Wedding Day Schedules

Strawberryajs · May 2010

Has anyone come across wedding day schedules? I am just not sure how to set up the wedding day. For example, I want to take pictures after the ceremony but I don't want to miss out on part of my reception because I am taking pictures. On the other hand, I also don't want a really large gap of time between the ceremony ends and the reception begins for the guest's sake. Another problem I am having is I am not really sure what order to do things in at the reception. Should we dance first and then eat or eat and then dance? When should you have the caking cutting and toasts? Any thoughts?

fatchunk · May 2010

im sorry i cant be a huge help, but i think you eat first. then during eating, you do toasts. then dance! i want to get everything over with so i can boogie down without having to worry about what to do next. its really up to you though

C_Grimmer_1906 · May 2010

I don't have a set schedule... seeing as how we're about a year out still, but there are plenty of ways you can go with it. I went to a wedding while they served finger food until the bride and groom showed up. You won't be missing anything, but nobody will be too bored either.

What I know I'm going to do is get food into people (I've found the more grumpy, the more hungry), so maybe have your entrance, then eat... then mix everything into the dancing and whatever you want to do (bouquet toss, garter, cake cutting, etc.), maybe if things start to get quiet on the dance floor, you can do something fun! That way you won't be stressing that things aren't running on time! That's my plan anyways, but FI and I are super laid back.

quotequeen · May 2010

For example, I want to take pictures after the ceremony but I don't want to miss out on part of my reception because I am taking pictures. On the other hand, I also don't want a really large gap of time between the ceremony ends and the reception begins for the guest's sake.

Well you can't have everything. If you're taking pictures after the ceremony, then either the reception (cocktail hour) starts without you while you take pictures or your guests have to wait around for the reception to start because you're taking pictures. There aren't really any other options.

jlmarks83 · May 2010

Your DJ will be able to help you out with this. Receptions are typically laid out where there's a cocktail hour while WP is getting pictures taken. When you're introduced to the reception, I've seen it where the couple goes straight into their first dance or cake cutting...or both, one after the other. Then go into dinner. During dinner the BM and/or MOH can give a toast. Once dinner is over, usually you'll have the Father/Daughter dance and then Mother/Son dance. After that it's free reign on the dance floor. Some time during the dancing, the DJ will announce the bouquet/garter toss.

But...while this is typical - it doesn't have to be this way. Talk with your DJ - who is usually the MC of the reception - they'll be able to give you ideas.

felicia220 · May 2010

I am doing the pictures before the ceremony so this way I can go to my cocktail hour. We are doing a private "first glance" picture, where it is just me, my groom and the photos and then taking pictures with the whole family and BP. I have created my timeline and could email it to you if you like, just so you can get an idea, but it is only for the reception, I haven't finished the one for the rest of the day leading up to the reception. PM you email address and I'll send to you.

Kristin&eric · May 2010

its usually about an hour for WP pics after the ceremony. Your photographer could tell you. We are going to eat and then dance, I hate waiting to eat at weddings!!!

unplainjane · May 2010

my photographer actually helped me plan my schedule. we are taking pictures after the ceremony too. there will be just over an hour between the end of the ceremony and beginning of coktail reception. cocktails and finger foods will be served for 1 1/2 hrs and then dinner after that. we have the cocktail hour longer then an hour because we'll be doing a chinese tea ceremony during that time too.

she said after the ceremony allow 20 min for people to greet and congratulate you. then she recommended another 20 min for family and group photos. and then 1 hr for wedding party and photos of just the 2 of us. therefore we will be missing at least the first half hour of the cocktail reception. there's really no way around missing a part of the reception if you want to take pictures after the ceremony. and you don't want to add a bigger gap for your guests because you don't want to miss any of the reception. get drinks and snacks into them as soon as you can. one thing you could do to cut the photo time is take photos of the 2 of you and wedding party before the ceremony. our photographer recommended this but we didn't want to see each other until i walk down the aisle.

we'll be dancing after dinner. again don't want to keep food waiting. and will be cutting the cake right before or after the entree is served. we haven't decided that yet. in terms of toasts i'm not sure yet. we may have them scattered between courses. talk to your photographer, dj and venue/caterer. i'm sure they will all have great suggestions for timing and when things should happen.

LesPaul · May 2010

Our photographer took some of the family photos before the ceremony, and DH with his GM then too, while waiting for the ladies to get ready. During the reception we took some more family photos and our 'couple' photos, and photos of my BMs with me. One thing to note - however much time you have scheduled to get ready, double it (if possible - I know sometimes the preparation time in a venue is limited). I felt very rushed, and thought I had really allowed enough time. It would have been much more enjoyable to have been able to relax and get ready.

trinalo · May 2010

My Day Of timeline is in my bio if you want to take a look. We're doing pictures before the ceremony though, but I think PPs have some good suggestions on how you can make post-ceremony photos work without sacrificing TOO much time.

