Wedding day timeline: a sample schedule
A sample timeline for a 4:00 PM ceremony. Shift every time to match your own start time.
| Time | What happens | Your time |
|---|---|---|
| 10:00 AM | Hair and makeup begins | |
| 12:30 PM | Photographer arrives; detail shots (rings, invitations, dress) | |
| 1:30 PM | Getting dressed | |
| 2:00 PM | First look and couple portraits (optional) | |
| 2:45 PM | Wedding party and family photos | |
| 3:30 PM | Guests arrive and are seated | |
| 4:00 PM | Ceremony | |
| 4:30 PM | Cocktail hour; remaining family photos | |
| 5:30 PM | Grand entrance and dinner | |
| 6:30 PM | Toasts and first dance | |
| 7:00 PM | Dancing opens | |
| 8:00 PM | Cake cutting | |
| 9:45 PM | Last dance and send-off |
Tips for building your own
- Ask your photographer and venue for their timing before you finalize. They have done this many times at your venue.
- Add a buffer of 10 to 15 minutes before the ceremony. Getting ready often runs late.
- Share the final timeline with the wedding party, vendors and anyone giving a toast.
Put the whole day in everyone's calendar
Print the timeline, fill it in, and take a photo. Snap to Calendar reads the times and steps and lists them as events for you to check and save, so the day's schedule is on your iPhone with alerts. Planning months ahead? See the wedding planning timeline.
Snap your wedding timeline into your calendar.
Snap to Calendar turns a photo or screenshot into calendar events you review before saving. Your first 3 successful scans are free. No account, no sign-up.
Get it on the App Store