Timeline Questions

We are having ours at the same place. I'm not getting married til July so I haven't really thought about this yet but tentatively what we're looking at...

Arrive to venue around 4:30 with hair/makeup done to get dressed

First look and photos 5-6

Ceremony begins at 6:30 (outside on the mansion's lawn)

Cocktail hour begins at 7 (inside the mansion)

Around 8pm guests will be moved into the ballroom

Bridal party entrance around 8pm

Announced as Mr & Mrs.

First Dance

Father/daughter dance

Toasts

Welcome/Blessing

Dinner around 8:30?

Cut cake around 9pm

Dance our butts off

Exit at 11pm

Since we're doing a first look, we are not doing a receiving line and will be visiting with our guests during the cocktail hour. I would talk to your photographer, I know mine will be helping me create our timeline so that we use our time wisely!

The website "a practical wedding" has spreadsheets, including a timeline template that's really helpful. Also ask your caterer or photographer if they have advice or sample timelines. Or if you have a DoC, they should be able to help you too.

^ yep, A Practical Wedding has spreadsheets (one for a formal wedding, one for a DIY wedding) that are really useful!! They help provide an idea of events and let's you customize it fit you.

http://apracticalwedding.com/spreadsheets/

We're having too big of a wedding for a receiving like. We're doing first look and bridal party pics before, family pics during cocktail hour

We are getting ready at the venue. We will be there at 1:00 pm.

3:00 pm- ceremony

3:30 pm- Cocktail Hour

4:30 pm- Reception

5:15 ish- First Dance/ pretend cake cutting ( for pictures)

6:00- Photographer leaves ( reason for the first dance and cake cutting so early) Then dancing and games until 8 pm.

This is a rough draft of everything for a 5 hour reception.

 8am-9am—Breakfast and Wedding Set Up

 9:00-11:30am—Hair and Makeup/Getting ready Bride

 9-11:30am—Maids get ready

 11-12:30am—Grooms get ready (grooms photos)

 1-1:30 First Look/Groomsmen and Bridesmaids photos...family photos

 1:30-2pm—Lunch

 3:30pm—Guests begin to arrive/Pre-ceremony music starts/Hot Beverages Ready

 4:00pm—Invite time

 Roughly 4:05pm—Ceremony starts

 Roughly 4:45pm—Ceremony ends

 Roughly 4:45pm—Receiving Line Starts/Passed Champagne/Beer/Appetizers/Ceremony

Clean up

 5:00pm—Cocktail hour starts Music Starts/Bar Opens

 5:45pm—Move guests into dinner

 6:00pm—Bride and Groom Announced and the kissing game explained by DJ, Buffet

Dinner explained

 6:05pm—Brides Father and Mother provide a Welcome (need microphone)

 6:10pm—7pm Captains start releasing tables Food Served until 8pm

 6:10pm—PowerPoint Plays 

 6:10pm—Background Music

 6:10pm—Plated Salad/Kids Served Dinner/Allergies Served Dinner

 6:30pm—Background Music Stops-Toasts (Bridesmaids/Groomsmen/Grom's Parents/Bride

& Groom) (need microphone)

 6:30pm—Birthday Cake

 6:35pm—Background Music

 7:30pm—Cutting the cake

 8:00pm—1st Dance, Father Daughter/Mother Son/Dollar

 8:15pm—General Music Starts Oldies/Fun Dance Music-stuff that will get people

dancing/Slow Dances/Kids Dances

 Roughly 8:15pm—Outside Bonfire photos bride and groom and wedding party

 9:00pm—A little more adult music gets played

 10:30?—Peter and Kelsey Depart (maybe)

 Around 11:00pm/11:15—Last call

 Around 11:30pm—Music off/Guests depart Last Hotel Shuttle

 Around 11:30pm—Clean up and After party at the pub or sleepy time

Our venue is mostly DIY and I'm hoping we can get in the night before to do set-up, but if not this is roughly what I have so far:

11/12-3pm- Venue set-up

3-430- Me going to my moms house to get ready, FH going home, BP going to their homes to get ready/photos of my dress & first look with parents

430-5- Travel to the beach, first look pics with FH

5-550- BP picks, some family photos (same location)

6- Ceremony

625-650- Finish off the rest of photos

7- Bride/groom entrance w/ bridal party

7-815- Dinner

815-830- First dance/ father & daughter dance (maybe)

830-12- Dance party, guests leave at 12

1145- Last call

12-130am- Venue clean-up

We're not doing a receiving line or speeches, we're just going to go table to table. I think we only have 7 tables, so it's not too bad.

I've only had the initial meeting with the photographer so I don't know how long everything will actually take. This is just a rough draft for now.

We get the venue at noon so it will hopefully look something like this:

12-3/4ish Set Up Venue

3/4-5 Get ready on site

Depending on how long it takes to get ready, either squeeze in some photos of me and my family beforehand, or just wait.

Ceremony starts roughly around 5.

After ceremony, FH and I will do pictures

Reception around 6

Dance/party until 930/10 and kick the rest of the people out.

Take down and clean up until 11. Then head home. Luckily since we're taking down our own venue, I don't have to worry about making an exit or anything.

Most of my couples don't do a receiving line in the same location.

Keep in mind that if you're using shuttles, you want them to arrive 1/2 hour before the ceremony. They are often late, and it takes 15 minutes to get them on the bus and off.

Pardon the question, but what's a receiving line?

As for timeline, usually your DJ and wedding planner (if you have one) will help with this..

@jewles322: a receiving line is when the bride and groom, and bridal party, and sometimes the couples' parents, stand in line and all the guests file by to say hello. Usually on the church steps after the ceremony. It takes forever, and (IMO) is very old fashioned. No offensive to anyone doing a receiving line.

Usually it's just the bride and groom, sometimes their parents. Almost never the wedding party or it takes FOREVER.

@Celia, maybe that's why I don't like the receiving line! The time's I've seen it, the bridal party was included. And it did, in fact, take forever.