How to Build a Wedding Day Timeline, Step by Step

Start with the ceremony, then work backward and forward from it. That is how you build a wedding day timeline that holds up, and this post walks through each step with real times you can copy. By the end you will have a draft you can hand to your vendors.

What is a wedding day timeline, and who needs to see it?

A wedding day timeline is one schedule that runs from the first hair appointment to the last song. Every vendor works from it, and so do the wedding party, the families, the officiant and whoever is running the day. When each person has a different version in their head, things slip. When everyone holds the same page, they mostly do not.

Building the timeline is the heart of what we do at Augusta Day of Coordination, because everything else depends on it. Our work with a couple begins two to four weeks before the wedding. Nick and Jasmine build the timeline with you, then use it to confirm your vendors and run the day.

How do you build a wedding day timeline?

Step 1: Fix the ceremony start time

Everything hangs from this. Choose it with your venue's hours, your caterer's and DJ's hours, and the light in mind. If the ceremony is outdoors, ask your photographer when the light is best for your date and avoid guessing.

Step 2: Write down the hard stops

Hard stops are the times that cannot move. When can vendors get into the venue? When must the music end? When does the venue close, and when do your vendors' hours run out? Ask each one and write the answers beside the timeline. Rules about noise and alcohol vary, so ask your venue or the city instead of assuming.

Step 3: Work backward from the ceremony

Count back through getting dressed, hair and makeup, and any photos you want before the ceremony. Ask your hair and makeup artist how long each person takes, and multiply by the number of people. Allow 30 to 45 minutes to get dressed, and longer for a dress with many buttons. Plan to have guests seated about 15 minutes before the start, with the wedding party in place before that.

Step 4: Work forward from the ceremony

Plan on 20 to 30 minutes for the ceremony, longer if you add readings or a ritual. After that come family formal photos, which need 20 to 30 minutes for a standard list, then couple portraits, then cocktail hour and the reception. Ask your caterer how long dinner service takes for your guest count, because it varies with the style of service.

Step 5: Add buffer

Put 10 to 15 minutes between the big blocks. A timeline with no slack in it is a prediction that nothing will go wrong. Protect the buffer around the ceremony, family photos and dinner first, since those are the places a day most often slips.

Step 6: Share it and name one person to run it

Send each vendor their part of the schedule with an arrival time and a contact. Then name one person to answer questions on the day, someone who is not you and not your parents. If you would like that person to be a coordinator, see our post on what a day of wedding coordinator does.

What does a sample wedding day timeline look like?

Here is a sample wedding day timeline for a 5:30 PM ceremony with no first look. Change the clock times to match yours. The order and the gaps are what matter.

• 12:00 PM: Hair and makeup begins

• 3:00 PM: Getting dressed, with the photographer taking detail and getting ready photos

• 4:30 PM: Vendors finish setup and the ceremony space gets a final walk through

• 5:00 PM: Guests arrive and the wedding party gathers

• 5:15 PM: Guests seated and the wedding party in place

• 5:30 PM: Ceremony begins

• 6:00 PM: Ceremony ends, family formal photos begin while guests head to cocktail hour

• 6:30 PM: Couple portraits, then the couple joins cocktail hour

• 7:15 PM: Guests seated, grand entrance, first dance

• 7:30 PM: Dinner service begins

• 8:15 PM: Toasts

• 8:45 PM: Cake cutting

• 9:00 PM: Open dancing

• 10:30 PM: Last dance and send off

That is a full day, from the first appointment to the last song. If your reception is shorter, trim the dancing rather than the buffers. If you want a closer look at how the photographers fit in, our post on questions to ask a wedding photographer covers the questions that settle how much time they will want.

Where do timelines usually slip?

In our experience, the same few places cause most of the delays.

• Hair and makeup, when it is scheduled person by person with no buffer

• Family formal photos, when the list is long and relatives have wandered off

• Dinner service, which depends on the caterer and the number of guests

• The ceremony start, because some guests always arrive late

A day of coordinator watches all four, and you can see what that looks like in our hour by hour look at the job.

Questions about building your timeline

How long should the timeline be?

It should cover everything from your first getting ready appointment to the send off, and the sample above runs about ten and a half hours. If you are not sure where to stop, include everything that involves another person arriving or leaving.

Should the timeline include a first look?

That is your choice. A first look moves the couple portraits to before the ceremony, which can free up time afterward. Ask your photographer how it would change your day.

Where does the marriage license fit in?

It is not on the clock, but it should be on the list. After the ceremony the officiant completes and signs the license and hands it to you, and you return it to the probate court, within 30 days in Georgia. South Carolina has a 24 hour wait after applying before the license is issued, so if you are marrying in North Augusta or Aiken, build that wait into your plans. Our sister business has a guide to the Augusta license.

Want a second pair of eyes on your timeline?

You do not need us to build a wedding day timeline, and with this post you can draft one on your own. But if you would like someone to refine it, confirm every vendor against it and run it on the day, that is what we do. Day of coordination starts at $800 and goes up from there depending on what your wedding needs and how many staff we bring. We work on both sides of the Savannah River, from Evans and Grovetown to North Augusta. Read about the day of coordination service, then reach us through the contact page.