If you ask any wedding vendor what the most important element of wedding planning is, they’ll tell you it’s the timeline! The wedding day timeline is the guiding light for all vendors and guests on the day-of. It tells vendors when they can begin setup, when the all important “set and ready” time is, what time each and every wedding activity begins, and when they need to be off property at the end of the event. The timeline affects guest flow, what photos your photographer can capture, and even your mood on the day-of because if you don’t build in buffer time, things can get stressful, fast!
It’s no wonder that creating the timeline, even your preliminary sample wedding timeline, is the most complex part of wedding planning! It takes years of experience and an intimate knowledge of weddings to understand how a timeline is constructed. This is because so many people and elements are involved! It’s critical to know the necessary amount of time each vendor requires for setup, how much time each typical wedding festivity takes, and how and where to build in buffer time.
Lucky for you, there’s no gatekeeping here! We’re taking our decades of experience as Orlando’s premier botanical garden wedding venue and presenting you with a sample wedding timeline for any wedding vibe. When you work with our team, you get seasoned Event Managers, who have seen all kinds of weddings. No matter what you envision for your big day, we’ll be able to help you bring it to life!
Keep reading to find your perfect sample wedding timeline!
Sample Wedding Timeline Tips:
Before we dive in, it’s important to emphasize that there is not one “right” type of wedding or timeline. Whether you envision a small elopement, laidback intimate wedding, or a grand nighttime celebration, it’ll be beautiful and perfect for you. On your dream day, it’s your wedding, your way!
When crafting any kind of wedding timeline, there are a few key considerations to keep in mind to ensure success:
- Venue Package Guidelines
Before you book your venue, make sure your package includes enough time for whatever you envision! For example, if you crave a morning brunch wedding, what time does your venue allow you to first access the grounds? If you have your heart set on a dance party going well into the night, until what time does the venue allow you to stay?
Here at Celebration Gardens, we have put together a variety of all-inclusive wedding packages to meet any need. These include our “Sunflower” ceremony only package, our “Calla Lilly” intimate wedding package, and our “Gardenia,” “Rose,” and “Wild Orchid” ceremony and reception packages.
In this post, we’ll show you a sample wedding timeline to correspond with each of these packages!
- Wedding Vendor Needs
Each of your wedding vendors will have different needs when it comes to setup, what they need during the wedding, and breakdown. For example, depending on how much time your hair and makeup team needs, you may consider getting ready off-property or in our getting ready cottage. Another example is your photographer and how much time they need to capture detail and venue photos before the ceremony, and how much time they typically take for post-ceremony portraits.
It’s a lot of logistics to wrangle! That’s why we created our all-inclusive wedding packages in the first place: so you don’t have to worry about juggling all these details! Many, if not all, of the vendors you’ll need are included in our packages and we’ll liaise with them for you, so you can have one point of contact from our team for everything.
- To First Look or Not to First Look?
A traditional first look is when you and your soon-to-be spouse see each other for the first time before the ceremony in private. It’s a great option if you’re on the shy side, want to capture all your portraits pre-ceremony, or want to have a special ritual like a private vow exchange.
You may also want to do a variation on a first look, where you have one with your bridesmaids, parents, siblings, or even your dog!
Having a first look or not is totally up to you! It’s just a matter of preference. In the sample wedding timelines below, we’ll show you two examples without a first look and two with a first look, so you can see how they may differ.
- Guest Count
Guest count plays a huge role in your wedding! It affects the venue you select, your overall budget, and the timeline. After all, having 20 guests is much different than having 175! A larger guest count means needing more time for everything, from how much time it takes to be seated in the reception to how long dinner service is.
Our all-inclusive wedding packages come with an intended guest count, which we’ll outline below, but keep in mind that our packages are completely customizable! We can add or decrease the guest count and the amount and type of vendors included based on your needs. Like we said, it’s your wedding, your way!
Let’s dig into each sample wedding timeline now, so you can see how all these factors affect your wedding day!
Sample Wedding Timeline: Ceremony Only
Our “Sunflower” all-inclusive wedding package is for those couples who simply want a ceremony only. This is perfect for an elopement or a micro celebration for up to 10 guests, and is available to book Monday – Thursday or Friday morning.
It includes: property rental for 2 hours, tables and chairs, floral, minister, live ceremony musician, wedding coordinator, cake, champagne, use of our audio system, and a photographer.
Here’s a sample wedding timeline for a ceremony only wedding:
1:30pm – Arrival & setup
2:00pm – Ceremony
2:30pm – Family & wedding party portraits
2:45pm – Newlywed portraits
3:00pm – Cake & champagne celebration
3:30pm – Happily ever after!
