Deborah Chan
Planning a wedding can be stressful, and timing is a key consideration. The time of day you choose to host your wedding ceremony can significantly impact the overall tone and flow of your event. Most weddings in England take place between 1 pm and 3 pm, with receptions lasting between four and eight hours. However, twilight weddings, which usually take place between 5 pm and 7 pm, are becoming increasingly popular. The time of year and location can also influence the start time, with couples aiming to take advantage of the golden hour before sunset for their portraits.
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What You'll Learn
Wedding day schedules
A wedding day is a big event with a lot of moving parts, so it's important to plan ahead to make sure everything runs smoothly. Here is a suggested wedding day schedule to help you get started:
Morning: Getting Ready
The bride, her mother, matron of honour, and bridesmaids traditionally get ready together. This is when hair and makeup artists should arrive to begin preparations. Meanwhile, the groom, best man, and ushers get ready separately, often with a trip to the pub to calm any nerves.
Early Afternoon: Ceremony
Most weddings take place between 12 pm and 5 pm, with the ceremony lasting 20-30 minutes for non-religious services and up to an hour for religious ones. The groom and ushers should arrive at least 20 minutes early to welcome guests, and guests should arrive about 30 minutes before the ceremony starts.
Late Afternoon: Drinks Reception and Photos
After the ceremony, there is usually a drinks reception with canapes, giving guests a chance to mingle while the couple escapes for some photos with the photographer, including family portraits and bridal party shots. This can be done at the venue or a nearby location, and couples often do two sets of photos: one before the reception and one later to capture the golden hour sunshine in the evening.
Early Evening: Wedding Breakfast and Speeches
After the drinks reception, there is usually a break of about 1.5-2 hours before the wedding breakfast, during which group photos are taken. The wedding breakfast is not a morning meal but a traditional name for the wedding meal, which is usually a sit-down three-course dinner lasting about 2 hours. Speeches typically take place during the meal, and couples should consider how much time is left after the meal for speeches, asking speakers to practise and stick to a time limit.
Evening: First Dance, Cake Cutting, and Bouquet Toss
About 45 minutes to an hour after the wedding breakfast, the couple usually has their first dance, cuts the cake, and tosses the bouquet. This ensures the photographer captures these moments before they have to leave. The couple may also change into a second dress at this time.
Late Evening: Evening Guests, Food, and Dancing
Evening guests start to arrive around 8 pm, and the party begins with the disco starting and the first dance. Evening food is served around 9-10 pm, and the party continues until the end of the night.
Remember, this is just a sample schedule, and you can adapt it to fit your specific plans and preferences. Share your timeline with your wedding planner, key guests, and vendors to ensure everyone knows where they need to be and when, making your day flawless and enjoyable.
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Royal wedding TV coverage
The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle took place on Saturday 19 May 2018 at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle, UK. The ceremony commenced at 12:00 midday BST.
British TV channels provided extensive coverage of the wedding, with BBC One, ITV, Sky News, CNN and E! broadcasting the event live. BBC America provided a simulcast of BBC One's coverage, with limited commercial breaks. The wedding was also aired on RTÉ, the national broadcaster in the Republic of Ireland.
BBC Breakfast, hosted live from Windsor, began coverage of the wedding from 6 am until 9 am. BBC One's live coverage of the wedding then started at 9 am, with BBC News and BBC iPlayer also broadcasting the event. Huw Edwards presented the coverage from the roof of the Guard Room within the walls of Windsor Castle, with Kirsty Young and Dermot O'Leary based by the moat outside the castle.
ITV also provided live coverage of the wedding, presented by Phillip Schofield and Julie Etchingham from a specially constructed studio in Windsor. Sky News offered unique coverage of the wedding in Ultra HD on Sky Q, beginning at 9 am. The Sky News app featured a 'Royal Wedding: Who's Who Live' function, providing viewers with information about the guests as they arrived. Channel 4 News covered the wedding in a 30-minute news programme.
For viewers in the US, NBC, CBS, PBS, CNN, E!, Access Hollywood, and BBC America provided coverage of the royal wedding. The event was also streamed live online on YouTube via the British Monarchy's official 'The Royal Channel'.
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Wedding photography
Before the Wedding
Before the big day, it is important to discuss the wedding day timeline with your photographer. They will be able to advise you on how much time to allocate for photos and when to schedule them. For example, the ideal time of day for photos will depend on the season—late morning, afternoon, or early evening. If you want photos of you both getting ready, the photographer will need to arrive at least 2 hours before you plan to leave for the ceremony.
During the Ceremony
The length of the ceremony will depend on whether it is religious or non-religious, and whether it is held in a church or a registry office. A non-religious ceremony typically lasts 30-45 minutes, a civil wedding service 30-50 minutes, and a religious ceremony 60-90 minutes. You should schedule some extra time as a buffer in case the ceremony runs over. You will need at least 30-60 minutes for photos during the ceremony.
