About to send invitations and haven’t yet set your wedding timeline?

“What time should we tell guests to arrive for our ceremony?”

We hear you and have you covered!! It can be hard to set your wedding timeline as there are so many little details to think through as you make your decision. It’s important to note that every wedding is different (especially here at The Maples Estate) so the answer to this question will change depending on your wedding vision. At The Maple Estate, it’s most common that wedding timelines have a 4pm ceremony start time. Though this is often the case, let’s chat through some items that might effect your decision.

Do you have a more traditional wedding vision?
By traditional, I mean ceremony to cocktail hour to dinner and reception. If that’s the case, you will likely start your wedding between 3pm and 5pm. If you have a nontraditional wedding vision such as a brunch wedding, twilight ceremony, field day, etc. your timeline may be completely different. If that’s the case, scratch tradition and build a timeline that speaks to you!
If you have guests staying at a hotel, what time is check in?
Most hotels will have a 3pm check in time, though some do vary from that. If many of your guests are arriving to the hotel on your wedding day, you might want to consider this when planning your ceremony start time. If they check in around 3pm, they should be available to depart the hotel between 3:30pm and 3:45pm. Depending on where your guests are staying (most accommodations are located 10-40 minutes away from our venue) they will also require some travel time from their lodging to your ceremony. In this case you can look at a 4pm or 4:30pm start time.
Have a shuttle? Keep this in mind as you are scheduling your shuttle hotel departure.
How long do you think your ceremony will be?
Most often in a wedding timeline, 30 min. is scheduled for your ceremony. If you know you will have a longer ceremony with an extended script, readings, performances, religious elements, etc. you may want to allocate 45-60 minutes for your ceremony.
How long do you think you will need for photos during your cocktail hour?
Everyone has a different vision for how they want to celebrate their wedding! Often cocktail hours are 60 minutes, however, this can change if you require a longer period of time for photos. Many of our couples choose to hold a ‘first look’ prior to their ceremony which allows you to complete the majority of your formal personal and wedding party photos before your ceremony begins. This means cocktail hour can be used for family photos. If you do not care about formal photos or you complete photos prior to your ceremony, good news, you get to enjoy your full cocktail hour with your guests!
If you hold off on seeing each other until you walk down the aisle, you will likely need a longer period of time for your photos, unless you are not planning to have formal photos taken. If that’s the case, check in with your photographer. They will likely suggest you plan for a 90 minute cocktail hour to ensure you have plenty of time.
What time do you want to eat dinner?
This may seem like a simple question but it’s often a main driver when it comes to setting your ceremony start time. Dinner is most often served 30 min to 1 hour after your reception begins.
During your coordination services, we will talk through a plan for eating throughout your wedding morning, however your wedding day can be a whirlwind and you may forget to eat. You may even have butterflies that make it a bit difficult. For this reason, plan for an earlier dinner than you would normally eat at home.
For a 4pm ceremony, dinner often begins around 6pm. You may think that you will be snacking during your cocktail hour but sometimes this is difficult if you are off taking photos.
What time is sunset?
This may be something you forget to think about. June, July and August weddings are the best for daylight, but as we get closer to fall, the sunset will affect your timeline. Ask google, “what time is sunset on (insert wedding date)?”. We always want to have your reception begin before the sun sets. This allows you and your guests to enjoy the views and settle in before it’s dark outside.
How many hours did you hire your photographer for? What time do they depart?
Your photographer is one of those vendors that is around for the majority of your wedding day. Think about what details you want to be captured in your images. Many couples enjoy having photos of them getting ready through any formalities, cake cutting and of course dancing! Say you booked an 8 hour package with your photographer, this can have a pretty serious affect on your wedding timeline to ensure all those experiences can be captured before they depart!
Hair + Makeup can take longer than you think!
Unrelated to your wedding start time, hair and makeup is something to think about as you start to plan your wedding day. Most hair and makeup teams have 1-3 professionals for your entire wedding party, friends and family members that will partake in ‘getting ready’ onsite. Each person partaking in hair and makeup can take 30-90 minutes depending on the services they require, the hairstyle and makeup technique they chose. Check with your hair + makeup artists to determine the best start time for your group, keeping in mind that the number of individuals served and professionals supporting you will change the time required.

Let’s look at a basic wedding timeline with a 4pm ceremony!

9:00am | Hair + Makeup

2:00pm | First Look + Photos

3:30pm | Guests Start to Arrive

4:00pm | Ceremony Begins

4:30pm | Cocktail Hour + Final Photos

5:30pm | Reception Begins + Formalities

6:00pm | Dinner Served

7:00pm | Formalities

7:30pm | Dancing + Party + Dessert Served

Worried about the little details?

Remember, at The Maples Estate we work with each of our clients to build a comprehensive in depth timeline for your wedding weekend. This is included in your package and is determined during your coordination services which begin 8 weeks prior to your wedding.

For couples that have our wedding planning and design or coaching packages, we create a draft timeline in the first stage of planning as we are creating your wedding design board. We use this when communicating with and selecting vendors.

Find more answers to your questions on our inspiration blog and learn more about our wedding packages to celebrate with us!

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