What is a wedding run of show?

It's the minute-by-minute plan for the wedding day: what happens, when, where and who's responsible. Planners and venues often call it a run of show, couples tend to call it a day-of timeline or wedding day schedule. It's the document every vendor works from on the day.

When should the wedding day timeline be ready?

Have a draft about a month out, once your vendors are booked, and send the final version to everyone about a week before. Small changes after that are normal; just make sure everyone gets the same update.

How long should cocktail hour be?

About an hour is typical. It covers family photos and gives the venue time to set the room for dinner. With a first look, most of your photos are done before the ceremony, so you may be able to join cocktail hour yourselves.

When should the speeches happen?

Many couples have them during dinner, between courses, so guests are seated and the kitchen keeps moving. Others hold them right after the meal. Either way, give the MC the order and ask each speaker to keep to three to five minutes.

Should guests see the run of show?

Not the full one. Guests need the arrival time, the ceremony start, where dinner is and when the night ends. Keep vendor cues and notes for the people working the day.

Is anything I enter saved or shared?

Nothing is sent to WedKit. The template runs in your browser, and your draft is kept in this browser's storage so a refresh doesn't lose it. Start over clears it.

Free template

Wedding run of show template

Name: WedKit
Price: 49 CAD
Availability: InStock

Pick your ceremony time and you'll get a full wedding day timeline, from hair and makeup to the send-off. Change any time, length, place or person, then print it or copy it for your vendors and wedding party.

This is a sample day built around your ceremony time. Change anything, or clear it and start from scratch.

Everything stays in your browser. Nothing is sent to WedKit or saved on our servers.

Your day

Timeline title (optional)

Ceremony starts at

Changing it moves the whole day with it.

Include a first look before the ceremony

Timeline

Times don't have to follow on. Things like family photos and cocktail hour can overlap.

Item 1 · ends 1:00 p.m.
Start time
Minutes
What's happening
Where
Who's responsible
NotesWhoever is photographed most goes last, so their makeup is freshest.
Item 2 · ends 12:45 p.m.
Start time
Minutes
What's happening
Where
Who's responsible
NotesSet the rings, invitation, shoes and flowers aside in one spot.
Item 3 · ends 1:30 p.m.
Start time
Minutes
What's happening
Where
Who's responsible
Notes
Item 4 · ends 1:45 p.m.
Start time
Minutes
What's happening
Where
Who's responsible
NotesKeep the wedding party out of sight until it's done.
Item 5 · ends 2:30 p.m.
Start time
Minutes
What's happening
Where
Who's responsible
Notes
Item 6 · ends 3:00 p.m.
Start time
Minutes
What's happening
Where
Who's responsible
NotesPrelude music starts when the doors open.
Item 7 · ends 3:00 p.m.
Start time
Minutes
What's happening
Where
Who's responsible
Notes
Item 8 · ends 3:30 p.m.
Start time
Minutes
What's happening
Where
Who's responsible
NotesAsk the officiant to tell guests where cocktail hour is.
Item 9 · ends 4:00 p.m.
Start time
Minutes
What's happening
Where
Who's responsible
NotesBring a list of groupings and someone who knows the family to call names.
Item 10 · ends 4:30 p.m.
Start time
Minutes
What's happening
Where
Who's responsible
Notes
Item 11 · ends 4:45 p.m.
Start time
Minutes
What's happening
Where
Who's responsible
Notes
Item 12 · ends 4:55 p.m.
Start time
Minutes
What's happening
Where
Who's responsible
NotesGive the DJ the entrance order and how to say every name.
Item 13 · ends 6:10 p.m.
Start time
Minutes
What's happening
Where
Who's responsible
Notes
Item 14 · ends 6:40 p.m.
Start time
Minutes
What's happening
Where
Who's responsible
NotesThree to five minutes each. Share the order with every speaker ahead of time.
Item 15 · ends 6:45 p.m.
Start time
Minutes
What's happening
Where
Who's responsible
Notes
Item 16 · ends 6:55 p.m.
Start time
Minutes
What's happening
Where
Who's responsible
Notes
Item 17 · ends 8:25 p.m.
Start time
Minutes
What's happening
Where
Who's responsible
Notes
Item 18 · ends 8:10 p.m.
Start time
Minutes
What's happening
Where
Who's responsible
NotesGive the photographer a few minutes' notice.
Item 19 · ends 9:30 p.m.
Start time
Minutes
What's happening
Where
Who's responsible
Notes
Item 20 · ends 10:05 p.m.
Start time
Minutes
What's happening
Where
Who's responsible
Notes
Item 21 · ends 10:15 p.m.
Start time
Minutes
What's happening
Where
Who's responsible
NotesCheck what the venue allows: sparklers, bubbles or confetti.
Item 22 · ends 11:15 p.m.
Start time
Minutes
What's happening
Where
Who's responsible
NotesConfirm rental pickup times and who takes home the gifts and décor.

