Building Your Wedding Timeline

Let’s get started building your wedding timeline! We’d generally get an idea of what this looks like around 9 months out and finalize it around 1 month out (understanding there may be last minute adjustments by ½ hr if needed). Vendors who will definitely need the full timeline include the venues, photographer, wedding planner or day of coordinator, and DJ. Others who will slot into portions of the day include makeup and hair, florist, cake, catering etc.

So where do we start? When building timelines, I start with 2 things:

  1. Venue Requirements

  2. Sunset

If you don’t acquire venue access til 2 pm, then we would shift the events of the day to accommodate it. Same thing goes with having to be out by 11 pm!

Mark out which times you gain venue access and can do set up and take down and note whether you would want to do photos onsite or go somewhere else nearby that is meaningful or beautiful.

Next, let’s check when sunset is! Photographers love sunset photos but it also gives a good separation between the portions of the day. Does your venue have a different sunset time compared to the official time? For example, does the sun set over the mountains an hour before actual sunset?

Events of the Day & Their Approximate Timing Allocations for Low Stress

Getting Ready

Shower & Dry Hair - Misc

Breakfast - ½ hr

Bridal Hair - 1.5-2 hrs

Bridal Makeup - 1.5 hrs

Getting Suited & Hair (Gents) - 1 hr

Getting Dressed - ½ hr

First Look with Dad, Mom, Grandparents etc - 20 mins

Travel to First Look Location - Allocate ½ hr for 5 mins or 2 hours for 1 hour of travel time

First Look - 15 mins

Private Vows - 15 mins

Wedding Portraits - 45 mins

Wedding Party Photos - 45 mins

Travel to Venue - Allocate ½ hr for 5 mins

Washroom Break / Partner Greets Guests? - ½ hr

Assemble for Procession - 15 mins

Western Ceremony - 1/2-1 hr

Cocktail Hour - 1-2 hrs

Family Photos - 45 mins (usually at the same time as Cocktail Hour so you can join and mingle once done your formal family shots)

If you didn’t do wedding party portraits or wedding couple portraits earlier, this would be when they slot in

Sit for Dinner - 15 mins - once we reach this point, it’s not as crucial to be on time for guest experience! It’s just the order things happen.

Housekeeping - 15 mins

Games - 15 mins

Serve Dinner - ½ hr to get through buffet, catering team can quote for family style or plated

Eat Dinner - 40 mins

Speeches - 1.5 hrs if doing 6 or 7, plus call for seconds and dessert

Cake Cutting - 15 mins

First Dance - 15 mins

Parents Dances - 15 mins

Sunset Photos - ½ hr - ideally slots in 45 mins prior to sunset

Dance Floor Opens

Last Call - ½ hr prior to dance floor closing?