8 Practical Wedding Ceremony Timeline Templates To Keep You On Track

Some links on this page are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only recommend products that we believe in. View the disclosure for more information. I greatly appreciate your support!

Throughout your wedding planning experience, you’ll eventually come across the fateful time to build your wedding ceremony timeline.

Wedding ceremony timeline templates vary widely. Ceremonies occur at a time that works well for the couple and family, and a reception can take place anywhere from immediately after to months later.

I’ve had the task of helping a few of my close friends with their wedding planning, including creating their wedding day timeline. While it was difficult at first, I learned some great tips and tricks that moved the process along and set us up for an amazing day.

In this post, you’ll learn the basic structure of common wedding ceremony timeline templates and know how to build your perfect wedding ceremony timeline.

Basic Wedding Ceremony Timeline Template 

A basic wedding ceremony timeline is easily adaptable to fit your needs.

Here, we list the most common wedding day activities and the average time to complete them.

You can copy the template below and add the timestamps that work for your wedding day. Start with any times shared with guests or the wedding party – such as the ceremony, reception, or cocktail hour. These items are in bold.

Throughout this process, remember the 30/5 wedding rule. This rule says things that typically take 5 minutes take 30 minutes on your wedding day, and 30 minutes on your wedding day will feel like 5 minutes.

BASIC WEDDING DAY TIMELINE TEMPLATE

[TIME] – Begin Hair and Makeup – 2-3 hours

[TIME] – Vendors Arrive – 1.5-3 hours before their part of the event

[TIME] – Finish Getting Ready, Begin Photography Details/Venue – 1 hour

[TIME] – Begin Wedding Party and Family Photography – 1 hour

[TIME] – Photography Ceremony Pictures, Guests Arrive, Prepare for Ceremony – 30 minutes

[TIME] – Ceremony Begins – 30 minutes

[TIME] – Ceremony Exit, Final Photographs of Couple, Marriage License Signing – 30 minutes

[TIME] – Cocktail Hour – 1 hour

[TIME] – Reception Begins, Grand Entrance – 2-3 hours for entire reception

[TIME] – Dinner Begins – 30 minutes after reception begins

[TIME] – Toasts – 30-45 minutes after dinner begins

[TIME] – Cake Cutting – 15-20 minutes

[TIME] – First Dance – After cake cutting, at your discretion

[TIME] – Open Dance Floor – immediately after first dance

[TIME] – Mock Sendoff for Photographs – 20 minutes

[TIME] – Photography Coverage Ends

[TIME] – Wedding Ends

Courthouse Wedding, no Reception 

A courthouse wedding is an excellent fit for many couples.

Some couples like a quick, no-frills affair to be married, others are on a timeline, and some are just introverted and want to focus on their significant other. Whatever your reason for a courthouse wedding, they make for memorable, lovely ceremonies.

Most couples will hire a photographer to capture the moment. Some will invite their parents, but completing the ceremony solo is common, too.

The time of your courthouse appointment will significantly impact your timeline, so adjust this template to your needs. For this template, we’ll pretend your appointment is at 3:00.

Courthouse Ceremony Timeline Template

10:00 – Begin Hair and Makeup

12:00 – Buffer Time to Spend with Your Partner

1:00/1:30 – Meet Photographer and Take Pictures

2:30 – Arrive at the Courthouse, Check-In

3:00 – Get Married

3:30 – Head Home as a Married Couple, Enjoy the Evening

RELATED: How to Write the Best Wording for Destination Wedding Invitations

4 PM Ceremony Start Time 

Early evening ceremonies are among the most common wedding ceremony timelines. Depending on how many activities you have planned, you can add items as needed.

For this wedding ceremony timeline template, we’ll assume you are having a reception immediately following the ceremony, buffered with a cocktail hour.

4 PM ceremony timeline

Morning Wedding Ceremony Timeline Template 

Morning wedding ceremonies are gorgeous.

Guests love that they don’t have to stay for a late evening, a brunch reception is simple and budget-friendly, and who doesn’t love lunchtime mimosas?

A morning wedding ceremony is a perfect fit if you don’t want to invest in a full-blown reception. Since it’s the middle of the day, guests receive one kind of batched drink, like mimosas, and there’s usually little to no dancing. With the focus on the ceremony, there’s just a fun, celebratory brunch to follow rather than a reception.

With a morning ceremony, you may have less time to complete your hair and makeup. When going through hair and makeup trials, time it to account for this.

7:00 AM – Begin Hair and Makeup

8:30 AM – Finish Getting Ready, Begin Photography Details/Venue

9:00 AM – Begin Wedding Party and Family Photography, Vendors Arrive

10:00 AM – Finishing Touches, Hide from Guests

10:30 AM – Photography Ceremony Pictures, Guests Arrive, Prepare for Ceremony

11:00 AM – Ceremony Begins

11:30 AM – Ceremony Exit, Final Photographs of Couple, Marriage License Signing

12:00 PM – Brunch is Served, Couple Makes Grand Entrance

12:30 PM – Toasts

1:00 PM – Cake Cutting

2:00 PM – Sendoff for Photographs

2:30 PM – Wedding Ends

Early Afternoon Wedding 

Early afternoon weddings are in line with being as common as 4 PM weddings.

This wedding timeline works well if you’re trying to wrap up a reception early or need more than an hour of buffer time between your ceremony and reception.

