1. The day
Pick a city close to the venue, or choose "Other" to type coordinates. Sunset is computed from the date and place; it is accurate to a few minutes. If the music stops after midnight, enter the clock time (for example 00:30).
2. Photos and getting ready
3. The reception
Enter the date, city, ceremony time and end time, then click Build.
Your timeline
| Time | What happens | Notes |
|---|
When each vendor should arrive
| Arrive by | Who |
|---|
Which ceremony start time works best?
| Start | Score | Why |
|---|
Every half hour from 10:00 AM to 7:30 PM is rebuilt with your other answers and scored: the program must fit before the music stops, an outdoor ceremony should end well before sunset, the sunset portraits need a free slot, and the cocktail hour should not stretch while guests wait.
How it is built
Back-timing: the day is worked backwards from the ceremony (guests seated 30 minutes before, family, wedding party and couple portraits and a first look before that, then the dress, then hair and makeup) and forwards from it (photos or cocktail hour, entrance, first dance, dinner, toasts, cake). Open dancing is whatever time is left before the music stops, and the page tells you when that is too little.
Sunset: computed from the date, latitude and longitude with the NOAA solar position formulas. The sunset portrait session is 15 minutes starting about 30 minutes before sunset. It is an overlay on the couple's free time, so no other event moves; if every nearby slot is taken the page says which event is in the way.
Rules of thumb: the durations (15 minutes for a first look, 3 minutes per family group, 90 and 60 minutes for hair and makeup, 4 minutes per toast) are common planning conventions, not measurements. Change any of them above, and confirm every time with your vendors and venue.
Checked: the test suite compares computed sunsets with published almanac values, builds timelines across cities, seasons and start times, and confirms that events stay in order, the couple is never double-booked and the program ends at the time you set.
Common questions
How long should wedding photos take?
Allow about 15 minutes for a first look, 30 for portraits of the two of you, roughly 10 minutes plus 2 per person for the wedding party, and about 3 minutes per family group plus a few minutes of setup. For a party of 8 and 10 family groups that is about 1 hour 45 minutes in total, which is why many couples do a first look and move most of it ahead of the ceremony.
Do we need a first look?
No, but without one every portrait happens after the ceremony and eats into the cocktail hour. This builder shows both versions: with no first look it tells you how many minutes the cocktail hour stretches while guests wait, so you can decide with real numbers.
What time should sunset portraits happen?
Aim to start about 30 minutes before sunset and keep it to 15 minutes, so the light is low and warm but you still have it. The builder works out sunset for your date and city and places a 15-minute session at the nearest time that does not collide with anything the two of you must attend.
What time should our ceremony start?
Late enough that the ceremony and family portraits are in good light, early enough that the ceremony ends well before sunset if it is outdoors, and with enough room before the music stops for dinner, toasts and an hour or more of dancing. The ceremony time advisor scores every half hour from 10 AM to 7:30 PM against your own details and shows the best three.
How much time do we need for hair and makeup?
About 90 minutes for the bride or lead client and about 60 for each other person is a common starting point. The builder splits the list across your artists, shows each person's start and finish and works the start time backwards from when the dress goes on.
Is my wedding information uploaded anywhere?
No. Everything is calculated in your browser, nothing is sent to a server and there are no accounts. Use Save timeline to keep a file you can load again, and print or export the timeline for each vendor.