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Wedding Day Timeline Generator
Enter your ceremony time and get a full wedding day schedule, from the first hair and makeup chair to the send-off. Change anything and the whole day updates. Print it, download it, or send your vendors a link.
Wedding day timeline
| Time | What happens | Who |
|---|---|---|
| Loading your timeline… | ||
- Getting ready
- Photos
- Ceremony
- Cocktail hour
- Reception
Hair and makeup, chair by chair
| Time | Who | Service | Chair |
|---|
How the generator builds your day
It starts from your ceremony time and works backwards. The wedding party lines up 10 minutes before, guests arrive 30 minutes before, and photos and getting dressed come before that. Hair and makeup are then scheduled chair by chair so they finish, with a buffer, before you get dressed. After the ceremony it adds cocktail hour, the photos that happen during it, and the reception in the usual order. Open dancing fills whatever time is left.
It also checks the plan. If post-ceremony photos would run past cocktail hour, if hair and makeup would start before 5 AM, or if the reception is too short for the moments you picked, you will see a note above the timeline with ways to fix it.
Sample wedding day timelines
Three common setups, generated by the same tool. Open any of them in the generator to adjust it.
3:00 PM ceremony with a first look
Five people in hair and makeup with one stylist and one makeup artist, a 30-minute ceremony at the same venue, and a four-hour reception after cocktail hour.
| Time | What happens |
|---|---|
| 8:30 AM – 8:45 AM | Hair and makeup team arrives and sets up |
| 8:45 AM – 12:45 PM | Hair and makeup (5 people) |
| 12:30 PM – 1:00 PM | Meanwhile: Photographer arrives: details and getting-ready photos |
| 12:45 PM – 1:00 PM | Buffer: snack, water, final touch-ups |
| 1:00 PM – 1:15 PM | Get dressed |
| 1:15 PM – 1:45 PM | First look and couple portraits |
| 1:45 PM – 2:15 PM | Wedding party photos |
| 2:15 PM – 2:30 PM | Touch-ups, water, out of sight before guests arrive |
| 2:15 PM | Meanwhile: Officiant arrives and checks in |
| 2:30 PM – 2:50 PM | Meanwhile: Guests arrive; ushers seat guests |
| 2:50 PM – 3:00 PM | Wedding party lines up for the processional |
| 3:00 PM – 3:30 PM | Ceremony |
| 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM | Cocktail hour |
| 3:30 PM – 4:00 PM | Meanwhile: Family photos |
| 4:00 PM – 4:15 PM | Meanwhile: A few more couple portraits |
| 4:30 PM – 4:35 PM | Grand entrance |
| 4:35 PM – 4:40 PM | First dance |
| 4:40 PM – 4:45 PM | Welcome and blessing |
| 4:45 PM – 6:00 PM | Dinner |
| 6:00 PM – 6:15 PM | Toasts |
| 6:15 PM – 6:25 PM | Parent dances |
| 6:25 PM – 6:55 PM | Open dancing |
| 6:55 PM – 7:05 PM | Cake cutting |
| 7:05 PM – 8:15 PM | Open dancing |
| 8:00 PM | Meanwhile: Last call at the bar |
| 8:15 PM – 8:20 PM | Last dance |
| 8:20 PM – 8:30 PM | Send-off |
| 8:30 PM | Meanwhile: Vendors break down; collect gifts, cards and personal items |
Open this timeline in the generator to change any of it.
4:00 PM ceremony without a first look
No first look, so all the group photos happen after the ceremony. Cocktail hour is stretched to 75 minutes so the grand entrance stays on time.
