The Timeline Framework

Here's what actually works: build your timeline backwards from the ceremony, then forwards through the reception.

Sample Timeline for a 4pm Ceremony

  • 10:00am — Hair and makeup begins (bride + wedding party)
  • 12:30pm — Lunch delivered to getting-ready location
  • 1:30pm — Photographer arrives, getting-ready photos
  • 2:30pm — First look (if doing one)
  • 3:00pm — Wedding party photos
  • 3:30pm — Guests begin arriving at ceremony venue
  • 3:45pm — Wedding party lines up
  • 4:00pm — Ceremony begins
  • 4:30pm — Ceremony ends, cocktail hour begins
  • 4:30-5:30pm — Couple photos during cocktail hour
  • 5:30pm — Guests move to reception
  • 5:45pm — Grand entrance
  • 6:00pm — Dinner service begins
  • 7:00pm — Toasts
  • 7:30pm — First dance, parent dances
  • 8:00pm — Dancing opens
  • 10:00pm — Last dance
  • 10:30pm — Reception ends

The Buffer Time Rule

Add 30 minutes of buffer time to every transition. Things always take longer than planned. The buffer is what keeps you from being stressed.

The couples who have relaxed, joyful wedding days are the ones who built buffer time into their timeline. The couples who are stressed are the ones who planned every minute perfectly and had no room for the inevitable delays.

Conscious Wedding Library

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