Preparation is the key to a successful wedding day. A Wedding Running Sheet helps things flow nicely, allowing enough time for each section of the day. Running a very tight timeline can cause a lot of unnecessary stress as more often than not things do go overtime.
It is difficult to plan a wedding and it worth considering a Wedding Planner that has plenty of experience and takes the stress out of your special day. It is important for things to run smoothly so your guests can be entertained while waiting in between the Ceremony and the Reception and not left waiting for things to move forward.
An example of an afternoon wedding time line
There has been a noticeable move towards afternoon weddings, allowing more time to chill out before launching into the big day. Following is a simple timeline for a 4pm ceremony, keeping in mind there will be sub timelines that your Wedding DJ will require.
It is also worth checking with your wedding reception venue to see what time they require guest to leave and work backwards from there.
- 10am— Begin hair and makeup.
- 12pm – 2pm — Most vendors arrive for setup.
- 2pm— This is a good time to allow for any pre wedding photos you may also like to have.
- 3.30pm— Guests begin to arrive.
- 4pm—Official ceremony start time.
- 4.15pm— Allow yourself an extra 15 minutes to officially begin the ceremony, so the bride can either choose to be fashionably late or to allow for any unforeseen traffic or hold-ups in preparation times.
- 4.45pm — Ceremony finishes and the photographer might arrange a group shot with all of your guests.
- 5pm – This is a great opportunity for the all-important shots for the photo album that may have been missed earlier.
- 6pm – Reception starts.
- 6.30pm — Toasts and/or speeches.
- 7pm – Cut the cake and serve dessert.
- 7.30pm—First dance.
- 7.35pm—General dancing time starts with your Wedding DJ.
- 9.45pm — Last call for drinks.
- 9.55pm — Reception wraps up and the couple will leave if they are having a special send-off.
- 10pm — Guests leave.
- 11pm – Vendors and DJ finish their pack-down and leave.