How is a typical wedding day laid out?

Question

I'm just curious to how a normal wedding day is laid out, such as what times do they usually start/end, when does everyone eat, and how many meals in day, do you literally go on a honeymoon as soon as its over, or do you wait until the next day - and if so, do you just go home?

And are weddings pretty much the same order if they're christian or not?

I'm not getting married myself (soon anyways), I was just thinking about it the other day, and can only really remember weddings from about 10years+ ago when was a kid.

Answer 1

Every wedding is completely different.

Examples of weddings I've attended:

Friday night wedding: ceremony at 5:30, pictures after, dinner at 7, dance immediately following and ended at 11. Bride and groom went home and did not have a honeymoon.

Saturday wedding: ceremony at 1, pictures after, long wait, dinner at 5, dance following, dance ended at 12. Bride and groom stayed in hotel for the night and went on honeymoon a week later.

Saturday reception: couple had very private ceremony the weekend earlier, cocktails at 1 PM, boat cruise with appetizers at 2 (back at 4), pictures dinner at 5, dancing until 12 . Bride and groom stayed in hotel for the night and went on honeymoon 6 months later.

Saturday wedding: pictures at 2, ceremony at 4, dinner at 5, dancing 'til 1. Bride and groom stayed at hotel for the next two nights and counted that as their honeymoon.

So really, no wedding is "normal".  

Answer 2

Weddings are typically the seating of the Mother of the Bride and Groom, as well as the Grandmothers if they are still alive, by a member of the groomsmen.  Then the procession with the Bridesmaids, which may or may not include a flowergirl and a ringbearer, etc... played to a processional song.  Think "Canon in D".  Then the Bride walks down the aisle to something.  Typical choice is Mendleson's "Here Comes the Bride".  

When the Wedding is over, the Bride and Groom are first to exit, followed by the bridal party.  Then the groomsmen go back for the female parents and grandparents OR they are escorted by their husband... then the rest of the people follow.

This is a good time for a reception line.  People are standing, they will want to say hi, but because they are standing, will keep it short and sweet.

Bridal party, parents, and B/G stay behind for pictures.  Everyone else heads to the Reception hall for cocktail hour/appetizers.

About an hour later, you all arrive at the reception hall.  Everyone sits, you are announced by your DJ or band leader.

A toast can be made prior to dinner or prior to the cake.  Welcome speaches sometimes are made by the Father of the Bride.

Prayer, optional, happens before dinner.

Dinner, sit down or buffet, goes for 45 to 60 minutes.

The Bride and Groom then have their 1st dance, followed by the Bride/Father having their 2nd dance, followed by the Groom/Mother having the third dance.  This can be followed by a Bridal Party dance, as this is a great time to get pictures of all involved in the party...  or a parents dance, which is especially good when there are parents and step parents involved.  They will all want to be part of the picture.

Then all dance... for about an hour.

Followed by the toast (if not done prior to dinner) and cake cutting.

I suggest that you immediately follow the cake cutting with the Bouquet Toss, Garter removal, garter toss, and garter placement if you intend to have them.  Get everything done that you want to get done (dollar dance, for example) BEFORE the cake is cut.  When the cake is cut, those that want to leave will go... and want to say goodbye to you on the way out the door.

Also, if you are short on time with the photographer, it will get all of the major events done so you don't go over your time.

Then all that is left is dancing, requests, and having a good time.

Good luck!!!

Answer 3

7am Wake

8am Mull over big day with your mother over a cup of joe

9am Leave for hair & makeup with the other home girls

12pm Light lunch at church brought in coolers

1pm Pictures

3pm Chill w/the homegirls

4:30pm Wedding

5:00 Leave for reception

6:00 Party

11:00 s*x

Answer 4

I don`t think we did the `traditional` wedding, but this is how our day went...

Wedding ceremony in the hotel at 3pm

Photographs in the hotel grounds

Speeches at 5pm (so the groom etc could enjoy the meal)

Cutting of the cake at 5.30

`wedding breakfast` at 5.30pm for all the guests who came to the wedding (approx 40)

8.30pm evening reception for 60 with a buffet at 9.30pm.

