Wedding Day Timeline Suggestions

Hotel Xcaret Mexico wedding photo for Yellow Umbrella Events

Trying to figure out what time everything needs to happen on your wedding day for your destination wedding? Use our handy wedding day timeline template to get your started.

For this template we're going to use 3 assumptions:

  • Your wedding is at an all inclusive resort in Mexico
  • You have an 11pm hard stop for your outdoor reception 
  • You have an 8 hour photography package 
Why stop at 11pm? Because most resorts in the area can not have any outdoor amplified sound after 11pm, due to local sound ordinances. It’s important to note that some area resorts, depending on their location, may have different restrictions for an outdoor event, based on things like the turtle needing season or being near residential areas. In these cases you may not be able to have a beach reception past 9pm. Check with your resort to verify the local sound restrictions and to confirm your reception end time. 

Why have an 8 hour time frame for photos? Because this is the minimum time you’ll need to capture a majority of your wedding day activities. You can always add more time if desired.

Bride and Groom at Hotel Xcaret Mexico photo for Yellow Umbrella Events

Bride/Groom Wedding Suggested Timeline Template

  • 12:30PM Bride hair and make up begins
  • 2PM Groom & his party Begin Getting Ready
  • 3PM Photo Team Begins
  • 3PM Bride Gets Dressed 
  • 3:30PM First Look
  • 3:50PM Wedding Party Photos Begin
  • 4:20PM Wedding Party Walks to meet all other guests
  • 4:30PM All guests walk to Ceremony site.  Bride & her person stay in room.
  • 4:50PM Wedding Coordinator walk Bride to ceremony site
  • 5PM Ceremony Begins
  • Wedding Processional 
  • 5:30PM Ceremony Ends
  • Final Wedding Party Photos 
  • Family Photos
  • Couple Photos
  • 6PM Guests Walk to the Cocktail Hour Location 
  • Couple finishes up Personal & Sunset Photos 
  • 6:30PM Entrance & Announcement of the Couple into Cocktail Hour 
  • Couple First Dance
  • Couple welcomes guests 
  • 7pm Guests move to the Reception Location and Seat for Dinner
  • 7:15PM Dinner Begins 
  • 8:30/8:45 PM Dinner is typically winding down and time will vary depending on if you have plated service or buffet 
  • 8:30/8:45PM Toasts – we love these to start as dinner is finishing up
  • 9PM Family Dances
  • 9:10PM Dance Floor Opens for all Guests
  • 11PM Reception Ends
  • 11:10PM Guests Arrive at Cantina Los Faroles for after party fun

Same Sex Wedding Brides Getting Ready Timeline Adjustment

  • 12:30PM Brides hair and make up begins – typically in separate locations 
  • 3PM Photo Team Begins
  • 3PM Brides Get Dress
  • 3:30PM First Look
  • 3:50PM Wedding Party Photos Begin
  • 4:20PM Wedding Party Walks to meet all other guests
  • 4:30PM All guests walk to Ceremony site
  • Brides & their person stay in room
  • 4:50PM Wedding Coordinators walks Brides to ceremony site 

Same Sex Wedding Grooms Getting Ready Timeline Adjustment

  • 2PM Grooms Begin Getting Ready – typically in separate locations 
  • 3PM Photo Team Begins
  • 3:30PM First Look
  • 3:50PM Wedding Party Photos Begin
  • 4:20PM Wedding Party Walks to meet all other guests
  • 4:30PM All guests walk to Ceremony site / Grooms & their person stay in room
  • 4:50PM Wedding Coordinators walk Grooms to ceremony site 
Hotel Xcaret Mexico wedding photo for Yellow Umbrella Events

This is a great starting point for a wedding day timeline with an 8 hour photo window and an 11pm end time. You can make any adjustments to this timeline that make sense for you and your wedding? Have a photo package for 9 hours? Amazing; you’ll have more flexibility with getting ready photos and more time with your significant other for non rushed First Look photos. Having your reception in a ballroom and plan to party until 1AM? Awesome; you’ll have more dance party and entertainment time! You get the point; this is your day and you can adjust this to work for you. 

What's missing from the timeline template?

Bridesmaids & Moms Hair & Make Up time – this is going to vary based on how many people need/want hair and makeup. You’ll want to work with you beauty team AND your photo & video team to design a realistic schedule for everyone to get ready and not cause delays. Hair & Make Up get ready time is the number one cause of wedding day delays, so make sure to allocate a little extra time here, even starting 1+ hours early is not a bad idea. Trust me when I tell you that you’d rather have more time than less for this. Better to be waiting around ready to go than to be is a rushed crisis and cause the entire wedding to be delayed. Not to mention the added stress this causes!
 
One thing I would not be flexible on is the bride’s hair and make up start time. You need to start on time or early and if a bridesmaid is experiencing a hair & make up delay the beauty team can circle back to them later. Don’t let them cause you to start late!
 
Additional Entertainment – Have you added a fire show, water drummers, dance routine that you and your SO have practiced for weeks? Don’t forget to allocate time for this on your wedding day timeline. 
Bride and Groom at Hotel Xcaret Mexico photo for Yellow Umbrella Events
Family Traditions – Is there something your family does at every wedding that isn’t listed? Add it!
 
New Traditions – Love the daddy daughter first look? Or the posed photos of the bride and her bridesmaids in their robes? You have to allocate time for these in your wedding day timeline. The weddings day goes SO FAST! You won’t believe how time flies on your wedding day. And you may have several fun things you want to do that could create life long memories. But if they’re just in you mind and not on your timeline, chances are they will never happen.
 
Social Media & Fun – Have you booked a wedding day content creator? Some time to this needs to be allocated on your wedding day timeline for all the cool social media trends you want to incorporate into your wedding day. Ask your content creator how much extra time they’ll need with you and make sure they’re aware of the schedule for the entire day – from you waking up to the after party, if you’re having one. 
 
Food – You have to eat on your wedding day. So many couples forget to allocate time for breakfast/lunch/snacks. I’ve seen so many couples get sick on their wedding over the years due to not eating enough during the day, then drinking. Alcohol and an empty stomach are a terrible combo. Make sure to add time for when you’re going to eat to your timeline. And if possible, I recommend pre ordering food to arrive at specific times during the day for both of the couple and their wedding party, if you will have one.