Critique my timeline please

jajph1974

We're having our ceremony and reception in the same room at the reception hall. The vibe we're going for is somewhat traditional, yet laid back.  This is what I was thinking for a timeline --6:00 - 6:20 Guests arrive. Get drinks, appetizers, mingle etc.6:20 - 6:30 Ceremony. Short and sweet6:30 - 6:32 First dance6:32 - 6:45 Pictures outside. Our wedding party is very small. Just MOH and best man.6:45 - 7:00 Mingle with guests for the rest of cocktail hour7:00 - 10:00 - Buffet dinner, dancing, drinking, mingling, drinking10:00 - 11:00 - Cake cutting, bouquet toss, garter tossIs there anything I'm missing, or anything I could do differently that I'm not thinking of? Thanks

Night_Sprite

I think the cake cutting could be earlier.

crfische

I'd want to have cake right after dinner, I think.

megk8oz

Other than cutting the cake earlier, I approve.

tmm140

I think everything looks good...my only question is that of the first dance, pictures.  Could you switch those?  I already know I get extremely embarassed in front of people which usually leads to sweat.  I don't know if sweat would look good in pics.  Just my opinion. 

bbyckes

What stands out as possibly implausible are the short time spans devoted to guest arrival - the 6:00 - 6:20 time slot and the 13 minutes you've allotted for pictures after the ceremony.   Is it possible for your guests to arrive earlier to have more time to mingle?  Are taking pics prior to the ceremony an option for you? The first dance is before the pics??? 

ggmae

Could you move the first dance to after pictures and before dinner? And the cake cutting closer to the end of dinner? Also, I think that your timeline is almost too exact. I think you need to leave some room for things running a bit behind, like for example your ceremony and first dance. Are you going to go right from recessing down the aisle (if there is one) to the first dance? And is your first dance really just 2 minutes long? Also, you may end up mingling with guests for longer than you expect and unless you are going to constantly be checking the clock or you have a DOC keeping you on track, you should plan for that. Make sure to account for the time it will take for the first dance to get started, to get from inside to outside for pictures, and back inside again.

jajph1974

Thanks for the input.I was under the impression that cake cutting was the signal to start wrapping things up, which is why I opted for a later time. A dessert table is part of our package, so guests will still be able to have dessert immediately following dinner.I was actually kind of up in the air about whether or not to do pictures before the first dance. I figured since we have to walk across the dance floor to get outside for pictures, we'd just stop half way across the dance floor, do our dance, and then be on our merry picture taking way.

tenofcups4me

[italics] I was under the impression that cake cutting was the signal to start wrapping things up, which is why I opted for a later time. [/italics] That's true in my crowd. I almost always see the cake cutting towards the end so that would seem normal to me. But I do see a few other things that look like problems. 6-6:20: I don't think this is enough time for your guests to arrive and get their drinks and some apps and settled for the ceremony. I'd give it at least from 6-6:45 or maybe even 7. I'd also indicate cocktail hour is first if you do this. If this isn't your actual cocktail hour and it's really just the time for guests to arrive and get a drink, I'd consider having servers walk around with trays of wine to help people get settled quickly. I don't see how 15 minutes is enough for pictures. Personally I'd do them before guests arrive or plan to be gone for more of the cocktail hour. What's happening from 10-11? Is it just those "special" activities or are you still dancing, etc.? I'd personally move the bouquet and garter toss to a little earlier in the evening.

jillzlee

One important thing to remember! If you have a large cake and you cut it late, your going to be left with A LOT of cake! If you dont have a humongous cake, this is fine. However, I'm always staring at the cake until it gets cut, because thats my favorite part.

ExpatPumpkin

Ditto what everyone said about the cake. I think we cut ours around 7:30PM, right after dinner. It was cut immediately thereafter and served as dessert.

janedoe1113a

I think you're going to need longer for pictures.