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Afternoon all! I’m proud to announce the addition of another fabulous guest blogger and wedding planning expert to our SOS series this afternoon – the brilliant Andrea of Fabulous Day.
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On my own wedding day, I was ridiculously lucky. Obvs I was getting to marry the man of my dreams in a gorgeous gown, but I also was super chilled about the running order. It helps having an experienced wedding planner as Mother of the Bride!
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I realise that this is not a common luxury, so that’s where Andrea steps in – to talk timings. Not a subject that should be overlooked! Printers at the ready!
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Over to Andrea: One of the most common replies I get when I ask clients “What are your priorities for the day?” is that they want the day to flow well – so what does this mean? Usually it means they want everything to go smoothly and as planned, with no hiccups and no unpleasant surprises! So then it is my job to deliver that. But what if you don’t have a wedding planner working with you, what things can you do to make sure your day flows just as well?
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Well, there are a number of small things you can do to help and considering how much effort I know you will be putting into the planning of your big day, just thinking like a planner for some of it can make a big difference.
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Most importantly create an accurate timeline for the day whilst considering your guests’ needs! This will prove invaluable to you, your suppliers and the venue and as you get closer to the day you can factor in what time suppliers will be arriving and ask a trusted member of the bridal party to keep an eye on things for you.
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So here is a guideline to working out the timings for your big day:
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Think carefully about your ceremony time – for example if you are having 5 bridesmaids that is a lot of hair and makeup to get done! So don’t book an 11am wedding (as one of my grooms tried to do), unless you like 5am starts!
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Arriving at your ceremony – make sure you calculate how long it will take you to get there by your chosen mode of transport. If you are going by horse and carriage for example it will take a lot longer than by car at approximately 15-20 minutes per mile.
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Ceremony – a civil ceremony will take 20 minutes without any readings and 30 minutes with two readings, a church ceremony is usually 40 – 45 minutes and if you are Catholic and having Mass add another 15 minutes to that, plus allow some time for photographs. Next, consider the time it will take for you and your guests to travel to the venue, allowing a few minutes either side.
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Your drinks reception will usually last one and a half to a maximum of two hours (depending on the venue and your photographer). If you decide to have a receiving line this will take time out of the drinks reception and to be honest it is usually best not to if you have more than 100 guests as it will take far too long and everyone will be bored rigid! During this time you will be busy with photographs as well as trying to circulate, but you can make sure guests are well looked after, with drinks flowing or access to the bar, if possible some canapés (think about whether guests will have had time to eat lunch) and some entertainment. Allow time for seating guests – say you have 100 guests, it will usually take 15 minutes to seat them.
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For your wedding breakfast including speeches, cutting of the cake and three courses allow 2 hours 30 minutes – although this is where the timings can go astray, as the speeches can vary hugely in time. If you are keen for the day to stay on track or have evening guests arriving then it is always worth speaking with all those doing the speeches and asking them to keep to around 10 minutes each.
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After the meal there is generally a ‘comfort break’ and this is when guests are asked to leave the main room whilst it is prepared for the evening. The time this will take can vary enormously as some venues will need a good hour plus to turn the room round, particularly if you are having a band as they will need time to set up and sound check (most bands need an hour to do this). Alternatively, you may be in a marquee and the band may have set up quietly whilst you were having dinner and then just need to sound check for 15 minutes.
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If you know you are going to be out of the room for a while it is a good idea to consider having some additional entertainment for guests at this point such as a casino, photo booth or magician. Guests are often glad to have a break from sitting at tables and a chance to stretch their legs. During this break is a good time for any evening guests to arrive as you can be on hand to spend some time with them.
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Evening entertainment – think about how long this will last for. Usually a band will play 2 x 45 minute sets, often with the second set a little longer if they do encores. Check with your venue what time the evening can go on until (I know one venue where music is off by 10.30pm and everyone out for 11.00pm!). It is usually best to leave people wanting more so around midnight to 1am is late enough. If you are planning fireworks remember they have to be over by 11am (5th Nov and NYE are exceptions) so think about what time it will be dark!
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My top tip: Take a deep breath and write it all down. To see how your day will flow time-wise use your ceremony time as a starting point and build from that.
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Happy planning!
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Other guest blogs in the Wedding Planning SOS series:
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Wedding Planning SOS- Have Your Cake & Eat It!
Wedding Planning SOS- Hello Petal!
Wedding Planning SOS- Practical Paper- Wedding Invitations
Wedding Planning SOS – Picture Perfect- How To Choose A Wedding Photographer
Wedding Planning SOS- Hotel, Motel, Holiday Inn- Wedding Venue Rescue
Wedding Planning SOS- Where On Earth To Begin?!
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Brides Up North UK Wedding Blog – Image © 2012 www.carolinewhitephotography.co.uk and www.smhphotography.co.uk as tagged
Fabulous Day is a Brides Up North Featured Supplier, but this is not a sponsored post
Contact Brides Up North to submit your business as a Featured Supplier
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