Wedding day schedules and timelines are so important, but can often be so difficult and confusing! What needs to happen and when, who does what, where does everyone need to be… the list goes on and on with all of the events and tasks that need to take place on your wedding day or wedding weekend.

With that in mind, having a solid wedding day schedule and timeline is imperative to making sure your day goes smoothly and everyone knows their roles and duties. This will prevent and mix-ups, mess-ups, and hopefully, any hiccups from happening on your special day!

Note: If you’re working with a wedding planning or coordinator, creating a wedding day schedule and timeline is probably something they’re going to handle. However, make sure to have a conversation with them about how you envision your day-of schedule (or weekend schedule) and stay on the same page throughout the planning process so that you don’t have to make last minute changes to the schedule that end up causing confusion.

Collect Information

Collecting information is the single most important step in putting together a wedding day schedule and timeline! You’ll want to determine the exact times of the concrete events that way you can plan around it. This would include the ceremony time, reception start time, cocktail hour length, photos, etc. You can use our fillable template to make this step super simple! Download it here.

Next, you’ll want to ask yourself these questions to plan out your wedding day.

You can download this checklist here.

Ask yourself these questions to put together your timeline:

CEREMONY:

What time does the ceremony begin (and where)?

How long will the ceremony last/what time will it end?

Is the ceremony in the same location as the reception? If not, how far away/how long will it take to get to the reception?

RECEPTION:

What time can you access your reception space? Do you need to do set-up or will someone be doing it for you?

What time do you need to be out of your reception space?

What is the order of events during the reception (i.e. first dance, dinner, toasts, bouquet toss,etc.)?

What time is your reception entrance?

How many people are giving toasts, and what time will toasts begin?

What time is your reception exit/send-off (if you are doing one)?

PHOTOGRAPHY:

How many hours does your photography package cover?

What time is the photographer arriving?

Is the photographer doing getting-ready pictures? If so, what time?

What time are you doing pictures as a couple, with the family, with the bridal party, etc.? (Schedule separately if you’re going to be doing first look pictures)

How long will you be taking pictures?

GETTING READY:

Will you be getting ready at the ceremony location? If not, how far away is the ceremony location?

Who will be getting ready with you, where & what time?

Where will the groom and his groomsmen be getting ready?

MISCELLANEOUS:

Are you doing a first look? If so, what time?

Are you doing a cocktail hour? If so, what time does it begin and end? Where will it be located?

Now Put It All Together…

Once you have the answers to all of those timeline questions, it’s time to put together your schedule. Add as many details as you’d like, this is where your own preference comes in! Here’s what a typical wedding day schedule will look like:

Additional Tips:

There’s a lot to consider when you’re putting together your wedding day schedule and timeline, so take a deep breath and focus on the details. This is where having a wedding planner or just an organized bridesmaid sit with you nail down the details can really help keep your stress levels low! Here are a few extra tips to make sure the day runs smoothly:

• Guest will arrive early. It never fails. Make sure that whoever is setting up knows that they should be ready to go, chairs out, decor up, etc. at least an hour before the ceremony begins so that no one is putting up the finishing touches as guests are arriving. This gives early guests a spot to sit and makes the ceremony space seem more professionally done, and keeps people out of the way. That’s stressful for everyone!
• Consider drive time and transportation. If your bridal getting-ready location, ceremony, and/or reception spaces are at different locations, make sure you are factoring in how long it will take to get there and how you are going to get there. If ceremony and reception spaces are in two different locations, make sure guests know ahead of time and are reminded of the specifics when they arrive at the ceremony. A sign or printing it in a wedding program that’s distributed at the ceremony can be very helpful so no one gets confused.
• Give out schedules. There are a lot of people that need to be in-the-know when it comes to your wedding day so make sure to pass out schedules to the appropriate parties. Make sure to give one to the mother of the bride, mother of the groom, bridal party members (especially if there are details on there that concern them and where they need to show up!), the photographer, and any wedding coordinators at the venue or that you’ve hired yourself.
• Don’t forget vendor details. If you have a hairstylist or makeup artist coming, make sure they have an updated schedule of when and where they’re supposed to meet you. If you have catering or a cake delivery, you may want to add that into the schedule as well to make sure everyone knows where they need to be, where things need to be put/stored, and everyone is organized! You don’t want to be running around looking for the cake when you should be enjoying your reception.

Wedding Planners

No, we don’t mean the human kind! Wedding planning templates or books can be super helpful. They will usually walk you through the steps of putting together a wedding day schedule, as well as aid you in planning a million other little wedding details!

If you’re thinking it may be helpful to have that added layer of organization (without shelling out for wedding coordinator to do the planning for you), here are some of our favorite wedding planner book and template options to make wedding planning a stress-free experience.