Useful tips for timings on your wedding day

Wedding day timings are really important. The day is broken into sections and it’s a fine balance between having long enough in each section that you don’t feel rushed, and not having too long gaps that guests start to feel a little bit bored.

Most of the fantastic venues I work at will already have a template of timings set out, and these usually work perfectly. But if you’re planning a DIY wedding or you have a lot going on you may want to give some thought to the timings.

What are the different sections of the day?

In my mind I usually break the day down into the following sections: Pre ceremony/Prep, Ceremony, Drinks reception, Meal and Speeches, Evening lull (this is the gap between the meal and the first dance which is usually a fairly quiet time at weddings) then it’s the first dance, party.

What’s the best time for our wedding ceremony?

Usually you don’t have much choice what time your ceremony is, both churches and registrars have set times they perform the ceremony so you may find the choice is limited depending on how far away your wedding is. The ceremony time isn’t something to worry about too much but I always feel the sweet spot is between 12.30 – 2.30pm. In the summer months 1.30 – 2.30 is ideal. During the winter months, when we have to consider the light, around 1 – 1.30 is ideal. If you have a too early ceremony the morning can feel a rush and there are big gaps throughout the day. But starting too late means you might be rushed later in the day.

How long do we need for each section of the wedding day and what do we need to consider when planning timings?

I’ll cover this from a couple of different angles. We’ll look at what factors you need to take into account when planning your timings and also talk what you might need to consider from a photography point of view. ie making sure we have enough time to get your photographs and also think about environmental factors such as light. I do need to mention that the time I need on your wedding day may be very different from another photographer. I usually don’t require much time from the couple, as my style is more about natural moments. If your photographers style is more traditional they may need more time than I do.

Pre ceremony

From my point of view I don’t do any posed photographs during this time unless you ask me to. It’s often a bit of a hectic time and I find capturing this part of the day naturally works best. How long you’ll need will depend on how many people are getting ready and if you have to travel to the ceremony venue or not. If you are getting ready at your venue please bare in mind the registrar will need to see you around 30 mins before the ceremony. It’s worth asking your hair dresser and make up artist how long they’ll need. Top tip – it works best if the brides make up is done last or second to last. That way its fresher for the day and she’s not sitting around waiting in her make up.

Ceremony

Obviously this part of the day you have little control over. For a COE church ceremony you can usually count on around 45 minutes. A catholic ceremony may be 45 – 1.5 hours. A civil ceremony with a registrar can be anything from 20 – 30 minutes depending if you have readings or not. A celebrant (non legal but very lovely type of service) can vary hugely, usually 30 – 45 mins. Top tip if you don’t get married at your reception venue, ie you have a church ceremony then head to your reception, please remember to not only count on the time it takes to travel to the venue, but also a good 20 – 30 minutes mingling time outside the church. If you would like some group photos at the church count on some extra time again – although usually I feel its best to get to the venue so guests can grab a drink.

Drinks reception

In my opinion this is the most exciting part of the day, it’s also the busiest time of the day. You’ve just got married, your guests are buzzing for you and want to give hugs. You’ll want to get round as many people as possible, but we’ve also got to do your group and couples photos in this time. Its a busy part of the day and you really don’t want a too short drinks reception. Give yourself the time to soak it up and enjoy your loved ones best wishes. How much time I need depends partially on how many group photos you’ve chosen, but let’s say an average list of 6 – 8 small groups – maybe 15 minutes, and then around 15 – 20 minutes with you guys depending on the venue.

Most wedding venues give a 90 minute drinks reception and this is fine. However I would suggest it’s the minimum amount of time and two hours isn’t uncommon> The advantage with two hours is it’ll give you the luxury of time during the fun part of the day. If you get married in the winter when we don’t have much light, or you have a lot of guests, or a lot happening during the drinks reception that you ant to be part of (garden games and entertainment etc) you may want to opt for 2 hours to take the pressure off. I’d advise against going longer than 2 hours unless have you a very early ceremony (12pm) or loads of things planned for the drinks reception.

Meal and Speeches

Obviously your catering staff will advise how long to count on for this part of the day depending on your guest numbers. It’s always worth getting an idea from each person making speeches as to how long they’ll take. 10 minutes per speech is the average and is ideal. It isn’t uncommon for some people to speak for 40 minutes and I have had one speech lasting over 90 minutes. So its definitely worth getting an idea from your speakers.

Evening lull

Why am I calling it the lull? Well it’s a time of the day when not much happens. There aren’t many photo opportunities during this time (unless you have a magician booked, which is a great idea). Guests sometimes go to their rooms to freshen up or are a little tired after the meal. You don’t want your lull to last too long or it will get very boring for everyone and will take too long for the party atmosphere to build back up. Entertainment during this time does help prevent people getting too bored. I’d advise 60 – 90 minutes tops. You really don’t want two hours or more. There is no sense in having a 90 minute drinks reception (the fun part) but a 2 hour lull (the less fun part)! It’s better to do your first dance early than have a long lull when nothing happens.

60 minutes is ideal It gives us time to do a few evening photos if there is opportunity to do so, and is enough time for the guests to freshen up before they get their dancing feet on.

First dance and party

The first dance is the end of the daytime formalities and start of the evening party. It’s good to have the first dance reasonably early so there is more relaxed party time afterwards.

The best time for the first dance is no earlier 7pm and no later than 9pm (in fact 9 is a bit late) 7.30 – 8.30 is the norm.

What does an average wedding day look like?

Let’s assume for the sake of argument you’re having the ceremony at your venue so there is no travel time to consider. This an average day:

Start getting ready around 10.30

Ceremony 2pm – 2.30pm

Drinks reception 2.30 – 4pm (guests then enter the wedding breakfast room, usually takes a good 20 mins to get everyone seated)

Meal and speeches 4.30 – 6.30pm

Lull 6.30 – 8pm

First dance at 8pm, then into the party.

Now let’s say you had a 12.30 ceremony. You’ve got an extra 90 minutes to play with. I’d suggest making your drinks reception 2 hours long, adding 30 minutes to the lull and bringing the first dance forward to 7.30 – you’re having an earlier ceremony so makes sense to have an earlier first dance. That way the day doesn’t have any long drawn out sections.

If you were getting married at 3pm I would advise a 90 min drinks reception. Reduce the lull to 60 minutes and do the first dance at 8.30.

I hope this helps with planning your timings and gives you an idea of what to expect on your wedding day. As toy can see you can juggle the time around a little to give an even spread throughout the day to avoid lulls or tight timings. Please feel free to get in touch if I can help with your timings at all.

If you’d like to consider some entertainment or games to keep the guests occupied I’ve written a blog about that here