Wedding day timeline template

By Nicole Adams, founder of Rundown · Updated November 3, 2026

A wedding day timeline is built backward from the ceremony. For a 4:00 PM ceremony without a first look, hair and makeup starts at 10:30 AM, the couple is dressed by 2:30 PM, the ceremony ends at 4:30 PM and the send-off is at 9:30 PM. Change any choice below and the whole day moves with it.

Ceremony starts

First look

Ceremony and reception

Your wedding dayCeremony at 4:00 PM · no first look · send-off 9:30 PM

Tap any moment to adjust it

Getting ready

Ceremony

Cocktail hour

Reception

Made with the free wedding timeline template at rundown.pro

How do you make a wedding day timeline?

Pick the ceremony time first, then count backward for getting ready and forward for the reception. Add travel between locations and give every vendor an arrival time.

Set the ceremony timeEvery other time in the day is counted from it.
Decide on a first lookIt moves wedding party and family photos before the ceremony, so getting ready starts earlier.
Count back for getting readyPick when the couple must be dressed, then work back for the photographer and for hair and makeup.
Add travel and seating timeAllow time to get between locations and for guests to be seated before the ceremony starts.
Lay out the receptionGrand entrance, dinner, toasts, first and parent dances, cake cutting, dancing and the send-off.
Add owners and vendor arrivalsGive each moment an owner and each vendor a call time. That turns the timeline into a run of show.

What is a run of show?

A run of show is the planner’s version of the wedding timeline. Every moment has an owner, and vendor arrival and setup times sit in the same schedule, so everyone working the event reads from one sheet.

Timeline vs. run of show
	Timeline	Run of show
Who reads it	Couple, wedding party, family	Planner and vendors
What it lists	Times, moments, places	Times, moments, owners, vendor call times
In Rundown	The client portal timeline	The runsheet

Use this page as a run of show template

Switch the timeline above to Run of show to add owners and vendor call times, then copy it as text to paste into a Rundown runsheet.

What does a wedding day timeline look like?

Here are two common shapes of the day. The first look is the biggest difference: it moves portraits before the ceremony, so the whole morning starts earlier.

4:00 PM ceremony, no first look

Ceremony and reception at one venue · 4-hour reception · sunset 6:30 PM

10:30 AMHair and makeup begins
1:30 PMPhotographer arrives
2:30 PMCouple dressed
3:10 PMLeave for the ceremony
3:30 PMGuests arrive and are seated
4:00 PMCeremony
4:30 PMCocktail hour
4:35 PMFamily photos
4:55 PMWedding party and couple photos
5:15 PMGuests take their seats
5:30 PMGrand entrance
5:40 PMDinner
6:10 PMToasts
6:10 PMSunset portraits
6:40 PMFirst dance
6:45 PMParent dances
6:55 PMCake cutting
7:05 PMDancing
9:15 PMLast dance
9:30 PMSend-off

5:30 PM ceremony, with a first look

Reception 15 minutes from the ceremony · 4-hour reception · sunset 7:45 PM

10:45 AMHair and makeup begins
1:45 PMPhotographer arrives
2:45 PMCouple dressed
3:00 PMFirst look
3:15 PMWedding party and couple photos
3:50 PMFamily photos
4:40 PMLeave for the ceremony
5:00 PMGuests arrive and are seated
5:30 PMCeremony
6:00 PMGuests travel to the reception
6:15 PMCocktail hour
7:00 PMGuests take their seats
7:15 PMGrand entrance
7:25 PMDinner
7:25 PMSunset portraits
7:55 PMToasts
8:25 PMFirst dance
8:30 PMParent dances
8:40 PMCake cutting
8:50 PMDancing
11:00 PMLast dance
11:15 PMSend-off

How long does each part of the wedding day take?

In this template, hair and makeup takes 4 hr, photos take 55 minutes, the ceremony 30 minutes, cocktail hour 60 minutes and the reception 4 hr. Adjust any of them on the timeline above.

Time this template allows for each part of the wedding day
Part of the day	Time allowed
Hair and makeup	4 hr, ending when the couple is dressed
Couple dressed, before the ceremony	165 min with a first look, 90 without
Photographer arrives, before the couple is dressed	60 min
First look	15 min
Wedding party and couple photos	35 min
Family photos	20 min
Guests seated, before the ceremony	30 min
Ceremony	30 min
Cocktail hour	60 min
Dinner	60 min
Reception, after cocktail hour	4 hr
Florist arrives, before the ceremony	3 hr
Officiant arrives, before the ceremony	45 min
Catering arrives, before the reception	3 hr
DJ or band load-in, before cocktail hour	90 min

These are Rundown’s starting points for a typical wedding with a small wedding party. Larger hair and makeup lists, longer family photo lists and religious ceremonies usually need more time, so lengthen those blocks on your timeline.

Questions about wedding day timelines

What time should hair and makeup start on the wedding day?

Count back from when the couple needs to be dressed. This template starts hair and makeup 4 hours before that, so for a 4:00 PM ceremony without a first look it starts at 10:30 AM, and with a first look at 9:15 AM.

Should we do a first look?

A first look moves wedding party and family photos before the ceremony, so the couple can join cocktail hour. Skipping it saves the first sight for the aisle, and those photos happen during cocktail hour instead.

How long is cocktail hour at a wedding?

Usually about an hour. Without a first look it also has to cover family and wedding party photos, so check that they fit. The template warns you when they don’t.

What’s the difference between a wedding timeline and a run of show?

A timeline lists when and where each moment happens. A run of show adds who is responsible for each moment and when each vendor arrives, so the planner and vendors can run the day from it.

Times are worked out from your choices and the time blocks above. By Nicole Adams, founder of Rundown. Last updated November 3, 2026.