Could you do some pictures before the ceremony and then finish up after? That would definitely minimize the time gap.

cschuma2 · May 2010

If this helps, this is how our day went:

10:00-11:30am: The ladies all meet at the salon to get their hair done.

noon-1:30pm: All of the bridal party and our immediate familes meet at the park lodge we reserved to eat lunch, apply make up, get dressed. Our photographers were with us for 8 hours, so we asked them to meet us between 12:00 and 12:30.

1:30-2:00: Pictures in the park with all of the family and bridal party.

2:00-4:00: Limo picked us and the bridal party up and we went downtown to take more pictures.

4:00-4:30: Back at the ceremony site relaxing briefly before the ceremony started

4:30-5:00: Ceremony/Receiving Line/Exit with bubbles

5:00-6:00: Time for cocktails at the reception! The bridal party, my husband, and I rode around in the limo to celebrate and took a few more pictures during this time.

6:00: Entered the reception hall

6:10ish: Dinner was served.

From this point on I'm not sure of the exact times anymore, after dinner we started the dances: bride/groom, father/daughter, mother/son. There was a break in "planned activities" and people just danced and we were walking table to table. I would guess it was about 7:30, we did the bouquet toss and garter toss. After that, we cut the cake and had an anniversary dance. I wanted the photographers there to take pictures of all of these things, so this was for sure wrapped up by 8:30 when they left. The rest of the night was just casual: dancing, drinking, and fun until 10:00 when things were wrapping up.

I know at many receptions, people cut the cake much earlier in the night. I however wanted to wait longer as it was a focal point in the room. Our reception also ended earlier than many (and we planned it this way) because we invited mostly family, many with small kids. We figured our guests would not want to stay late.

Ken&Cass · May 2010

I have photos scheduled after the ceremony for an hour and then a cocktail hour which actually lasts two hours then the dinner will be served. Right before dinner ends, we have our first dance, and then cake and toasts come an hour before the end of the reception.

californiadreamin07 · May 2010

Have you checked in with your caterer? Mine was an amazing help in coming up with suggestions for a timeline (sorry, don't have it in front of me at the moment).

nicole91 · May 2010

When I went to the venue they told me while I'm taking pictures, they'll have the guests go to cocktail hour. Then if you want, you can go look at the reception hall all decorated before everyone comes in. Then you be introduced and have your first dance once everyone comes in. And then eat, dance a while, cut the cake, dance.

sweetcatastrophe · May 2010

3pm: in-room hair stylist. start getting ready.
6-6:20pm: ceremony
6:20-7pm: BP pics and sunset walk on the beach with DH
7-8pm: cocktail hour
8-11pm: reception. we only have the photog and videographer for the first hour of the reception, so we're doing introductions, first dance, cake cutting, etc at the beginning of the reception.

jewls261521 · May 2010

My schedule is actually a little different than what I thought was normal, but here's what my DJ came up with:

6:00pm Cocktail Hour

7:00pm Introductions

7:10pm Cake Cutting

7:20pm Toast

7:25pm Blessing

7:30pm Dinner Served

8:30pm Bouquet Toss

8:35pm Garter Removal & Toss

8:45pm First Dance (Bride & Groom)

8:50pm First Dance (Bride & Father)

8:55pm First Dance (Groom & Mother)

9:00pm Dancing Begins
11:00pm Reception Ends

Like I said, it's a little bit different, but he said it's the best way to get in the most dancing in the amount of time that we have. Hope this helps!

EmDizzle · May 2010

While I completely understand the desire to not see one another before the ceremony, I don't think enough people give the whole seeing one another before the ceremony enough credit.

FI and I are going to see eachother before the ceremony, and while this was first decided due to logistics (late fall wedding, 430 ceremony, therefore no daylight for outdoor photos after the ceremony, which is very important to an outdoorsy person like myself), we are now soooo looking forward to this first moment together on our wedding day.

Before the ceremony, FI and I will have our own special 20 minutes alone (with the photographer trying to be invisible, but capturing that first moments), before the wedding chaoes begins, haha!

A great friend of mine had a super traditional catholic wedding, with an over the top reception, the last thing I expected was for them to see each other before the ceremony, but they did and they said it was the best decision they made... now one of their most cherished memories.

Our photog even said he prefers weddings where the couple meets before hand (after we told him this is what we wanted to do), as everything goes much more smoothly and feels less rushed, since there are less photos that need to be taken between the ceremony and reception.

There's my biased two cents

I Want Cake · May 2010

We're going to do the same thing, for pretty much the same reasons. I want the pictures to be taken when my makeup and hair are fresh, not after I've cried through our vows. We're going to want lots of daylight, too, since we're having the ceremony in a sculpture garden and will want to do the majority of them outside. I had wanted to not see each other before the ceremony, but I rationalized that it's overrated. We've been living together 5 years and will sleep together the night before the wedding, so we're not like a big mystery to each other. Plus, I don't want to miss out on the entire cocktail hour and the big family photos will take awhile, too. It just works out better this way.

Now if there were a way to push the wedding back a few hours, that'd be perfect, but that isn't going to happen.

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