Wedding Blog
I’ll be the first to admit that having an organized timeline or itinerary always makes me feel more confident that things will go as planned, despite the fact that they usually never do. I figured I should put together a general timeline for our wedding, without going too over-the-top with the details, since it’s usually more fun to just “see what happens.” So, without further ado, here is our wedding timeline!
The courtyard where we will most likely be snapping some wedding party photos. (Image Source)
Ceremony (5pm-5:30pm)
Cocktail hour (5:30pm-6:30pm). The wedding party will take photos while the guests chow down and enjoy a few drinks.
Reception begins (6:30pm-10pm)
The introduction of parents, followed by the wedding party intro (including our intro…this is where we get to ring the gong! Ha ha).
First dance
Cheers and toasts by us and possibly my parents. Mr CC and I will make a toast to thank our parents and everyone for being there and I will most likely be a total spaz and say something incredibly inappropriate, which I always do when I’m nervous. One of my parents will probably be taking the mic and being their sentimental selves during this time as well, where they can thank guests for attending and invite them to enjoy the celebratory meal.
Salads and “best man” speech- Mr. CC’s stepfather will be stepping in for the best man since our Best Man isn’t big on public speaking. According to theknot.com, the toasts given by the best man and the maid of honor should occur between courses, to spread out all the high-emotion, much-anticipated moments and keep guests in their seats.
Father-daughter/mother-son dance- I figured this would be a good way to make the time go a bit faster between courses while the guests are waiting for their entrees to come out.
Entrees-My fabulous maid of honor can feel free to babble with amusing anecdotes if she so desires!
Dancing & photoboothing! (8pm-10pm)-The DJ will start to play some more upbeat music and the photo booth machine will be open for business so guests can start partying!
Cake cutting (Should take place when the dessert is ready, about 1.5 hours after our dinner is served and one hour before the conclusion of the reception, or around 9pm in our case). According to theknot.com, since the cutting of the cake generally signals to guests that it’s okay to leave soon thereafter, be sure not to do this too early or things could start wrapping up before you’re ready.
Shake your bon bons-Once the cake is cut, the DJ should start blasting the beats again so guests can get back to moving and grooving.
Last dance (9:45pm)-Our last dance will most likely be “Do You Realize?” by The Flaming Lips, a powerful song that will hopefully leave a lasting impression.
Final farewell (10pm)-We’ll be hugging our guests goodbye and thanking them for being there with us once more.
Does anyone have any additional tips for creating a wedding timeline?
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Share this post: Our Ceremony & Reception Timeline!
So…maybe I’m just being dense, but why would guests get out of their seats? I mean, wouldn’t you presume that another course was coming if you’ve only had a salad?
Lookin good! You might want to put together a pre-ceremony timeline too that includes hair/makeup appointments, photos, leaving/arriving at event space, flower delivery (if you need boquet for pre-ceremony photos), etc.
I wish I would have thought out the steps for getting our gifts to our hotel room at the end of the night. I knew that our venue would put them on a cart and take them to our hotel room (the hotel and reception site were attached), but they took forever to pack the gifts up and I felt like I had to wait until they were done before we could leave.
Becky
ooh - I love your choice for last dance song!
@rebecca:
Usually the entree takes a while to come out and guests just sort of twiddle their thumbs together while waiting and listening to smooooooth jazz, but we figured we’d spice it up a bit and get our dances over with then. I will definitely be sure to double check with the caterer to make sure it will be a while before the entrees come out. Do you think it would make more sense to do the parent dances after our first dance? I’m new to this scheduling thing haha.
@Miss Pinot Noir:
Definitely! It’s on my list o’ things to do
@Miss Candy Corn: Ahhh, that makes sense. We’re planning on doing toasts and dances in between courses also, but it didn’t occur to me that we might need to keep people occupied! haha. Thanks!
@Becky: Moving the gifts was what I left off of our wedding day plan. Fortunately my mom thought of it! A friend will be dog-sitting at our house on our wedding night, so we’re recruiting her to bring all our gifts home that night.
As a former wedding planner you need to think about the smaller details for the timeline. First, what time are you and your party expected to be there, will you be joining the cocktail reception or will you be in a holding room so that you can relax alittle before your big enterence? Next, what time to you wish to start moving the guests from the cocktail hour to the main reception… how many people do you have, who is going to move them etc… then think about how much time it will take to introduce you, dance, etc… its the small time of the details that really makes a night flow. I wouldnt go for exact time but I would say the cocktail reception starts at, dinner should be at, cake cutting at, etc… hope that helps!
My suggestion is to make sure toasts and dances are between courses and not during. We attended a wedding once where toasts were held during the salad course and we felt guilty eating while someone was talking, so we stopped - and then the servers took away our salads because the next course was arriving. It was frustrating.
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Mrs. Candy Corn, Philadelphia
Age and Occupation: 24, Senior Editor/Writer & Freelance Illustrator
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Inventory Manager for a Music Publisher
Engagement Date: September 1, 2004
Wedding Date: October, 2008
Blogging Since: May 6, 2008
Venue: Pennsylvania Museum of Archaelogy and Anthropology
About Me: I enjoy people watching (especially in New Jersey malls), obsessive collecting, drooling over contemporary art, browsing flea markets for vintage finds and eating an absurd amount of cheese. In my Philadelphia abode, I create mixed media artwork and one-of-a-kind home accessories in the company of my farmer-tanned husband, our Westiepoo (Betty White), our three rabbits (Cadbury, Willie Nelson and Applesauce) and our two frisky chinchillas (Ethel Funk and Maude).
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