After the Ceremony
Once your guests have arrived at the reception venue, allow 1.5-2 hours before your guests are seated for the wedding breakfast. During this time, you can take group shots, couple photographs, and candid photos of your guests mingling. If your ceremony and reception are in the same place, this buys you a lot more time! You can also photograph the wedding breakfast room before your guests are seated, which only takes 15 minutes.
Live Streaming
If you are broadcasting your wedding, you may want to consider hiring a professional to take care of this for you. They can create a bespoke package to suit your needs and ensure that all your guests can view the ceremony privately and securely. If you want to live stream the wedding yourself, you can use platforms such as Facebook Live, YouTube Live, Instagram Live, Zoom, or Google Meet. You will need to consider the best time to start and end the live stream and share a schedule with your virtual guests. Pick a discreet location for your tripod, close to the ceremony, and make sure your device is fully charged.
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Wedding speeches
In England, most weddings take place between 12 pm and 5 pm, with the ceremony lasting between 20 minutes and an hour, and the reception lasting between five and eight hours. The wedding speeches are usually given during the wedding breakfast, which typically takes place after the ceremony and drinks reception. The wedding breakfast is a traditional three-course sit-down meal that usually lasts about two hours.
The content and duration of wedding speeches vary from wedding to wedding, depending on who is giving the speech. In general, British wedding speeches tend to last between ten and fifteen minutes and are often made by the groom's side. They tend to contain more irony than their American counterparts. However, it is becoming more common for the bride's side to give speeches as well.
If you are writing a wedding speech, it is important to consider the preferences of the couple. Would they prefer a funny speech with one-liners or a more sentimental and romantic approach? You can also include a quote from the couple's favourite author, musician, or movie to add a personal touch.
To ensure the smooth running of the day, it is advisable to let speech-givers know that their speech should fit within a certain time frame and to ask them to practise ahead of time. This will help to avoid delays, especially if you have evening guests arriving before the speeches are over.
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First dance
The first dance is often a highly anticipated event where guests watch the newlyweds share a romantic moment on the dance floor. It traditionally marks the start of the evening reception, but couples are increasingly involving their guests in the dance or choosing to perform it earlier in the reception.
If you're looking for guidance on when to schedule your first dance, consider the following timeline for your wedding day. Most couples get married between 12 pm and 5 pm, with ceremonies lasting 30 minutes to an hour and receptions lasting five to eight hours. If you're having a religious ceremony, it's likely to be at the longer end of this duration. After the ceremony, you'll want to factor in time for a drinks reception and photos, which can take up to two hours. A traditional three-course sit-down wedding breakfast will take around two hours, and then it's time for the first dance, cake cutting, and bouquet toss, ideally no later than an hour after the wedding breakfast. This timing ensures your photographer can capture these special moments before they have to leave.
Evening guests can arrive as the disco starts, and the first dance commences. The party continues with evening food served between 9 pm and 10 pm, and the final song played between 11 pm and midnight.
For those looking to choreograph their first dance, there are a few classic styles to choose from, including "the sway", the Waltz, and the Foxtrot. You can also inject your personality by choosing an upbeat and lighthearted song or something entirely unique. If you're looking for a romantic ballad, consider "Can't Help Falling in Love" by Elvis Presley, "At Last" by Etta James, or "Perfect" by Ed Sheeran, which were popular choices in 2024.
To prepare for your first dance, consider taking at least one dance lesson to learn the basics and boost your confidence. Practise in between sessions to get the moves into your muscle memory, and don't be afraid to rehearse in your wedding attire if you want to get a feel for moving in it.
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Frequently asked questions
The time you broadcast your wedding ceremony will depend on the type of ceremony you are having. Most weddings don't start at the time on the invite, so don't worry if the broadcast begins a little later than planned. Non-religious ceremonies usually last for 20-30 minutes, while religious ceremonies can last up to an hour. If you are having a traditional village church ceremony, this can last up to an hour and a half.
Wedding receptions typically last for 5-8 hours. If you are having a traditional 3-course sit-down meal, this will usually take 2 hours. If you are having something less traditional, like a barbecue or afternoon tea, it may take less time. Speeches vary in length, but it's a good idea to ask speakers to practise ahead of time so that they don't delay the proceedings.
It's a good idea to share your timeline with your event coordinator, celebrant, best man, bridesmaids, and ushers before the big day. You can also give a printed copy to your guests when they arrive, so they know what to expect. If you are live-streaming your wedding, consider using a service that offers multi-angle options and high-quality audio and video so that your remote guests can feel like they are part of your special day.