Run of show

Wedding day timeline

10:00 a.m.1:00 p.m.
Hair and makeup
Where: Getting-ready suite · Who: Hair and makeup team
Whoever is photographed most goes last, so their makeup is freshest.
12:00 p.m.12:45 p.m.
Photographer arrives, detail shots
Where: Getting-ready suite · Who: Photographer
Set the rings, invitation, shoes and flowers aside in one spot.
1:00 p.m.1:30 p.m.
Getting dressed
Where: Getting-ready suite · Who: Wedding party
1:30 p.m.1:45 p.m.
First look
Where: Venue grounds · Who: Photographer
Keep the wedding party out of sight until it's done.
1:45 p.m.2:30 p.m.
Couple and wedding party photos
Where: Venue grounds · Who: Photographer
2:30 p.m.3:00 p.m.
Guests arrive and are seated
Where: Ceremony site · Who: Ushers
Prelude music starts when the doors open.
2:50 p.m.3:00 p.m.
Wedding party lines up
Where: Ceremony site · Who: Planner or coordinator
3:00 p.m.3:30 p.m.
Ceremony
Where: Ceremony site · Who: Officiant
Ask the officiant to tell guests where cocktail hour is.
3:30 p.m.4:00 p.m.
Family photos
Where: Ceremony site · Who: Photographer
Bring a list of groupings and someone who knows the family to call names.
3:30 p.m.4:30 p.m.
Cocktail hour
Where: Terrace · Who: Caterer
4:30 p.m.4:45 p.m.
Guests take their seats
Where: Reception room · Who: Venue coordinator
4:45 p.m.4:55 p.m.
Grand entrance
Where: Reception room · Who: MC and DJ
Give the DJ the entrance order and how to say every name.
4:55 p.m.6:10 p.m.
Dinner service
Where: Reception room · Who: Caterer
6:10 p.m.6:40 p.m.
Speeches
Where: Reception room · Who: MC
Three to five minutes each. Share the order with every speaker ahead of time.
6:40 p.m.6:45 p.m.
First dance
Where: Dance floor · Who: DJ
6:45 p.m.6:55 p.m.
Parent dances
Where: Dance floor · Who: DJ
6:55 p.m.8:25 p.m.
Dance floor opens
Where: Dance floor · Who: DJ
8:00 p.m.8:10 p.m.
Cake cutting
Where: Reception room · Who: Caterer
Give the photographer a few minutes' notice.
9:00 p.m.9:30 p.m.
Late-night snack
Where: Reception room · Who: Caterer
10:00 p.m.10:05 p.m.
Last dance
Where: Dance floor · Who: DJ
10:05 p.m.10:15 p.m.
Send-off
Where: Main entrance · Who: Wedding party
Check what the venue allows: sparklers, bubbles or confetti.
10:15 p.m.11:15 p.m.
Vendors pack up
Where: Whole venue · Who: Planner or coordinator
Confirm rental pickup times and who takes home the gifts and décor.

Made with the free run of show template at wedkit.ca

How to build a wedding day timeline

The sample day is a starting point. Your venue, your vendors and your own traditions will shape the real one.

Start from the ceremony and work outward
Everything hangs off the ceremony time. Work backward for getting ready and photos, then forward for cocktail hour, dinner and the party.
Ask your vendors how long they need
Hair and makeup, the photographer and the caterer know their own timing. Ask how long they need per person, when they need to arrive, and when dinner has to start for the kitchen.
Add buffer where days run late
Hair and makeup, travel between places and family photos almost always take longer than planned. Leave 10 to 15 minutes around each so the ceremony can still start on time.
Put a name beside every item
Each moment needs one person who makes it happen: the DJ cues the entrance, an usher seats the grandparents, the MC keeps speeches moving. If nobody owns it, the couple ends up handling it.
Check the light and the meal
Look up sunset for outdoor photos, and ask your caterer how long each course takes to serve. Speeches between courses keep dinner from dragging.
Lock it in a week ahead
Send the final version about a week before the wedding. If something changes after that, send the update to everyone at once rather than one person at a time.

Who gets a copy

Everyone working the day should have the same version, printed or on their phone.

Every vendor
Photographer, videographer, DJ or band, caterer, florist, hair and makeup, and the venue coordinator. Highlight the items they're responsible for.
The wedding party
They need to know when to be dressed, where photos happen and when to line up. Give them the getting-ready and ceremony parts at least.
The officiant and the MC
The officiant needs the ceremony timing and the order of the processional. The MC needs the entrance order, the speech order and the cues for each dance.
Family with a job to do
Parents giving a speech, a grandparent doing a reading, the person holding the rings. A short note with their moments is enough.
Guests, in a simpler version
Guests only need arrival time, the ceremony start, where dinner is and when the night ends. Leave out the vendor cues.

Questions couples ask

What is a wedding run of show?: It's the minute-by-minute plan for the wedding day: what happens, when, where and who's responsible. Planners and venues often call it a run of show, couples tend to call it a day-of timeline or wedding day schedule. It's the document every vendor works from on the day.
When should the wedding day timeline be ready?: Have a draft about a month out, once your vendors are booked, and send the final version to everyone about a week before. Small changes after that are normal; just make sure everyone gets the same update.
How long should cocktail hour be?: About an hour is typical. It covers family photos and gives the venue time to set the room for dinner. With a first look, most of your photos are done before the ceremony, so you may be able to join cocktail hour yourselves.
When should the speeches happen?: Many couples have them during dinner, between courses, so guests are seated and the kitchen keeps moving. Others hold them right after the meal. Either way, give the MC the order and ask each speaker to keep to three to five minutes.
Should guests see the run of show?: Not the full one. Guests need the arrival time, the ceremony start, where dinner is and when the night ends. Keep vendor cues and notes for the people working the day.
Is anything I enter saved or shared?: Nothing is sent to WedKit. The template runs in your browser, and your draft is kept in this browser's storage so a refresh doesn't lose it. Start over clears it.

For wedding planners

Running timelines for clients?

WedKit for planners keeps every client's run of show, call sheet and vendor schedule in one place.

See WedKit for planners

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Wedding run of show template

How to build a wedding day timeline

Start from the ceremony and work outward

Ask your vendors how long they need

Add buffer where days run late

Put a name beside every item

Check the light and the meal

Lock it in a week ahead

Who gets a copy

Every vendor

The wedding party

The officiant and the MC

Family with a job to do

Guests, in a simpler version

Questions couples ask

Running timelines for clients?

More free planning tools

Give guests the parts they need.