Ceremony and Reception Timeline- HELP!

Re: Ceremony and Reception Timeline- HELP!

• AddieCake member

  

  March 2013

  I found a bunch by Googling. Here is one:

  
  

  http://www.theamericanwedding.com/blog/2009/traditional-order-of-events-for-the-reception/

  What did you think would happen if you walked up to a group of internet strangers and told them to get shoehorned by their lady doc?~StageManager14

  

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• [Deleted User] member

  

  March 2013

  The the time line at the reception, I let my DJ handle the timing of everything. He worked w/reception hall on when to ask everyone to sit down. He got bridal party into place for intros & we did first dance before eating (photographer got better photos because everyone was sitting & watching) & the reception hall & DJ just worked wonderfully together to coordinate everything.
  
  We figured out what time we were comfortable starting the ceremony, then figured out how much time we needed between ceremony & reception for pictures & then how long the ceremony lasts and that helped us figure out the start time of our ceremony.
  
  Then to figure out when to start getting ready, figured out travel time, dressing time, and talk to hair salon to figure out how much time needed to do hair & plus time to eat something for lunch (we did mini sandwich trays) and added a 30 minute cushion & that's how we got our start time for the day.

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• Ella and Pedro member

  

  March 2013

  We're doing:
  
  3:00-6:00 Vendors install/set-up at the venue
  3:30-5:30 Pre-Ceremony Photographs at our (nearby) Hotel (2 photographers for the 8 hours of our event, sometimes being split up, sometimes working in one location, such as now)
  5:30-7:30 Classic Car Rental (begins with a pick-up at that hotel for wedding party) (1 photographer leaves now to do venue shots, the other will stay with us to do shots as we go)
  5:45-6:00 Wedding Party at Venue / Guests being Seating (beginning 5:30)
  5:30-6:00 Photographer photographing details of wedding (flowers, cake, escort cards, table decor, architecture, guests arriving, classic car parked out front)
  5:30-6:00 Preludes
  6:00-6:45 Ceremony (Processionals, Ceremony, Recessional)
  6:45-7:00 Postludes/Venue Staff / Catering Staff remove ceremony chairs, set-up cocktail hr. chairs & tables
  6:45-7:00 HUGE extended family group photo session in garden after ceremony (sunset)
  7:00 Bride & Groom leave with photographer in classic car (limo driver) to do couples' photo shoot at nearby harbor-sea side location (during 1st half of cocktail hour)
  7:30 B & G return, complete cocktail hour
  7:00-8:00 Musician who played ceremony continues playing music in garden, but this music is jazzy/world music and more up-tempo
  8:00-9:00 Dinner
  9:00-9:45 Beginning with Cake Cutting, dessert time - we're also doing an interactive Ice Cream Sundae Bar, so this is also when guests will line up to have these prepared for them.  When everyone is seated, this is when we're doing toasts and speeches with sparkling wine (Prosecco and Moscato vs. Champagne)
  9:55-10:00 1st Dance
  10:00-11:00 Free Dance (we're not doing Father-Daughter or Mother-Son dances)
  11:00-11:10 Sidewalk Outside venue, Sparkler Send-off
  (Event is techinically finished at 11)
  11:30-1:00 After Party (1/2 block away, Jazz Club)
  We're doing welcome packets with one of the pages being the weekend's full schedule

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• lindanp

  

  March 2013

  We worked with the DJ, photog and wedding coordinator at the venue to get some ideas on what has worked well in their experience given our circumstances. Here is what we put together. I would recommended talking to your vendors to help you also. Here's ours so far and I'm getting married May 25th so it could still change:
  
  3:00 - First Look Photos
  3:30 - Wedding Party Photos
  4:00 - Family Photos
  5:00 - Ceremony
  5:30 - Reception Begins, Buffet Open (Ceremony & Reception are at the same location)
  6:15 - Cake Cutting
  6:30 - Toasts
  6:45 - First Dance
  6:50- 10:00 - Open Dancing/Mingling (I don't think we will stay until 10...)
  
  We only have our photographer for 4 hours so we plan to get all the major things done first and then dance away!
  
  Hope this helps!

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