Morning wedding timeline: an 11 AM schedule

A morning wedding starts early and finishes by late afternoon. The ceremony is at 10 or 11 AM, the reception is a brunch or lunch, and the guests are on their way home before dinner. It's often cheaper, since many venues price daytime events lower, and it leaves the evening free for a quiet dinner or an early flight.

The catch is the start. With a ceremony at 11 AM, the bride is in the makeup chair at 8, so nobody can be late and nobody should stay up the night before. Here's a full morning wedding timeline, hour by hour, and how to adjust it to your day.

A sample morning wedding timeline

This schedule is for an 11:00 AM ceremony of 30 minutes, an hour of cocktails and a three-and-a-half-hour reception. It's the timeline our free timeline maker builds from an 11 AM ceremony.

| Time | The day | Notes | |---|---|---| | 8:00 AM | Breakfast; hair and makeup begins | Eat something before it gets busy | | 9:00 AM | Get dressed | Photographer arrives for detail shots | | 9:30 AM | Photos with the wedding party | Florist delivers bouquets and buttonholes | | 10:15 AM | Ushers seat guests | The two of you stay out of sight | | 10:45 AM | Line up for the processional | Officiant checks in with you both | | 11:00 AM | Ceremony begins | Phones away: ask the officiant to say so | | 11:30 AM | Recessional | Straight to photos | | 11:35 AM | Cocktail hour for guests | Bar opens and canapés go round | | 11:40 AM | Family photos | Hand the photographer a printed list | | 12:20 PM | Freshen up before the entrance | | | 12:30 PM | Grand entrance | | | 12:45 PM | Brunch or lunch is served | Ask the caterer to bring your plates first | | 1:30 PM | Toasts | | | 2:00 PM | First dance | | | 2:15 PM | Dance floor opens | | | 2:45 PM | Cake cutting | | | 3:30 PM | Last dance | | | 3:45 PM | Send-off | | | 4:00 PM | Reception ends | Name someone to take home gifts and décor |

Getting ready: three hours, not five

An afternoon wedding gives hair and makeup five hours. A morning one has about three, because nobody wants to start at 6 AM. That works for a bride and two or three others with one stylist and one makeup artist. With a bigger party, either book a second artist or start the bridesmaids earlier and do the bride last, so her look is the freshest in photos.

Get dressed two hours before the ceremony and do the wedding party photos straight after, while everyone is fresh. Breakfast matters more than usual: put it on the timeline, and ask someone to bring coffee and something easy to eat to both getting-ready rooms.

The reception: brunch or lunch, and shorter

A morning reception is usually three to four hours. Our sample allows three and a half from the grand entrance to the end, which fits a meal, toasts, a first dance, an hour of dancing and the cake. Many morning weddings skip the dances with family, or fold them into the first dance, to keep the afternoon moving.

Brunch or lunch suits the hour: a buffet, food stations or a plated lunch. Guests drink less at midday, which helps the bar bill, but plan the drinks anyway. Mimosas, coffee and something cold go further than a full bar at noon.

Put the toasts about 45 minutes into the meal, while people are seated and before the dancing starts. Two or three toasts of two to three minutes each is plenty.

Light, heat and the photos

Morning light is soft and even, which photographers love, but midday sun is harsh. Do the outdoor portraits before the ceremony or in shade, and keep the family photos short so guests aren't waiting in the heat. If you'd like a first look, put it at about 9:15 AM and do the portraits straight after; the family photos can then move before the ceremony too.

Guests who travel

Morning weddings are hardest on guests who come from far away. Mention the ceremony time on the save-the-date, and put the start time, not the arrival time, on the invitation: ushers seat guests from 45 minutes before. If many guests are staying nearby, a welcome drink the evening before means they're in town and up in time.

Make it your own

Start from the morning template in the free wedding day timeline maker, then type your own ceremony time. A 10 AM ceremony moves every row an hour earlier; anything from 6 AM to 11:59 AM uses this template. Change the cocktail hour or the ceremony length and whole blocks move together, and a reception end time pulls the last dance and send-off to fit.

For the rest of the method, from buffers to who gets a copy, read how to make a wedding day timeline. Thinking of a later start instead? Compare the afternoon wedding timeline and the evening wedding timeline.

When you're happy with it, create a free account to keep it as your Wedding Day timeline. On the day, Day-of mode shows what's now and next on your phone, even offline once it's loaded.