This is a question I often have from clients as it can be difficult to create a wedding timeline without knowing the length of all the key moments during the big day.
Said key moments are as follow:
- Ceremony
- Drinks Reception
- Speeches & Wedding Meal
- Cake Cutting & First Dance
- Party & Evening Food
- End Time
To these, you can add other moments in between such as Confetti Shots, Games, Sparklers and more.
Each key moment has its own duration, which can vary based on the structure you decided. Let’s go into details for each!
Ceremony
On average, a ceremony is between 20 min and 30 min. However, this varies with the type of ceremony you chose (Registrar, Celebrant, Symbolic) and how personalised you want it to be. Will you be reading your own vows? How many readers will you have? Are you doing any wedding gestures? To be on the safe side, I always suggest to aim for 45 min. This gives you some buffer time in case anything runs longer than planned without delaying what is coming after.
If you wish to do Confetti shots after your ceremony, 15 min should be enough for everyone to set up and for your photographer to capture the moment.
In total for your Ceremony and Confetti Shot you can allocate a total of 1h. That will give you plenty time to not rush things out and really enjoy the moment!
For a Church ceremony, this may take between 30 min and 1h depending on how many hymns and reading you are having.
Drinks Reception
The occasion to mingle with your guests, have a glass of champagne with some canapés and take some photographs.
I recommend for it to last no more than 2h. Under this time, it might be too short to do everything you would like to. On the contrary, more than 2h may cause your guests to get bored or too hungry.
Speeches
Did you know that it is very common for speeches to go above the allocated time and snowballing your wedding timeline? For example, you decide to have your speeches before the wedding meal and they are running over time, your wedding meal will be delayed. With your meal running late, it can impact on food quality and on the room turnover to get the floor ready for the party. If the room is not ready for the next event (i.e. cake cutting & first dance) your wedding evening is delayed further. This is what I call the snowballing effect.
To avoid that, it is essential to define how many people will give a speech and to instruct them on a specific length. The general advice I give to all my clients is to limit your speeches to 5 min per person and 30 min in total. Additionally, I would recommend not to go over 5 persons to speak at your wedding. With 5 min per person, that gives you an extra 5 min as buffer time in case someone goes over their allocated time. Do not hesitate to tell the speakers to practice within the timeframe given before the big day. On the day, your wedding planner or caterer are on the look out to ensure the food gets out at the right time once the speeches are finished.
Wedding Meal
The length of your wedding meal varies with the catering option you chose and the number of guests.
On average, a 3-course-meal takes about 2h for the full service. This can vary with the number of guests you are having. If you decide to have a buffet, this may take a little longer for each guest to reach the tables and get their food. Do not hesitate to ask your caterer for advice about timing, they will know best.
Things to consider before the Party
If your wedding meal is in the same room as your wedding reception, the room requires to be tuned over. It means that tables and chairs need to be cleared out to make space for the band/DJ to set up their equipment and for the dance floor. This usually requires 1h to do so. During that time, it is common that guests leave the room for the staff to clear everything as fast as they can. This can be the perfect opportunity for more group photos or some games to keep your guests occupied.
Cake Cutting & First Dance
You can decide to cut your cake either before the wedding meal or before your First Dance. Allocate 10 min for that section of your day for your photographs.
The First Dance is timed based on the song you chose and if you are doing daughter/father and son/mother dances. As a guidance, allocate 5 min per dances.
Party & Evening Food
It is very common for the party to last for around 4h. This is the average time for band or DJ sets with 30 min break. It is possible to split the evening between bands and DJ. Do not hesitate to ask your suppliers about it to get all your options available.
When the band or DJ have their break, it is a good time to have your evening food out for your guests. It can be placed on allocated tables for your guests to help themselves or you may decide to hire a food truck. This can be a great time to have your cake served too.
Depending on the time of year you get married, it can also be the occasion to do your sparklers. If you wish to have the sparklers photographed, it will need to be discussed with your photographer. It is not unusual for the photographer and videographer to leave after the first few dances of the evening. Therefore, they may advise for the sparklers moment to be before they leave.
The End Time
This is usually dictated by the venue you chose. For most weddings it is midnight but some venues allow to finish at 1am.
Something to note is that some venue have a “curfew” in place to lower the music for the last hour. This could impact on your entire timeline as your band/DJ may need to start earlier. Always ask your venue for any time restriction.
Wedding Timeline Example
Thank you very much for reading the entire article! I hope it will help you with your wedding timeline. Do not hesitate to reach out if you wish to hire a Wedding Planner and to book your Free Consultation to discuss your event with me! I look forward to chatting with you! 🙂
Photo Credits: Caro Weiss, Grant Richie Photography, Fern Photography, Ian Arthur Photography, The Caryls
