Wedding day timeline: a schedule to start from
Updated 1 October 2026 · by Ludvig Lindqvist Rovira, Lysela
A typical wedding day starts with an afternoon ceremony, moves on to drinks and dinner, and ends with cake and dancing. Allow eight to ten hours from the ceremony to the last dance. Here is a schedule with times to start from, how to split it between guests and the people working on the day, and what tends to take longer than you expect.
Try it yourself, no account neededA wedding day schedule
The times below assume a ceremony at 3 pm. Shift the whole schedule if you start earlier or later.
| Time | What happens |
|---|---|
| 2.30 pm | Guests arrive for the ceremony. |
| 3.00 pm | Ceremony, about 30 minutes. |
| 3.30 pm | Congratulations and a group photo outside. |
| 4.15 pm | Travel to the reception if it is somewhere else. |
| 4.45 pm | Drinks and nibbles. You have your photos taken meanwhile. |
| 6.00 pm | Guests take their seats. |
| 6.15 pm | Dinner, with speeches between courses. |
| 9.30 pm | Cake and coffee. |
| 10.00 pm | First dance, then dancing for everyone. |
| 12.00 am | Late-night food. |
| 1.00 am | Last coach, or the end of the night. |
What takes longer than you think?
Congratulations
With a hundred guests, hugging everyone easily takes half an hour. Do not schedule the group photo straight after.
Getting everyone to the table
Allow a quarter of an hour from the toastmaster asking guests to sit down until everyone is seated. A clear seating plan speeds it up.
The speeches
Ten five-minute speeches come to nearly an hour. Ask the toastmaster to keep the list and put the speeches between courses.
Travel between venues
Take the travel time and add fifteen minutes. Someone always leaves something in the car.
Two schedules: one for guests, one for you
Guests only need what concerns them: when to arrive, where dinner is, when the coach leaves and when the party ends. The detailed schedule, with deliveries, the photographer and who speaks when, is for you, the toastmaster and the venue.
Put the guest version on your wedding website so guests can check it on their phones during the day. Print the detailed version and give it to the toastmaster.
3.00 pm Ceremony at [church] 4.15 pm Coach leaves for [venue] 6.00 pm Dinner 10.00 pm Dancing 1.00 am Last coach back to [town]
5.45 pm Toastmaster asks guests to take their seats 6.15 pm Starter, welcome speech by [name] 7.15 pm Main course, speeches by [name] and [name] 8.30 pm Break, games 9.30 pm Cake, speech by the couple
The party goes on until [time]. The last coach to [town] leaves at [time], and taxis can be booked on [phone number].
Where does the schedule go?
An invitation rarely has room for more than the ceremony and the reception. The rest fits on the wedding website, along with the dress code, addresses and how to get there. If a time changes, you only change it in one place. What else belongs on the website is in the wedding website guide.
A schedule that shows what is happening now
With Lysela you add the schedule to your wedding website, with a time and a line about each item. On the wedding day the site shows what is happening now and next at the top, and when the next coach leaves, so guests do not have to ask you.
Common questions
How long is a wedding day?
From the ceremony to the last dance it is usually eight to ten hours. For the two of you the day starts earlier, with getting ready and photos.
When are the speeches given?
Usually between courses at dinner. The toastmaster keeps the list and makes sure there are not too many in a row.
Do guests need the whole schedule?
No, only the times that concern them: ceremony, travel, dinner, dancing and when the coach leaves.
When should the timeline be ready?
A rough plan when you book the venue and ceremony, the detailed one about a week before, once the speeches and suppliers are settled.