How to Create Your Wedding Day Timeline (Beginner friendly)
So you’re trying to create your wedding timeline... by yourself.
No wedding planner, no coordinator, no one magically laying it all out for you.
Just you, your Google Doc, and vibes.
Breathe.
You can do this — and I’m going to walk you through it step-by-step, like we’re sitting on your couch with snacks.
Let’s get into it.
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Step 1: Start with your ceremony time and work backwards
Whatever time your ceremony starts, that’s your anchor.
Every other part of your day is going to build around it.
So if your ceremony is at 3PM, everything before it (like makeup, getting dressed, photos) has to be timed so that you’re ready and calm by then.
Step 2: Decide what you want before the ceremony
Now think about what’s happening before your ceremony — because that’s what takes the most planning.
Here’s a list of common pre-ceremony moments brides include:
Hair and makeup (for you and maybe your bridesmaids)
Getting ready photos (robes, champagne, all that cute stuff)
Bridal party photos
First look (if you're doing one)
Family photos
Getting dressed
Travel time (if your venue isn’t where you’re getting ready)
Once you know what you want, you can plug in realistic times for each.
Example:
Hair & Makeup starts: 8:00AM
First Look: 1:30PM
Be dressed and ready by: 1:00PM
Photos: 1:00–2:30PM
Ceremony: 3:00PM
And please give yourself buffer time.
Makeup runs late.
People wander off.
Your aunt might pop in with “small chops.”
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Step 3: Now plan what happens after the ceremony
Okay — ceremony’s done.
Everyone claps.
You said "I do."
What now?
Usually, it flows like this:
Cocktail hour (guests mingle while you take more photos or rest)
Reception begins
Grand entrance
First dance
Dinner is served
Toasts/speeches
Parent dances (if you’re doing them)
Cake cutting
Dancing + party time
Bouquet toss/garter (if you want that)
Exit or after-party
Write out what you’re including, then space them out with about 10–30 minutes each (depending on what it is).
You don’t want the night feeling rushed, but you also don’t want long awkward gaps where guests are just sitting around staring at their phones.
Step 4: Add your transition times (super important)
One thing a lot of brides forget to include?
The in-between moments.
Like:
-How long does it take to get from your Airbnb to your venue?
-How long will it take to bustle your dress after the ceremony?
-Will you change into reception shoes? (Yes, that needs a few minutes too)
-What about moving guests from outdoor ceremony to indoor reception?
Build these into your timeline on purpose.
It’ll make everything feel more relaxed and flowy on the actual day.
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Step 5: Build your full timeline like a schedule
Now you’re just putting it all together, like this:
7:30AM – Hair and makeup starts
12:30PM – Photographer arrives
1:00PM – Get dressed
1:30PM – First look + portraits
2:30PM – Hide before ceremony
3:00PM – Ceremony begins
3:30PM – Cocktail hour
4:30PM – Reception starts
5:00PM – Grand entrance
5:15PM – First dance
5:30PM – Dinner served
6:30PM – Speeches
7:00PM – Cake cutting
7:30PM – Open dancing
10:00PM – Exit
This is just an example.
You can move things around based on your style, culture, or vibe.
Like for example I'm nigerian and at Nigerian wedding?
You know dancing has to go way longer.
For Intimate backyard wedding?
You might skip half of this and that’s totally okay.
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P.S: If you're planning a 1PM, 2PM, or 3PM wedding — I’ve already created blog postS for those exact times
You can check them out here:
→ [1PM Wedding Timeline]
→ [2PM Wedding Timeline]
→ [3PM Wedding Timeline]
They’ll give you a real feel for how everything flows — and you can copy, tweak, or completely steal whatever works for your day.
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Now once you have your timeline, you definitely need somewhere to actually write it down and save it.
Because what you don’t want is to plan this thing and then lose it in your Notes app, or forget where you wrote what, or have to rewrite it for every vendor
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That’s where my Wedding Planning Bundle comes in.
It contains 3 amazing tools and one of them is a Digital Wedding Planner
Here's What You'll Get
1. A Digital Wedding Planner:
Since we are talking about timeline... inside the Wedding planner, there’s an actual section made just for your wedding timeline.
You type in your timeline right there — hour by hour, what’s happening when — so it’s all in one place.
And that’s not all it does.
The Wedding planner also helps you keep track of all the other moving pieces — your vendors, your to-dos, your ceremony details, outfit notes, inspo, wedding party details, seating chart— everything.
It’s the brain of your wedding planning.
2. A Wedding Budget Spreadsheet:
Instead of randomly guessing if you’ve overspent, this spreadsheet helps you plan based on your actual budget, calculate totals, and keep track of what’s been paid and what’s still left.
3. A Wedding Guestlist & RSVP Tracker:
Every name, address, contact info, meal choice, plus-one and if they have RSVP — all tracked in one simple spreadsheet.
So you’re not hunting for answers or double-entering names across three apps.
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So If you’re planning your wedding without a planner (or even with one but still want control), this will give so much you structure, clarity, and peace of mind.
And the best part?
It's on sale right now
Your getting the whole bundle for just $37 (instead of $62), that’s 25$ off
So if you want a place to keep everything together and make sure nothing falls through the cracks — this is for you.
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