How to nail your wedding day timings
It is pretty obvious that you need to get your timings in order so your guests know what is happening and when - but have you thought of yourselves in this!? Your day should be about love and happiness, not coordinating when chef needs to start cooking the primo piatto because the speeches have over-run. Or having your photographer tell you time’s up and you’ve missed those ‘dancing in a Tuscan field as the sun drops’ shots.
If you don’t have all your ducks in a row, then you might find that you spend your epic day bouncing from supplier to supplier checking everyone is okay with the flow. Obviously if you do have a wedding planner, expect them to take you through a version of these timings.
We find it easier to build the day backwards from the dinner…have you dreamt of your Italian feast being served as the sunsets, hit the magical lighting and a sunset of dreams? Then trust us and go with this method! We are going to start from a 7.30pm dinner (bear in mind seasons affect sunset times).
Okay, not to blow our own trumpet, but we know how an Italian wedding day runs - this tool which is downloadable from our shop is a must. It literally guides you through the timings of every planned event on your day. Thank us later and get this baby now!
Your celebrations might start with a welcome drink. As the bride pampers with her team, the guests will arrive to near the ceremony location (if being held at the venue) and offered a refresher. We advise this should be 30 - 40 mins ahead of the ceremony.
Caterers tend to offer this as part of their service….which normally includes water, flavoured water. If you want something stronger to offer guests, then this will be at a charge.
Photo: Diego Mariella
Again, working backwards from a 7.30pm dinner, adding in aperitif - you’d be looking at a ceremony (a civil or symbolic at the venue) for 5pm. This might feel a little late for some, but the Italian sun is strong and you don't want to have guests melting as you say your I do's! Obviously if your ceremony is not at the venue or is a religious ceremony you will need to factor in extra timings.
With the Italian heat, we strongly recommend you only ask guests to take their seats 5-10 mins before the ceremony begins.
Photo: Harry Michael
The I do's are complete; now for what Italy does best - sensational food, drink and undoubtedly stunning surroundings. We tend to say this part of the day should be 1hr30 - 2hrs. If you are having a 7.30pm dinner, then aperitif would be around 5 - 5.30pm.
Think food stations, epic canapé platters, drinks flowing and guests mingling. La Dolce Vita!
LL Tip: Always consider the time it takes to move people from one part of the day to the next - add contingency!
So, let’s say everyone sits down at 7.30pm, you are going to want your MC to announce for guests to take their seats about 20 mins before this. Wedding guests don’t like to be rushed, especially when they have a drink in their hand! Inevitably this announcement will cause a quick dash to the loo.
Use this time to sneak away with your new husband / wife - freshen up, shirt change here guys (!) and just take a moment.
LL Tip: Find out your caterer’s service timings as early as you can. The timings tend to filter out from here. And check curfew timings with your venue….you don’t want a 3hr dinner to only have the party stopped an hour after starting!
Photo: Stephan & Nakita
The sit-down dinner is normally 2-3hrs long, depending on how many courses you are serving. And how you are dividing up speeches. Dividing up speeches is a great way to keep interest and dare we say it…minimise boredom! Consider having a couple of speeches, followed by your Primi courses together, followed by another couple of speeches and then the Secondi. This way everyone should remain engaged….no one wants to go at the end of an hour's speech block! And your caterers will thank you for being able to better cook the time-sensitive Primi courses together.
Let’s talk about la dolce…..the dessert! Whether this is a separate dessert, followed by cake cutting or if you’re serving wedding cake as dessert, bear in mind the transitioning of guests between areas. Don’t drag them up from their tables for a cake cutting way over there to then announce it’s all back to the table to enjoy a slice!
If you are just cutting the cake and not enjoying it immediately, then best to announce the first dance here. Let’s note the time here….if you’re having a 7.30pm dinner, then cake cutting might be around 9.30 - 10.30pm.
LL Tip: For Italians the wedding cake is one of the most important parts of the day.
Let’s hit the dance floor. We don’t need to tell you how to party! But working out how long you want your party to last will help with the next part….transport home!
If your party is starting around 10.30pm until 1.30ish, then we’d advise booking the first form of shuttle transport back to guest accommodation at midnight. And then every half hour until the last one at 1.45.
The day is over and beds are needed....or where's the after party at?!
Do remember that all these timings need to be discussed with your individual suppliers - most importantly your caterer and photographer. And a final brief should be submitted to each ahead of the day to ensure it all flows.
Ready to start putting this all into action? Then do get your hands on our Wedding Planning Timeline and make life a little easier.
Confused about what an Italian wedding meal might include? Trying to count the courses making you dizzy…and hungry? Check out our foodie article to get the low-down on what’s cooking in the wedding kitchen.
Written by Emily Jennings, marketing person and wedding day-dreamer; lover of a boho vibe and a wedding night filled with a thousand lights.
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