When should we start the ceremony? Do the guests come to the venue earlier and have an aperitif or do we start with the ceremony? What is the perfect wedding day schedule for a wedding? How many games can there be and how much time should I schedule for dinner? In this blog post, we help with a few inputs on the perfect daily schedule.
Schedule time for the bridal couple
It is very important throughout the day that the bridal couple also plan time for themselves. This starts with getting up, having a delicious breakfast together and then a relaxed styling session. If you don’t allow enough time for this, you can get into stressful situations before you even get started. With enough time, we say around 2.5 hours for the bride and around 1 hour for the groom.
Procedure of the wedding ceremony
Of course, the type of ceremony you want plays a role. Church and civil ceremonies are somewhat more restricted in terms of time than free ceremonies. It also plays a role whether the bridal couple would like to see the guests before the ceremony or not. Enjoying an aperitif together before the ceremony is very relaxing, especially for the guests, as they can then arrive in peace and get involved more easily emotionally. However, you should allow around 20 minutes for a civil ceremony, around 45 minutes for a free wedding ceremony and between 60 and 90 minutes for a church ceremony.
Time wasters at the wedding
There are various types and moments that are real time wasters at a wedding. Photography, for example. On the one hand, the couple shoot – for which you should certainly plan 60 minutes – but above all the group photos. What sounds like quick group photos often turns into hours of standing around for the guests, the photographers and the bride and groom. A maximum of 5-6 combinations, more is just exhausting for everyone.
Schedule time for dinner
With a dinner, of course, it always depends on the chosen concept. In principle, however, you should allow 45 minutes for each course served and 60 minutes for the main course. That sounds like a lot of time at first. But the food has to be served, enjoyed and cleared away again. In addition, there may well be short empty periods so that you can get some fresh air or visit the restroom.
Minimize guest contributions
The guests and especially the families of the bride and groom often have the feeling that they almost have to contribute something emotional and personal to this beautiful day. However, it is often the case that neither the bride and groom really want this, the guests really appreciate it and very few people are born with the ability to contribute something. It is important to communicate clearly with the guests and families and to let them know what is or is not desired. Time restrictions of max. 10 minutes per contribution and limited to 3 contributions is a good mix if contributions are desired.
As you can see, there are big differences and not just one perfect wedding. The important thing is that the bride and groom can put together a wedding that really suits them. Sufficient time must also be planned for everything. In the end, it doesn’t help if you rush through the day and can’t implement all the planned contributions and activities because everything gets out of hand. So let us help you organize the day in such a way that it will be beautiful for the guests, suitable for the bridal couple and the service providers can also do a perfect job right up to the end. If we can advise you, please contact us for a non-binding consultation.
Photographer: Bali Pixtura Photography
