Most schedules do not fail at the ceremony or at dinner. They fail at half past ten in the morning, when the hair takes longer than planned, and then everything slides back until sunset. A good timeline is above all one with room to breathe.
The sample timeline
This is a summer day with a church or civil ceremony at 14:00 and a party at the same place as the drinks reception. If you travel between the two, push everything from the reception onwards back by the travel time.
- Getting readyHair and make-up for the bride; for the groom an hour is usually enough. If you want photos of this, the photographer arrives shortly before the make-up is finished, so the make-up is still in the pictures.
- Dressing, detailsDress, suit, rings, bouquet. Afterwards, half an hour in which nothing has to happen.
- Travel to ceremonyBetter to arrive early. Guests are happy to wait, you are not happy to wait in the car.
- CeremonyA civil ceremony usually takes 20 to 30 minutes, a church wedding or symbolic ceremony more like 45 to 60.
- Congratulations, drinksGroup photos straight afterwards, while everyone is there.
- Couple portraitsA first part of 30 to 45 minutes. Guests stay at the aperitif.
- DinnerSpeeches between the courses, not all in one go.
After that it carries on with the cake, the first dance and the party, more on that below. Times are given in the 24-hour format, so 14:00 means 2 pm. Build your own schedule around your ceremony time and work backwards and forwards from there.
I arrive for the getting ready shortly before the make-up is finished. That way I still catch the make-up being applied, and straight afterwards it moves on to the dress, the rings and the bouquet.
Gabriel Höllrigl, wedding photographer from NaturnsWhen the ceremony should take place
The time of the ceremony determines almost everything else. If it is too early, the morning gets hectic and the gap until dinner is long. If it is too late, there is no light left for couple portraits, and your guests are hungry before you have even sat down to eat.
Between 13:00 and 15:00 is a good window for most weddings. In autumn and winter I would aim for the start of that window, because it gets dark early:
| Month | Sunset in Bolzano | Couple portraits in soft light from about |
|---|---|---|
| May | 20:40 | 19:40 |
| June | 21:08 | 20:10 |
| July | 21:04 | 20:00 |
| September | 19:27 | 18:30 |
| October | 18:29 | 17:30 |
| November | 16:42 | 15:40 |
Sunset on the 15th of each month. In narrow valleys the sun often disappears behind the mountains much earlier.
In June the lovely evening light therefore falls in the middle of dinner. That is not a problem: you get up between two courses for a quarter of an hour, step outside with the photographer, and are back before the main course arrives. When each month is worth considering, see The best time for a wedding in South Tyrol.
Where the time gets lost
It is always the same places. Hardly any couple loses time at the ceremony itself, which runs to plan. Delays pile up before it and in between.
- Getting readyAllow half an hour more for hair and make-up than the stylist says. More still if bridesmaids are having theirs done too.
- Moving between placesEvery drive takes longer than the sat nav says, once you count getting in, parking and getting out. Leave 15 minutes of slack for each move.
- CongratulationsWith 80 guests it takes a good half hour. If you do not plan for it, it gets cut from the couple portraits.
- Group photosAbout two minutes per group with a list, double without one. How to do it quickly is in Wedding group photos.
- Evening programmeGames, speeches and videos add up. Three speeches of ten minutes each are half an hour in which the food goes cold.
One tip that costs very little: give a copy of the schedule to someone in the family or to your witnesses. They keep the overview when you lose it, and you will. That is perfectly fine on the day.
The evening
After dinner the plan gets looser, and it should. Still, a rough order helps, above all if a band or DJ is booked, because they want to know when to start.
At most of the weddings I photograph in South Tyrol, the evening runs like this: the cake is served as dessert, then comes a dessert buffet, and once everyone has had a coffee, the party begins.
Cake
- Cut as the dessert, everyone gathers around
- Then the dessert buffet
Coffee
- A short break before it gets loud
- Band or DJ finish setting up
Party
- First dance, then the dance floor is open
- Games are best avoided now, nobody listens
Many couples do the bouquet toss outside in the afternoon, while it is still light. It fits well with the drinks reception, and the pictures show more than faces under artificial light.
I stay until the party starts and photograph the first songs with real dancing. Then I leave, and you carry on celebrating without a camera.
And if you are still looking for a photographer who sticks to your timeline instead of rebuilding it: here is my wedding page.
Frequently asked questions
What does a typical wedding day timeline look like?
Getting ready in the morning, the ceremony in the early afternoon, then congratulations, a drinks reception and group photos. Couple portraits in the late afternoon, and in the evening dinner, speeches and dancing. The sample timeline in this guide assumes a ceremony at 14:00 (2 pm).
What is the best time for the wedding ceremony?
Between 13:00 and 15:00 suits most couples. That leaves the morning for getting ready and still gives you enough evening light for couple portraits. In autumn and winter, aim earlier, because in Bolzano the sun already sets around 16:40 in November.
How much buffer do you need in a wedding day timeline?
Allow about 15 minutes of slack before every change of location and before the ceremony. Delays almost always happen while getting ready and when moving from one place to the next.
When should you take the couple portraits?
One part right after the drinks reception, and a short second part about an hour before sunset, when the light turns soft. 15 to 20 minutes is enough, and guests barely notice that you are gone.
How long does a wedding day last in total?
From getting ready to the end of the party it is often 14 to 16 hours. That is why it pays not to pack the evening programme too tightly.