| Time | What happens |
|---|---|
| 10:15 AM – 10:30 AM | Hair and makeup team arrives and sets up |
| 10:30 AM – 2:30 PM | Hair and makeup (5 people) |
| 2:15 PM – 2:45 PM | Meanwhile: Photographer arrives: details and getting-ready photos |
| 2:30 PM – 2:45 PM | Buffer: snack, water, final touch-ups |
| 2:45 PM – 3:00 PM | Get dressed |
| 3:00 PM – 3:30 PM | Photos with each side of the wedding party (separately) |
| 3:15 PM | Meanwhile: Officiant arrives and checks in |
| 3:30 PM – 3:50 PM | Out of sight before guests arrive; touch-ups and water |
| 3:30 PM – 3:50 PM | Meanwhile: Guests arrive; ushers seat guests |
| 3:50 PM – 4:00 PM | Wedding party lines up for the processional |
| 4:00 PM – 4:30 PM | Ceremony |
| 4:30 PM – 5:45 PM | Cocktail hour |
| 4:30 PM – 5:00 PM | Meanwhile: Family photos |
| 5:00 PM – 5:20 PM | Meanwhile: Full wedding party photos |
| 5:20 PM – 5:40 PM | Meanwhile: Couple portraits |
| 5:45 PM – 5:50 PM | Grand entrance |
| 5:50 PM – 5:55 PM | First dance |
| 5:55 PM – 6:00 PM | Welcome and blessing |
| 6:00 PM – 7:15 PM | Dinner |
| 7:15 PM – 7:30 PM | Toasts |
| 7:30 PM – 7:40 PM | Parent dances |
| 7:40 PM – 8:10 PM | Open dancing |
| 8:10 PM – 8:20 PM | Cake cutting |
| 8:20 PM – 9:30 PM | Open dancing |
| 9:15 PM | Meanwhile: Last call at the bar |
| 9:30 PM – 9:35 PM | Last dance |
| 9:35 PM – 9:45 PM | Send-off |
| 9:45 PM | Meanwhile: Vendors break down; collect gifts, cards and personal items |
Open this timeline in the generator to change any of it.
5:30 PM ceremony with sunset portraits
A first look, 20 minutes of travel to a separate reception venue, seven people in hair and makeup with two stylists and one makeup artist, a sunset at 7:45 PM and a bouquet toss.
| Time | What happens |
|---|---|
| 9:30 AM – 9:45 AM | Hair and makeup team arrives and sets up |
| 9:45 AM – 3:15 PM | Hair and makeup (7 people) |
| 3:00 PM – 3:30 PM | Meanwhile: Photographer arrives: details and getting-ready photos |
| 3:15 PM – 3:30 PM | Buffer: snack, water, final touch-ups |
| 3:30 PM – 3:45 PM | Get dressed |
| 3:45 PM – 4:15 PM | First look and couple portraits |
| 4:15 PM – 4:45 PM | Wedding party photos |
| 4:45 PM – 5:00 PM | Touch-ups, water, out of sight before guests arrive |
| 4:45 PM | Meanwhile: Officiant arrives and checks in |
| 5:00 PM – 5:20 PM | Meanwhile: Guests arrive; ushers seat guests |
| 5:20 PM – 5:30 PM | Wedding party lines up for the processional |
| 5:30 PM – 6:00 PM | Ceremony |
| 6:00 PM – 6:20 PM | Travel to the reception |
| 6:20 PM – 7:20 PM | Cocktail hour |
| 6:20 PM – 6:50 PM | Meanwhile: Family photos |
| 6:50 PM – 7:05 PM | Meanwhile: A few more couple portraits |
| 7:20 PM – 7:25 PM | Grand entrance |
| 7:25 PM – 7:30 PM | First dance |
| 7:25 PM – 7:45 PM | Meanwhile: Sunset portraits (golden hour) |
| 7:30 PM – 7:35 PM | Welcome and blessing |
| 7:35 PM – 8:50 PM | Dinner |
| 8:50 PM – 9:05 PM | Toasts |
| 9:05 PM – 9:15 PM | Parent dances |
| 9:15 PM – 9:45 PM | Open dancing |
| 9:45 PM – 9:55 PM | Cake cutting |
| 9:55 PM – 10:35 PM | Open dancing |
| 10:35 PM – 10:45 PM | Bouquet and garter toss |
| 10:45 PM – 11:35 PM | Open dancing |
| 11:20 PM | Meanwhile: Last call at the bar |
| 11:35 PM – 11:40 PM | Last dance |
| 11:40 PM – 11:50 PM | Send-off |
| 11:50 PM | Meanwhile: Vendors break down; collect gifts, cards and personal items |
Open this timeline in the generator to change any of it.
