Planning a Wedding Day Timeline That Flows
Putting a wedding day timeline together can feel harder than it should.
There are lots of moving parts, different people offering advice, and a sense that everything needs to fit neatly into place. In reality, the best timelines are usually the ones that give the day room to breathe rather than trying to control every moment.
Over the years, I’ve found that when a timeline works well, it’s never because every minute is planned. It’s because it allows things to unfold naturally. Here's a little guidance in planning a wedding day timeline that flows.
Start with the important bits
To start with most wedding days are built around two fixed points. The ceremony time and when everyone eats!
Once those important bits are in place, everything else becomes much easier to shape. Your ceremony time can often be dictated by your venue or Church/registrar availability but it's the time that the rest of your day hinges on.
A typical Church ceremony tends to take around 45 minutes depending on how vocal the vicar is and how many hymns you may choose, Roman Catholic ceremonies tend to take a little longer. Don't forget to factor in how long it may take people to exit the Church, throw confetti and get to their cars. More guests equals longer time moving between venues.
A civil ceremony would tend to take around 20 minutes or slightly longer if you have readings. You need to be aware that registrars will tend to need to see both parties prior to the ceremony time, generally the groom is seen first about half an hour before the ceremony and the bride 15 minutes before.
Getting ready
As a rule of thumb it's usually suggested to leave an hour for each member of the bridal party to have their hair and make-up done. Therefore if you have a bride, three bridesmaids and two mum's you need to allow 6 hours for getting ready, but obviously check with your chosen Make Up Artist and Hair Stylist as they'll have a much better idea as to how they work.
I tend to suggest if I'm covering bridal prep then 3 hours tends to be enough to get a good sense of what was going on rather than every minute covered but I'm happy to be with you longer if required. The chaps tend to get ready in much less time and have plenty of errands to run.
What happens straight after the ceremony
There’s a real lift in energy as you walk back up the aisle.
After a Church ceremony I tend to find it helps to meet and greet guests from the Church. You'll both tend to be first out so it's an easy thing to stand by the exit and as guests file out of the Church you can say your hellos in a way that feels natural. It means that you and your guests can relax into the rest of the day safe in the knowledge that you've had a chance to say hi to one another. Without this what happens is people tend to hover through the reception waiting for an opportunity to say hello and you may feel panicked that you need to get round everyone. Once the last guest is past you it's a simple question of organising them into a confetti aisle that you can walk through straight to your waiting car.
Straight after a civil ceremony people want to congratulate you, give hugs, say hello and catch a glimpse of you both properly for the first time. I find it’s much better to let that moment happen rather than jumping straight into photos or organisation.
After around twenty minutes, things tend to settle on their own. Drinks are in hand, conversations start to slow a little and that’s usually the moment when it makes sense to gently gather people for group photos before they wander off too far.
It’s something I keep an eye on rather than forcing to a stopwatch.
Obviously there'll be occasions, usually presented by the weather, when plan B needs to come into place!
Fitting group photos in without fuss
Group photos don’t need to be stressful, but they do benefit from a bit of awareness.
I find it helps when people know roughly when they’ll be needed, rather than being called unexpectedly. Communication is key and a quick heads-up goes a long way and keeps things feeling relaxed, allowing you to fit the group photos in without fuss
When handled at the right time, group photos can be done efficiently without pulling you away from your guests for ages. I'd tend to suggest around half an hour is comfortably enough time for your groups unless you have a huge number of groups. It's always as well to have a chat about your list before timings are set in stone. That's not to say just leave half an hour for your drinks reception, it's important that around your group photos you have time to relax with your guests, I'd suggest at least quarter of an hour either side, even half an hour. The more guests the more time you may like to leave.
Couple shots
The last thing I want to do is take you away from your guests for long periods of time. There are times on your wedding day when we can slip away relatively unnoticed. If you want to head somewhere en route from Church to Venue then you tend to be first away and there's opportunity while your guests get to their cars and make their way, this can mean that they get ahead of you to the venue and you can be welcomed in rather than arriving first.
Your guests will need to be called in to take their seats for the Wedding Breakfast, the more guests the more time should be allowed. I'd say around 20 minutes isn't unreasonable, fewer than 50 guests will be quicker, over 100 longer. The time they take to go to the loo, get a drink and find their seats is time we can spend taking your couple shots without anyone really noticing.
Finally, after your meal and speeches, your guests won't tend to miss you in the same way as they would during the afternoon. You can often use that time to have relaxed stroll in the early evening light without some of the time pressures of the afternoon, this can often also be a good time for golden hour and sunset photos.
Light matters more than people expect
The time of year makes a big difference to how a day comes together and light matters more than people expect.
In summer there’s usually more flexibility, with long evenings and softer light later on. In winter, daylight disappears quickly and timings become more important.
I often work backwards from sunset when helping couples plan their day, especially between November and March. That doesn’t mean rushing anything, just being realistic about when outdoor photos will work best.
Sometimes that means doing couple photos earlier than expected and leaving the evening for atmosphere rather than daylight.
In summer months it can make sense to have your first dance later as it won't get dark until later. At venues with interesting grounds on nice evenings you'll tend to find guests go and explore and only naturally head back inside when the light and temperature start to drop. Having your first dance too early on evenings like that will mean it's harder to get guests inside and once your first dance is done they may well simply head back outside rather than filling the dancefloor.
Speeches and meal timings
Speeches can change the feel of the afternoon more than people realise.
It's not unusual for couples to have their speeches before their meal to get things out of the way. There are two things to bear in mind if you do this; firstly you'll need to have a fairly clear idea how long your speeches will last as your food will often need to be served at an exact time without spoiling. Secondly what tends to happen is that as soon as the last speech finishes guests forget the fact that food's about to be served and all rush to the bar and toilet delaying food service. Nether is a problem so long as you're aware as to how they may affect meal timings.
I've often wondered why more couples don't simply do their speeches as part of their afternoon reception. After your ceremony once all of your guests are settled on a lawn, terrace etc, you can start speeches from a suitable place where everyone can see and hear. It means everyone already has a glass of fizz and you then don't need to spend out on another glass later on. It also means that they're out of the way and any over run won't affect food service as it can simply be made up through the reception. Just a thought!
Avoiding long gaps
Thinking properly about timings can avoid long gaps where guests are left wondering what to do. I've seen weddings with too long a gap between end of meal and dancing fall a little flat as people think it's an opportunity to go home and let the dog out or get changed. Equally I was once at a wedding that had such a long gap between the ceremony and meal that guests took it on themselves to order a pizza delivery. Once you've thought through the essentials and come up with a sit down time for your wedding breakfast it's as well to then start from your first dance and work backwards and see how it all fits together. I'm always happy to talk through timings, getting them right can make or break your day.
A rough idea of how things might look
Every wedding is different, but as a rough idea as to how things might look:
A summer wedding often allows couple photos later in the day, with space for guests to relax outside in the evening.
A winter wedding usually benefits from doing photographs earlier while daylight allows, with the rest of the day focused on warmth and atmosphere indoors.
They’re not rules, just helpful starting points.
Let the day feel like a day, not a schedule
A good timeline shouldn’t feel like it’s running the show.
It’s there to support the day, not just feel like a schedule to follow. When it works well, the day feels like a day and you barely notice it at all.
My job is to help spot pressure points early, make suggestions where useful, and fit photography into the flow rather than making the day revolve around it.
If you ever want to talk things through, I’m always happy to help shape something that feels right for you.
