Need Help with Wedding Schedule

klboas

I need help determining how much time to allow for everything on the day of the wedding.  I also have no idea when to start the wedding!  I'm looking for either timeline samples or an estimate one how much time I should allow for everything we have planned.

Here are the details of what I need to fit in:
-5 bridesmaids, myself, both moms hair syling (2 stylsts done at my mom's house 3 2 miles from the church)
-pictures before the wedding (FI and I will be seeing each other before the wedding)
-ceremony should be about 30 min long
-receiving line
-photos on the way to the reception at a park (reception is 20 min away and we will have cocktail hour while we take photos -- I don't want to spend a ton of time on this, but want to allow enough time)
-dinner and speeches (4 speeches tops)
-dancing

We have the hall until midnight and we will probably start wrapping up around 11:30.  I have no clue - I am always over or under estimating these things!  Thanks!!

imasamantha010

Here is a good website that I am basing mine on http://blog.darbig.com/2008/01/whats-in-day-suggested-wedding-day.html hope this helps

Avion22

Here's what we did (ceremony and reception were at the same venue):

12:00 - 2:00  Bride, bridesmaid, mothers hair and makeup 

2:30 - 3:30    Eat quick lunch and get ready at hotel

3:30 - 4:00    Bride and bridesmaids to venue for pictures

4:30 - 5:00    Groom and groomsmen to venue for pictures

5:30             Ceremony started

6:00             Ceremony ended, cocktail hour and photos started

6:00 - 7:00    Cocktail hour, family pictures, bridal party pictures

7:00 - 8:00    Dinner, toasts, B&G greated guests at tables

8:00 - 8:15    First dance, parent dances

8:15 - 10:45  Dancing, dessert, fun times

For hair and make-up, ask your stylists how long they think it will take.  Our salon asked us what time we wanted to LEAVE, then booked our time slot based on that.  

I think more than 2.5 - 3 hours of dancing is excessive, but it really depends on your crowd.  By the end of the night, we were exhausted.    

It helps to build a little bit of extra time into your "getting ready" schedule in case you run late:-)    

dogsandfrogs

We worked out schedule backwards, starting at the end of the night and finishing at the morning.  You should allow 30 minutes for reception cleanup/shut down, so your plan of wrapping up around 11:30 when you need to be out at midnight is good.  From there your best bet is to figure out how long you need for each event (everything from drive times to actual things happening), and start piecing them together.

I would talk to your stylists about how long they will need to get through your group.  The general rule is one half hour per girl per service,which would put your group at taking 4 hours since you have 2 stylists.  It can vary alot, so your best bet really is to just ask.  I'd also allow an extra half hour of cushion time just in case something takes longer than you expect.

For pictures before the wedding, you should allow about a half hour, and you should wrap that up at least 20 minutes before the ceremony is going to start.  Everything else is dependent on actual travel times and how you're all getting where you need to go (if you're all driving separately or going together), which only you can figure out.  Try to keep at least a 10 minute buffer between everything to help keep you on track if something runs long.

We actually used our photographers as a resource for coming up with our timeline.  We had to fill in some things ourselves, but considering how many weddings they go to they have a pretty solid grasp on how long each thing should take.  If you're worried, it may be worth talking to yours and getting their opinions, especially about how long you should allow for pictures.  We WAY underestimated how much time we would need.