How long each part of the day takes
These are the generator's starting numbers. Your photographer, hair and makeup team, venue and caterer know their own pace, so ask them and change the numbers to match.
| Part of the day | Default | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hair, per person | 45 min | An hour for the person getting married; updos and long hair take longer. |
| Makeup, per person | 45 min | An hour for the person getting married. Airbrush and lashes add time. |
| Getting dressed | 15 min | Bustles, buttons and boutonnieres are slower than you expect. |
| First look and couple portraits | 30 min | Happens before the ceremony. |
| Wedding party photos | 30 min | Before the ceremony with a first look, otherwise split before and after. |
| Family photos | 30 min | Roughly 2 to 3 minutes per grouping with a written list. |
| Ceremony | 30 min | Religious ceremonies often run 45 to 60 minutes. |
| Cocktail hour | 60 min | Covers post-ceremony photos and the room flip. |
| Dinner | 75 min | Plated dinners usually take longer than buffets. |
| Toasts | 15 min | Three or four speeches of 2 to 3 minutes. |
| Cake cutting | 10 min | About 30 minutes after the dance floor opens. |
First look or no first look?
With a first look, you see each other privately before the ceremony and do couple and wedding party photos then. After the ceremony only family photos and a few extra portraits are left, so you can spend most of cocktail hour with your guests.
Without one, every group photo moves to after the ceremony. With the defaults that is about 70 minutes of photos against a 60-minute cocktail hour, so the grand entrance runs late unless you stretch cocktail hour to 75 minutes or cut the photo list. Switch the first-look setting above and compare the two schedules.
Planning hair and makeup time
- Count chairs, not people. One stylist and one makeup artist working on five people take about four hours with the default times. Adding a second stylist shortens the day more than anything else.
- Makeup last for the person getting married. It looks freshest in photos. The generator puts them last in the makeup chair automatically.
- Keep the buffer. Hair and makeup often runs over, and every minute it slips pushes back everything after it. Fifteen minutes is the least worth keeping.
- Tell the photographer when the last chair ends. Getting-ready photos look best when most people are already done.
Small things that keep the day on time
- Give your photographer a written list of family groupings and name one relative who knows everyone.
- Give the DJ or band the names and pronunciations for the grand entrance in writing.
- Keep toasts to three or four speakers and ask each to stay around two to three minutes.
- Cut the cake early enough that the caterer can plate and serve dessert while guests are still there.
- Name one person to collect gifts, cards and personal items at the end of the night.
Share it with your vendors
Use Copy share link to send the exact same timeline to your planner, photographer or family; they can open it without an account. Print or save PDF gives a clean one-page schedule without the settings. CSV opens in Google Sheets or Excel if you want to add vendor names and phone numbers, and the calendar file puts every item in your phone's calendar once you add the date.
Wedding timeline FAQ
When should I make my wedding day timeline?
Start a rough draft once your ceremony time, venue and photographer are booked, then share a near-final version with every vendor about two to four weeks before the wedding so they can flag problems. Expect small changes after your final meetings with the venue and photographer.
What time should hair and makeup start?
Work backwards from the moment you need to be dressed. Add up the minutes for every person in each chair, divide by the number of stylists and makeup artists, and leave a buffer of at least 15 minutes. With one stylist and one makeup artist, five people at about 45 minutes per service (an hour for the person getting married) take roughly four hours.
How long should the wedding photographer stay?
Long enough to cover the moments you care about. Count from getting-ready photos (about 30 minutes before you get dressed) to the last event you want photographed, such as the cake cutting or the send-off. The generator shows both times so you can compare them with your package hours.
Should we do a first look?
A first look moves the couple and wedding party photos before the ceremony. That frees most of cocktail hour, so you can join your guests, and it keeps the grand entrance on time. Without one, family, wedding party and couple photos all have to fit after the ceremony, which often runs past a 60-minute cocktail hour.
When do toasts happen at a wedding reception?
Most couples schedule toasts during or right after dinner, while guests are seated and paying attention. Three or four toasts of two to three minutes each fit in about 15 minutes.
How long is a wedding reception?
There is no fixed rule, and your venue contract usually sets the limit. This tool starts at four hours after cocktail hour, which leaves room for entrances, dinner, toasts, dances, cake and open dancing. Change the length and the open-dancing blocks grow or shrink.
Is my timeline saved? Who can see it?
Your settings are saved in this browser only, so they are there when you come back on the same device. Nothing you type is sent to our server. The share link contains your settings in the address itself, so anyone you send it to can open the same timeline.
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