Wedding Day Timeline Generator
Enter your ceremony time and a few choices to get a wedding day schedule, from getting ready to the last dance. Copy it or print it.
How this wedding day timeline is built
The generator starts from your ceremony time and works outward. Guests are seated about 30 minutes before the ceremony. Hair, makeup and getting dressed get roughly three hours, finishing 45 minutes before the ceremony for touch-ups. Cocktail hour and photos start as soon as the ceremony ends, and the reception follows in a familiar order: grand entrance, first dance, dinner, toasts, cake, open dancing and a last dance.
These are our own rules of thumb, not a standard. Your venue, caterer, photographer and culture all change the real numbers, so treat the result as a draft to share with them.
Sample timeline for a 4:00 PM ceremony
- 12:15 PM: Getting ready
- 3:30 PM: Guests arrive and take their seats
- 4:00 PM: Ceremony
- 4:30 PM: Family, couple and wedding party photos
- 4:30 PM: Cocktail hour
- 5:30 PM: Grand entrance
- 5:40 PM: First dance
- 5:50 PM: Dinner
- 6:50 PM: Toasts
- 7:10 PM: Cake cutting
- 7:25 PM: Open dancing
- 10:50 PM: Last dance and send-off
Tips for sticking to it
- Give one person, such as a planner or a calm friend, the printed timeline so you are not the one watching the clock.
- Add 10 to 15 minutes of slack before the ceremony. Things almost always run a little late in the morning.
- Share the final schedule with guests on your wedding website so they know when to arrive and when dinner is served.
Wedding timeline questions
How long before the ceremony should hair and makeup start?
Plan about three hours of getting-ready time before you need to be fully dressed, then add a short buffer. Large wedding parties or intricate styles need more, so ask your stylist how long each person takes and start with whoever needs the longest.
How long should cocktail hour be?
Cocktail hour is usually 45 to 90 minutes. One hour is a common middle point. If your portraits or family photos take longer than cocktail hour, guests end up waiting, so either lengthen cocktail hour or shorten the photo list.
How much time should we set aside for wedding photos?
Allow 30 to 60 minutes for couple and wedding party portraits, plus about 30 minutes for family photos. A first look moves most portraits before the ceremony, which frees up cocktail hour so you can spend it with your guests.
What is a first look?
A first look is a private moment before the ceremony when the couple sees each other for the first time, usually with the photographer nearby. It is optional. Many couples like it because it moves portraits to before the ceremony and makes the timeline less rushed.
How do we build the schedule around sunset?
Look up the sunset time for your date and venue, then plan about ten minutes of couple portraits starting around 20 minutes before it. Enter the sunset time in the generator and it shows which part of your day that lands in, so you can slip out without missing something important.
Put this schedule on your wedding website
Share your schedule with guests on your own wedding website, next to your RSVP form and venue details.