Sample Wedding Timeline: Ceremony + Light Reception
Our “Calla Lilly” all-inclusive wedding package is perfect for a laidback, intimate wedding for up to 20 people! This is available to book Sunday – Friday or Saturday morning.
It includes property rental for 4 hours, tables with linens and chairs, hair and makeup, tuxedo, floral, minister, live ceremony musician, wedding coordinator, hors d’oeuvres, cake, bar setup, use of our audio system, photographer, and videographer.
Check out this sample wedding timeline for a ceremony with light reception:
4:00pm – Arrival & setup
5:00pm – Ceremony
5:30pm – Family portraits. Bar opens.
5:45pm – Wedding party portraits
6:00pm – Newlywed portraits. Hors d’oeuvres are served.
6:15pm – Cake cutting
6:30pm – Cake is served.
6:30pm – 8:00pm – Mixing, mingling & celebrating!
8:00pm – Grand exit & happily ever after!
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Sample Wedding Timeline: Morning Brunch Wedding
If your wedding vibe includes brunch, our “Gardenia” and “Rose wedding packages are for you! The “Gardenia” package is intended for celebrations with up to 20 guests, but the “Rose” package is meant for about 80 guests.
The “Gardenia” package includes everything from the “Calla Lilly” package plus property rental for 6 hours, upgraded tables and chairs, a plated meal, full liquor bar, and specialty lighting.
The “Rose” package includes everything from the “Gardenia” package plus property rental for 8 hours, a buffet meal, upgraded floral and a DJ.
Both of these packages are available to book any day of the week!
Here’s a sample wedding timeline for a “Gardenia” package brunch wedding. If you opt for the “Rose” package, you’ll have 2 additional hours to play with, which could come in handy pre-ceremony and for more reception celebration time.
8:00am – Arrival & setup.
8:30am – Optional first look with wedding party, parent, siblings or bride/groom
8:45am – If doing a bride/groom first look, portraits to follow
9:30am – Ceremony
10:00am – Family portraits.
10:30am – Wedding party portraits
10:45am – Newlywed portraits
11:00am – Reception begins. Reception introductions. First dance.
11:15am – Brunch is served.
12:15pm – Cake cutting. Toasts.
12:30pm – Father/daughter dance. Mother/son dance.
12:40pm – 2:00pm – Mixing, mingling & celebrating!
2:00pm – Grand exit & happily ever after!
Sample Wedding Timeline: Traditional Nighttime Wedding
Our final sample wedding timeline exemplifies our “Rose” or “Wild Orchid” wedding packages. This is the most traditional wedding timeline with 8 hours, an evening ceremony, cocktail hour, and full reception.
The “Wild Orchid” wedding package is our most comprehensive option that includes everything in the “Rose” package plus property rental for 12 hours, pre-wedding day rehearsal, invitations, photo booth, a sparkler grand exit, and a classic car for sendoff. This truly includes everything you could want in your dream wedding, and is available to book any day of the week!
Check out the following sample wedding timeline for this package:
11:30am – Arrival & setup. Hair & makeup begins at Celebration Gardens.
2:30pm – Hair & makeup concludes.
3:15pm – Optional first look with wedding party, parent, siblings or bride/groom
3:30pm – 4:00pm – If doing a bride/groom first look, portraits to follow
4:00pm – 4:30pm – Relax before ceremony. Photographer captures detail & venue photos.
4:30pm – Ceremony
4:30pm – Cocktail hour begins. Bar & hors d’oeuvres are served. Family portraits.
4:45pm – Wedding party portraits
5:00pm – Newlywed portraits or newlyweds join cocktail hour.
5:30pm – Reception begins. Guests are seated.
5:40pm – Reception introductions. First dance.
5:50pm – Toasts
6:00pm – 7:30pm – Dinner is served.
7:30pm – Cake cutting. Father/daughter dance. Mother/son dance.
7:45pm – Dance floor opens!
9:00pm – Optional late night snack is served
10:30pm – Sparkler exit & happily ever after!
Ready to Book Your All-Inclusive Wedding Package?
Celebration Gardens is Orlando’s premier botanical garden wedding venue, located in Winter Park, FL. Our Wedding Gazebo, Intimate Pavilion, Grand Pavilion, and lush gardens provide a seamless flow from ceremony to cocktail hour to reception. We also offer all-inclusive wedding packages to make wedding planning as simple and stress-free as possible!
Are you interested in having your wedding at our beautiful outdoor wedding venue? Contact us today! Our friendly team members would love to chat with you and provide you with a customized quote.