Wedding day timeline

[Excitedbride2b]

Hi everyone

Please can you all look at my wedding day timetable and let me know what you think? Thankyou

2pm - ceremony
230pm- drinks, canapes and photos
(Canapes for adults, snack bags for children)
345- guests called through to dining room
4pm- wedding breakfast
(3 course meal)
7pm- evening guests arrive
730pm- first dance
830pm- food
Party until midnight

Are speeches before or after the meal?

Might be tight on photos, rounding up guests for group photos takes longer than you think. My dh is a wedding photographer, I suggest you keep group photos to a minimum and have bestman and bridesmaid on hand to round up people.

Id also consider pushing your first dance a little later as not everyone arrives on time for a wedding.

Cake cut?

We're only having a few photos as we're going to have a few before the ceremony as well. Speeches- not sure about as no one wants to really make one. I will probably just stand up and thank everyone. We're having a small cake just for photos

Aside from dinner, what's happening during the 4-7 time slot? 3hrs is a long time for dinner. Overall it's a long day with what looks like big time gaps.

Hmm, mine started at 3. Canapes and drinks at 4 while we did photos then while guests mingled, it was on a vineyard so nice places to walk and relax and we had a photo booth. I think people who couldn't stay left at this time (their choice). Dinner at 7 (buffet). Do you need that much food? It seems alot and really early for a 3 course meal. Everyone was invited to the whole event though, around 130 guests. Party started at 9. Some said it was the best wedding they had ever been to. It still seemed rushed for us, and not enough time to talk with our guests.

What is available to entertain guests between events- will there be comfortable seating? Drinks available? Music? I’d say your timings upto meal look fine. But if there’s no speeches meal will likely finish closer to 6 and evening want get going until around 8 so guests will have 90-120 minutes to fill.

when I got married I was very conscious of gaps having worked in hospitality, my day went like this-
1.30 service
2,30 photos/canapes/live music
345 meal and speeches
6 casino games
730 evening do
830 first dance
10 evening buffet

Looks very similar to ours, except we're having a 2 course meal. I think food will be over by 5.15/5.30, and ours is a pub reception, so we're thinking of getting the DJ to start earlier, and invite our evening guests at 6/6.30pm, get the party started! I actually wouldn't worry at all about entertaining them- as long as you have music, people mingle.

This is our suggested plan (copied yours and amended for ease, sorry!)
2pm - ceremony
230pm- photos
3pm- over to the pub, 5-10 minute walk away
4pm- guests called through to dining room
4.15pm- wedding breakfast, not expecting to bother with speeches
(2 course meal)
5.30pm finish food, have a drink and a chat. DJ starts with mellow background music
6-6.30-7- evening guests arrive
7.45 pm- 8.30 singer starts, first dance (no cake cut but he suggested cake cut then 1st dance straight away if doing)
830pm- food, DJ on in background
9/9.15-10 singer back on, party tunes
Party until midnight

I think the timings sound good, is there a lounge or somewhere for people to go after the three course meal and before the evening starts? Somewhere with tea coffee and serve the cake could be nice.

I’d take your side/his side photos before the ceremony.
three hours for dinner seems long, even with speeches.
hate the separation of guests.

We had: 2.30 ceremony
3 canapés/drinks while remainder of photos taken
4.30 dinner then speeches (I gave one off the cuff)
6.30 dancing (plus cutting cake, cheese board etc) until 11, we went to change to going away outfit, we had one last big group dance then we left, everyone else left by midnight.
Made it easy on everyone by doing it all at one venue and all guests invited for whole thing.

Just to answer some questions.

The wedding breakfast will go on from 4-6pm so there will be 1 hour gap while the room is change over.

The venue is exclusive use so there's lots to do, the bar will be open. People can go to their rooms, look round the grounds etc

Sounds good.

Why not have the wedding breakfast straight away at 2.30? Instead of the canapes for more than an hour?

All guests invited for the whole thing? 👌
Excellent!

I went to a wedding like this but I wasn’t staying at the hotel and the weather was poor, so the part between the meal ending and the evening getting going was a bit of a drag tbh, with everyone squeezed into the one available bar at the venue.