Free wedding day timeline builder
The day goes by quickly. A calm one usually has a quiet plan behind it: who arrives when, when the photos happen, when the toasts begin. Tell this builder your ceremony time and a few choices, and it lays out the whole day, from the first vendor in to the last one out. Edit any moment, print a sheet for each vendor, or send a link. Free, no sign-up.
1. The two of you
Everything here is optional. Prepared by is for coordinators: your business name prints at the top of every page.
2. The ceremony
A first look moves the couple, wedding party and family photos to before the ceremony.
3. Getting ready
We assume 60 minutes per person for hair and makeup together, with each artist doing one person at a time, finishing 15 minutes before you get dressed. Your artist knows best: change the minutes to what they tell you. Put 0 people to leave hair and makeup off.
4. The reception
Look up sunset for your date and place, then type it here.
Wedding day timeline
Type over any moment to change it, and move it 5 minutes at a time. Building again starts fresh.
Add a moment
Print and Copy follow the view you are on: the full timeline, or the vendor sheets with one vendor to a page.
For wedding coordinators
This builder is free to use with your clients, as often as you like. Put your business name under Prepared by and it prints at the top of every page. Switch to Vendor sheets and each vendor gets their own page with their call time and only their moments. Send the couple a share link and they open the same timeline.
When you are running a full season, the Wedding Coordinator Edition gives every couple their own tab, with a day-of run sheet, a fee schedule and tasks timed from the date, and one dashboard for all of them.
The Seating Studio: try it free
Plan who sits where on your phone, tablet or computer: pick a guest, pick a table, tap a seat. Up to 1,000 guests and 100 tables, with printable table diagrams.
Try the free seating chart demo See The Seating Studio on Etsy, $16
Keep the whole wedding in one place
The timeline is the day itself. These planners keep everything that leads up to it.
A wedding day timeline spreadsheet: move the ceremony and the whole day moves with it, with a run sheet for each vendor and their contacts.
See it on Etsy Details
Planning tasks dated from your wedding day, plus a day-of timeline that works out end times and overlaps.
See it on Etsy Details
Budget, guest list and RSVPs, seating and a checklist, all on one dashboard.
See it on Etsy Details
More: the month-by-month wedding planning timeline, the free wedding budget calculator and the wedding table calculator.
Wedding day timeline questions
How long before the ceremony should hair and makeup start?
Work back from when you get dressed. Count the people in the chair, divide by the number of artists and multiply by the minutes each person takes, then add a little buffer. The builder assumes 60 minutes per person for hair and makeup together, one person per artist at a time, and finishes 15 minutes before you get dressed. Ask your artist for their real numbers and change it.
Should we do a first look?
It is your choice. A first look moves the couple, wedding party and family photos before the ceremony, so you can join more of cocktail hour and the day starts earlier. Without one, you see each other for the first time at the aisle and most photos happen during cocktail hour. Switch first look on and off and compare the two timelines.
How long is cocktail hour?
Usually about an hour. Without a first look, family and wedding party photos happen during it, so an hour goes quickly. If photos or travel between places run longer than cocktail hour, the builder moves dinner later and tells you.
When do toasts happen at a wedding reception?
Often once dinner is served and everyone is seated and listening. The builder places them about 30 minutes into dinner and allows about 5 minutes for each toast. Move them with the plus and minus buttons if you prefer them before dinner or with dessert.
When should we schedule sunset photos?
Look up the sunset time for your date and place, then type it in. The builder sets about 20 minutes of photos starting 25 minutes before sunset, while the light is soft. Tell your photographer so they can watch the clock for you.
How do I share the timeline with vendors?
Switch to Vendor sheets to see each vendor's call time and only their moments. Print them, one vendor to a page, copy them as text for an email, or send a share link that opens this same timeline. Send everyone the final version in the last week or two before the wedding.
Does this save anything?
No. Nothing is stored. A share link carries the timeline inside the link itself, after the # sign, which browsers do not send to any server. The page sends us anonymous counts of what happens (the page opened, a timeline made, printed or shared, a link opened), never names, places or times. Print it, copy it, download the CSV or keep the share link before you close the page.
Can a wedding coordinator use this with clients?
Yes, free. Add your business name under Prepared by and it prints at the top of every page, including each vendor sheet.