Wedding Day Schedule

Posted on October 6, 2016 by Today's Bride

How much time do you need for your hair and makeup? Do family and wedding party pictures take that long to capture? How much time do the guys need to get ready? If you haven’t thought of these questions yet, trust us, you will! And we’ll be here to answer them for you.

Keep in mind that every wedding day schedule is different and depends on the couple. If you’re having a smaller bridal party, having your reception at the same location as your ceremony, or are updating some of the typical wedding traditions, details will change!

When you’re referring to this timeline, keep in mind that these are generalizations of the length of time needed for each event and should be used as time slots. Exact times can be adjusted to fit your celebration.

Getting Ready

9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.: Hair & Makeup begins       -Note: Breakfast or lunch should be provided to your bridal party if they’re not doing their hair and makeup.  *Allow for travel time* 1:30 p.m.: Girls arrive at the ceremony site and get dressed/last minute touch-ups 2:00 p.m.: Guys arrive at the ceremony site                  Bridesmaids and Bride photos 2:30 p.m.: Groomsmen and Groom photos     -Note: These photos should be taken separately unless the Bride and Groom choose to do the first look.

Ceremony

3:30 p.m.: Guests arrive, and music begins 4:00 p.m.: Get Married! 4:30 p.m.: Ceremony ends 4:30 p.m. – 5:30 pm: Family and combined bridal party pictures cocktail hour for guests begins *Allow for travel time* 6:00 p.m.: Cocktail hour ends, and guests take their seats Wedding Party arrives at the Reception Venue

Reception

6:15 p.m.: Introduction of the wedding party and newlyweds 6:20 p.m.: First dance 6:25 p.m.: Toasts 6:40 p.m.: Blessing over the meal 6:45 p.m.: Dinner service begins (music volume is lowered) 7:30 p.m.: Father-daughter dance followed by a mother-son dance 7:40 p.m.: Bouquet & garter tosses 7:50 p.m.: Floor opens for guests to dance ’til they drop! 8:30 p.m.: Cake-cutting 9:55 p.m.: Last song of the night the couple’s grand exit 10:00 p.m.: Reception concludes guests depart 10:00 p.m.-midnight: Vendors breakdown

Remember that this – or any – schedule doesn’t have to be followed to the minute. They are just loose guidelines. Arrival times are the most important, and you should try to adhere to those, but if you end up doing your bouquet toss after the cake cutting or have the toasts and dinner before your first dance, that’s completely fine! Check out our printables to help keep track of your schedule and hundreds of other tiny details!