We get so many questions about when to say “I do”, when’s the best moment to cut the cake or whens a good moment for the bouquet toss… while theirs no set time for anything and the most important tip i have for you is do what you want to do, below is a rough idea of when things may happen n your special day!
If you are celebrating your whole day with us…
14.00 The “I do’s” You pick your ceremony time, our lovely registrars will conduct anytime from 11am til 5pm, but for now i’ll go with a popular time of pm. IF you have a registrar wedding with us they typically last half an hour.
(Church services vary in length depending on your denomination and number of songs and prayers. A good idea is to leave an hour for your ceremony plus time for photos at the Church. Remember to then add on travel time to get to us for your drinks reception!)
14.30 Confetti now is the perfect time for that iconic shot, be it confetti, bubbles, glow sticks or something even more unique! After you walk down the aisle as the newlyweds, we have all your guests attention to get them where they need to be for the photo and you can both enjoy 5 minutes enjoying being MARRIED!
14.45 Drinks, canapes, photos You and your guests can now enjoy a tipple or two in our beautiful walled garden or reception room. Your photographer will have a list of the photos and group shots you would like – we will leave them to work their magic while we top up glasses and wander around with scrumptious nibbles.
15.15 Call through The photos are done and your guests have said congratulations, now is the time to take your seats for the most scrumptious meal of your married life.
(As an idea 1 hour and a half works for turnaround – the time in which we set up your tables, favours, place cards etc, but please speak to your coordinator about your timings, if you have a lot of guests or a lot of lovely decorations we may require 2 hours for this.)
15.30 Wedding Breakfast Or in other words the first meal you eat as newlyweds. Grab an apron to avoid gravy on the white dress and sit back while we keep the food and drink flowing.
(We tend to allow 2 hours for around 100 guest and a 3 course wedding breakfast, if you have a different menu choice or guest list number drop me a message and I can help you plan the timings! alexis@kings-arms-hotel.com )
17.30 Time to Toast We have the fizz poured and the micraphones are ready! Now’s a good time to get the tissues out, you may cry, consider yourself warned!
(The traditional order of speeches is the Father of the Bride, Groom, Best Man, but you say who you’d like to speak! We tend to allow half an hour for 3 speeches but we can of course adjust to suit your special day.)
18.30 Evening Reception Allowing a little time between the end of the speeches and the evening reception starting gives you time to powder your nose and speak to the guests before the party starts.
18.30 CAKE! The cake cutting photo (or cake smushing into your new partner’s face photo –no judgement here) is another iconic photo. A good time for this is either after your speeches or when your evening guests start to arrive.
19.00 First Dance (or wobble in my case) The DJ announces, the crowd gathers, and boogie wonderland.
20.00 Evening Food Yum, time to get some more nibbles out. We have so many evening food options available, or if you are having your wedding cake as the evening buffet its all great with me! 8pm works well here as it’s allowed your evening guests some time to celebrate before munching and enough time between that wonderful wedding breakfast and now.
22.00 Sparklers Everyone loves a sparkler photo and it is something I am getting asked more and more to include. Of course the sunset will help time this but 10pm is a good guess for all seasons.
00.00 Carriages or the Late Bar Can you believe you’ve made it to midnight already? Well the party doesn’t have to stop now, you can enjoy nightcaps until 2am in the Kings Arms if you have the bedrooms booked above the bar.
Now I hear you asking “but I’d like to do…”
Don’t panic, this really is an idea for your day! Below I’ve listed another 2 options including the ceremony offsite to show the flexibility of your day, your way!
Church Ceremony & Speeches First
13.00 The Ceremony
14.00 Confetti and photos at the Church
14.30-15.00 Travel time to the Kings Chapel
15.00 Drinks, Canapes, Photos
17.00 Speeches
17.30 The Wedding Breakfast
19.30 Cutting the Cake
20.00 First Dance
20.30 Evening Catering
00.00 Late Bar at the Kings Arms
Saying I do at Dusk
16.00 The I Do’s
16.30 Drinks Reception
17.30 2 Course Wedding Breakfast
19.00 Speeches & Cutting the Cake
19.30 Evening Guest Arrive
20.00 First Dance
21.00 Evening Catering
00.00 Carriages and Sleepy Time
Honestly, if you are struggling with planning your day just say, we are alwasy able to help you plan and better to start the conversation early so we can capture everything you want to and not have to rush any elements.
If you’d like to know my dream wedding day timeline drop me a message… I promise it’s different to any other wedding you’ve been to if you want something a little different.
Wedding wishes, Alexis
x