremonies last from 15 to 30 minutes, some longer if you're doing a Catholic mass, or other rituals. But let's say that your ceremony is no more than 30 minutes. Then, if you've not done pictures before the ceremony, you'll do them right after. That could take a good hour, depending on the size of your bridal party, and how many family pics you want to get. So, now you're looking at joining your guests at the reception around 3pm. Are you serving a meal at the reception? Or just cake and punch? Allow an hour for the meal, and you just work in the other stuff during the time you have the reception venue for. Like the first dance, cake cutting, father/bride and mother/groom dances, speeches/toasts, etc.

I know it can be frustrating to figure this stuff out. Here's a sample, based on the size of my own wedding party, and what we are doing (our stuff is later in the day, but I'll use your times so it's easier to understand):

10am--hair and makeup (maybe earlier start if you have a lot of people)

12pm--first look and majority of photos

1:30pm--ceremony

2pm--cocktail hour (finish taking photos)

3pm--intro into reception

3:10pm--first dance

3:15pm--meal is served

4:15pm--speeches/toasts

4:30pm--special dances (father/bride; mother/groom)

4:35pm--dance floor open

6pm--send off

You can move some of these around, of course, as this is just a sample. But it should give you the basic breakdown of a wedding and reception. Hope this helps.

View Quoted Comment This helps a lot,thank you so much...
i am not doing furst look with my FH,
i do know we will be getting into the venue to set up at 8am...
iam not doing a firts look,i dont have bridal party and neither does my FH,its a 30mnt ceremony,we do have a cocktail hour in mind,we do have a full meal and also yes to PRO hair and make up

View Quoted Comment

Ok, great! Then, since you don't have a wedding party, and aren't doing a first look, that simplifies things. You won't have to start as early. I would think you could start your pro hair and makeup around 11:30 or 12, to be ready for the 1:30 ceremony. Then at 2pm, cocktail hour starts, and you take your photos (again, shouldn't take long with no wedding party), just the two of you, and any you want to get with family. Then you can join your reception!

You may want to consult with your photographer, about specific photos you want to get, and they can recommend times, based on how long those shots will take. Good luck!

Your photographer should come up with a timeline for you. Also, if you have a planner or DOC they will come up with a timeline for you. Our photographer provided us with our timeline about 1.5 months before our wedding. We are now 8 days away (Oct 5) and we received our final timeline from the photographer, videographer, & planner/DOC all this week.