Early afternoon weddings have a ceremony time of 2:00 or 3:00. For this timeline, we’ll assume you’re having a cocktail hour after the ceremony and then a reception that ends mid-evening.

wedding timeline with an early afternoon ceremony

9:00 AM – Begin Hair and Makeup

11:00 AM – Finish Getting Ready, Begin Photography Details/Venue

12:00 PM – Begin Wedding Party and Family Photography

1:00 PM – Finishing Touches, Hide from Guests

1:30 PM – Photography Ceremony Pictures, Guests Arrive, Prepare for Ceremony

2:00 PM – Ceremony Begins

2:30 PM – Ceremony Exit, Final Photographs of Couple, Marriage License Signing

2:30 PM – Cocktail Hour

3:30 PM– Reception Begins, Grand Entrance

4:00 PM- Dinner Begins

4:30 PM – Toasts

4:45 PM – Cake Cutting

5:00 PM – First Dance

5:10 PM – Open Dance Floor

7:00 PM – Mock Sendoff for Photographs

7:30 PM – Photography Coverage Ends

9:00 PM – Wedding Ends

RELATED: The Surprisingly Simple Wedding Day Checklist that All Brides Need to Use

Later Evening Wedding Ceremony Timeline Template

Couples and families looking to party past midnight should consider a later evening wedding ceremony.

Later evening ceremonies take place at 7:00 or 8:00, immediately followed by the reception. The reception is longer and concludes a bit after midnight.  

This is an excellent option for couples wanting to stay with their friends later and send family home halfway through the reception. For this option, the mock sendoff is around 10 PM, at which time guests, other than those explicitly invited to stay, will leave. Then, the group that is staying continues to celebrate for a few more hours.

For this timeline, we’ll assume a 7 PM ceremony time.

Wedding timeline with a 7 pm ceremony

1:00 PM – Begin Hair and Makeup

4:00 PM – Finish Getting Ready, Begin Photography Details/Venue

5:00 PM – Begin Wedding Party and Family Photography

6:00 PM – Finishing Touches, Hide from Guests

6:30 PM – Photography Ceremony Pictures, Guests Arrive, Prepare for Ceremony

7:00 PM – Ceremony Begins

7:30 PM – Ceremony Exit, Final Photographs of Couple, Marriage License Signing

7:30 PM – Cocktail “Hour” and Charcuterie not a full hour, just a buffer period

8:00 PM– Reception Begins, Grand Entrance

8:15 PM- Dinner Begins just like you’re in Europe!

8:30 PM – Toasts

8:45 PM – Cake Cutting

9:00 PM – First Dance

9:10 PM – Open Dance Floor

10:30 PM – Mock Sendoff for Photographs, Majority of Guests Leave

11:00 PM – Photography Coverage Ends

11:00 PM – Celebration Continues with Invited Guests

12:30 AM – Wedding Ends

Ceremony with a Reception Later in the Day 

Couples hosting their ceremony and reception in very different locations will opt for an early afternoon ceremony, a few hours of buffer time, and then begin their reception in the evening.

If family from all over the country are coming to celebrate this wedding, this is a great option to give people unstructured time to spend together. Keeping a few hours of buffer time between the ceremony and reception allows guests to gather on their own and catch up.

We’ll assume a 1 PM ceremony with a 5 PM reception for this timeline.

Wedding timeline with 1 pm ceremony and 5 pm reception

8:00 AM – Begin Hair and Makeup

10:00 AM – Finish Getting Ready, Begin Photography Details/Venue

11:00 AM – Begin Wedding Party and Family Photography

12:00 PM – Finishing Touches, Hide from Guests

12:30 PM – Photography Ceremony Pictures, Guests Arrive, Prepare for Ceremony

1:00 PM – Ceremony Begins

1:30 PM – Ceremony Exit, Final Photographs of Couple, Marriage License Signing

1:30 PM – Begin Unstructured Buffer Time

4:30 PM – Guests arrive to reception venue

5:00 PM- Reception Begins, Grand Entrance

5:15 PM- Dinner Begins

5:45 PM – Toasts

7:00 PM – Cake Cutting

7:15 PM – First Dance

7:20 PM – Open Dance Floor

9:00 PM – Mock Sendoff for Photographs

9:30 PM – Photography Coverage Ends

11:00 PM – Wedding Ends

Private Ceremony with a Reception on a Different Day 

With families spread across the country or even the world, a small, private ceremony separated from a large reception in a different location is becoming more popular.

This timeline is similar to a courthouse ceremony—small, intimate, and with few steps. The large reception, coming at a later date, will require extensive vendor coordination and an extended party time.

For this timeline, we’ll assume a 3:00 pm ceremony time and, on a separate date, a 4:00 pm reception time.

Ceremony Timeline

10:00 – Begin Hair and Makeup

12:00 – Buffer Time to Spend with Your Partner

1:00/1:30 – Meet Photographer and Take Pictures, Meet Family Attending Ceremony

2:30 – Arrive at the Courthouse or Ceremony Venue, Check-In

3:00 – Get Married

3:30 – Head Home as a Married Couple, Enjoy the Evening, or Spend Time with Family

Reception Timeline

8:30 AM – Begin Hair and Makeup

11:00 AM – Travel to Reception Venue, Meet Photographer

11:30 AM – Couple Photos

12:30 PM – Wedding Party and Family Photography

1:30 PM – Vendors Arrive

3:30 PM – Guests arrive to reception venue

4:00 PM – Cocktail/Social Hour

5:00 PM- Reception Begins, Grand Entrance

5:15 PM- Dinner Begins

5:45 PM – Toasts

7:00 PM – Cake Cutting

7:15 PM – First Dance

7:20 PM – Open Dance Floor

9:00 PM – Mock Sendoff for Photographs

9:30 PM – Photography Coverage Ends

11:00 PM – Reception Ends

You Might Also Like:

FAQ