We had so much to organise and remove from the hotel the following day that we decided not to go on honeymoon the day after the wedding but we went the day after that.  This gave us the day after the wedding to `chill` and spend some time together on our own.  We booked into a hotel for the night after the wedding, so we could start the honeymoon when we wanted.

I`m not sure if there is a right or a wrong way to do this, we just did what we felt comfortable with and what we wanted. It was a lovely day and I wouldn`t change anything...so that must mean it was ok.

Good luck

Answer 5

Well we have our venue for the whole day so we will be there at like 8 in the morning to start decorating,

10 am start doing hair (at my moms house 5 mins away)

have wedding party finish decorating

lunch

we are heading back to the venue to get dressed at 4:30

ceremony is at 6

pics at 6:30 (hor dourves served for the guest while they wait)

Dinner at 7:30

Dancing

Leave at 11 or so

We are going home (we live together) afterwards but are driving to FL at 5:30 in the am

Answer 6

This is how my wedding next summer will go (its a civil ceremony).

8am get up and have a good healthy breakfast

8.30am long shower

9.30am hairdresser coming to do mine and bridesmaids hair

12.00pm light lunch

12.30pm begin to apply make up

1.00pm photographer arrives to do pre wedding shots

1.30pm get dress on

1.45pm bridesmaids leave for venue

2.00pm final checks in mirror

2.10pm bride and father leave for venue

2.20pm arrive at venue and do arrival of bride photos

2.30pm ceremony starts

3.00pm ceremony finishes, go into grounds of venue for photos

3.45pm greet guests in for wedding breakfast

4.00pm sit down for speeches and toasts

4.45pm eat 3 course meal

6.00pm more speeches and general chatting with guests

7.00pm dj arrives to set up

7.30pm evening reception starts

7.45pm bride and groom first dance

then dancing and stuff until about 8.30pm when we cut the cake, toss the bouquet and the evening buffet goes on

After this the reception will go on until about 12.00am.

After the wedding we are not going on honeymoon for 2 days so we are staying in a hotel on the wedding night.

Weddings usually follow the same kind of plan whether the are catholic, christian, civil or whatever but church weddings tend to last longer.

Answer 7

Well I have only been to two weddings, one was just this past weekend, I was a bridesmaid, but it was very untraditional (the ceremony was out of town two days before for only the family) so really it was just the reception.  But i will give you the itinerary for my upcoming wedding that was given to us by our venue, so that should be a pretty standard type of schedule.

2 pm Bride arrives at venue - hair and make-up will be already done, but I get dressed there

3 pm Photographer arrives to do pictures with bride and bridesmaids "getting ready" shots

4 pm Ceremony begins

4:30 pm Cocktail reception begins - this will probably be closer to 5 because we may start late and we will take time after the ceremony to see guests, etc on the way out.

5-6:30 pm Cocktail reception - bridal party and parents taking pictures at a different location (at the same venue, probably outside).

6:30 pm - Reception begins - guests file into the room through receiving line and find their seats

7 pm - Reception dinner begins with a welcome/thank you speech from father/mother of bride.  Our speeches will be in between courses so that people don't get bored and hungry (they can eat while others talk)

8:30 pm - Dancing begins with the band starting up!  First dance/father-daughter dance, etc.  Some people do this right when they enter at the beginning of the reception, but I think we'll wait for this one.  That's not set in stone though.

10:30/11 pm - Cake cutting and evening snack service with tea and coffee

12:30 am Last dance/wind down - I'm not a very late night person so I don't know if I'll make it this far through my wedding! lol.

Answer 8

ever wedding is so diffeent..

Mine was wedding 5.30

So hair make up at 2.30.

setting of to venue 5.00

getting to venue 5.20

waiting for hubby to go insde 5.25

wedding started 5.30

finished ceremony at 5.45pictures till 6.15

back to repception had meal at 7.30