Wedding day timeline, hour by hour
Enter your ceremony time and city. We plan the day backward (hair and makeup, getting dressed, first look) and forward (cocktail hour, grand entrance, dinner, toasts, first dance, cake cutting, bouquet toss), and place your sunset portraits in golden hour for your date.
Prices updated: · United States (USD) · free, no sign-up
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Getting ready starts
7:55 AM
Ceremony at 4:30 PM, reception ends around 11:00 PM
- Sunset
- 7:56 PM
- New York, NY
- Golden hour
- 7:19-8:14 PM
- Grand entrance
- 6:00 PM
- 7:55 AM
Breakfast
A real one - the next proper meal is dinner at the reception
- 8:25 AM
Hair and makeup
3 people, about 5 hours of work. The bride goes last
- 12:40 PM
Photographer arrives
Details, getting ready, family moments
- 1:40 PM
Getting dressed
Details: veil, boutonnieres, rings with the best man
- 2:25 PM
First look and photos
About 90 minutes: first look, couple portraits, wedding party and family photos
- 3:55 PM
Leave for the ceremony
With a 15-minute cushion; at an on-site venue, this is when you tuck away before guests arrive
- 4:30 PM
Ceremony
About 30 minutes
- 5:00 PM
Cocktail hour
Drinks and appetizers for your guests; without a first look, this is when you take your photos
- 6:00 PM
Grand entrance
The wedding party and the two of you are announced
- 6:05 PM
First dance
Straight from the entrance, while everyone is watching
- 6:15 PM
Dinner
Welcome, grace or blessing, then a plated dinner or buffet
- 7:00 PM
Toasts
Maid of honor, best man and a parent, 3-5 minutes each
- 7:09 PM
Sunset portraitslight
About 15-20 minutes, good light until about 8:14 PM
- 7:30 PM
Parent dances
Father-daughter and mother-son dances, then the dance floor opens
- 7:56 PM
Sunsetlight
- 8:30 PM
Cake cutting
Photos with the cake, then dessert is served
- 9:00 PM
Bouquet and garter toss
About 10-15 minutes; many couples now skip the garter
- 11:00 PM
Last dance and send-off
Sparklers, bubbles or a classic car exit
- Share the timeline with your venue, planner, photographer, videographer and DJ or band - everyone should work from the same times.
How we calculate
- We plan the morning backward from the ceremony: you leave 35 minutes before it starts (travel plus a cushion), before that comes the optional first look with couple, wedding party and family photos (90 minutes) and getting dressed (45 minutes). The photographer arrives an hour before you get dressed.
- Hair and makeup take about 150 minutes for the bride and about 75 minutes for each additional person. We divide that time by the number of artists and round to 15 minutes.
- After the ceremony comes a 60-minute cocktail hour, then travel and the grand entrance. The first dance follows right after the entrance, dinner starts 15 minutes in, toasts about an hour in and the parent dances about an hour and a half in.
- Sunset and golden hour (the sun from 6° above to 4° below the horizon) are calculated for your date and city, in the local time zone with daylight saving time. Sunset portraits are only scheduled when golden hour starts at least an hour after the grand entrance.
Cheat sheet: prices and good practice
How long it takes
- Ceremony at the venue: 20-30 minutes
- Church ceremony: 30-60 minutes (a Catholic Mass about an hour)
- First look and portraits: about 90 minutes
- Cocktail hour: 60 minutes
- Reception: about 5 hours
Sunset in New York
- Mid-June: about 8:30 PM
- Mid-August: about 7:55 PM
- Mid-October: about 6:20 PM
- Mid-December: about 4:30 PM
Questions and answers
When should we take sunset photos?
During golden hour, right before sunset. In summer it falls during the reception, so you slip out with your photographer for 15-20 minutes between dinner and dancing. In late fall and winter the sun sets before or during cocktail hour - plan your portraits before the ceremony with a first look instead.
What time should hair and makeup start?
Early enough that the bride is done about an hour before you leave. With one artist and three people that is about 5 hours of work, so for a 4:30 PM ceremony with a first look you start around 8:30 AM. For a bigger bridal party, book a second artist.
How long is a wedding reception?
Usually about 5 hours - for example 6 to 11 PM after a 4:30 PM ceremony and cocktail hour. Many venues have a curfew at 11 PM or midnight, so check before you plan the last dance.
Calculate next
- Reception timeline When to do toasts, the cake cutting and the bouquet toss - a plan that keeps the dance floor full.
- Hair and makeup Bride, bridesmaids, and moms - with trials, travel fee, tip, and the time your artists need to start.
- Photo & video Photo coverage priced by the hour, video, drone, engagement session, and albums - with a bundle discount.
- Wedding checklist A timeline built around your date: what should be done by now, what is due now, and what comes next.
For the party itself
Games every guest plays at once
Couple trivia, awards and a finale on the big screen. Guests join with a QR code on their phones, no app to download.