Ceremony Timing

We get a lot of questions about timing so I figured a blog post (or two) on the subject might be helpful.

"Prime Time" for ceremonies in our Gazebo is the early evening hours so that guests can go straight to cocktails and then dinner without a gap in between functions. We block one hour in the gazebo and actual ceremonies usually only last about 20-25 minutes. So if you block the gazebo beginning at 4pm, this is how that hour looks:

4pm: Start your music. This is the time you have listed on the wedding invitations, so guests should be arriving a bit before and, invariably, some will come a few minutes late.

4:10pm: Bridal procession starts.

4:40pm: Recessional. Guests will be directed by the officiant to the cocktail area and leaves about 20 minutes for pictures in the Gazebo.

If the bride and groom have done pictures prior to the ceremony, they should be able to wrap up the family pictures fairly quickly and join the reception in plenty of time to enjoy themselves.

I'll leave you with a great shot from Courtney and Elmer's wedding here on September 4th. Courtney wanted to make sure she had a picture of every single person at their wedding, so Matt got up on the balcony and this was the result. Great idea, Courtney!