Embarking on the exciting journey of planning your dream wedding can be a whirlwind of emotions. But worry not because we're diving into the world of wedding runsheets - armed with expert insights and real wedding experiences, to guide you in crafting a timeline that not only ensures your day runs seamlessly but also allows you to relish every magic moment! Our team specialise in creating memorable weddings for yourselves and your guests and making sure stress levels are kept at a minimum is paramount! If you’re after a more support, we have so many options - from planning consultations, to on the day wedding coordination, to wedding planning. It doesn’t have to be hard, we make it easy and we’re just a click away!

Runsheet Basics

- Creating a buffer between activities provides space for unexpected yet precious moments that make your day truly special.

- Emphasise the importance of clear communication in your runsheet, ensuring everyone is on the same page and ready to enjoy this social and joyous interlude.

Morning: Getting Ready

You will typically take the lead from your makeup and hair stylist here – start times will depend on your ceremony start time (and any travel from your location to site), and how many people they need to have ready. Usually, hair and makeup will start no later than 8.30am for a typical wedding party.

Ceremony Timings: Where It All Begins

Your wedding ceremony is the heart of your celebration, setting the tone for the entire day. First thing is to ask your photographer their suggestion on timing for your ceremony. Why you ask? They will be able to suggest a time based on the time of year and even the venue or specific ceremony spot and these matter. You don’t want glary photos, and bad lighting conditions impacts your photos. For the LH Co’s own owners, they consulted with Sarah Clements on their own ceremony start time for this very reason. They were married in late April in Akaroa, and Sarah suggested a 2.30pm ceremony time – this meant beautiful lighting conditions, especially when getting their photos on the hills. So believe us – trust them here!

Drawing inspiration from real wedding experiences, consider allocating time for unique pre-ceremony activities. For example, if you have guests arriving by bus or group transport, consider some delays along the way, when they arrive how long they will need from the carpark to make their way to the ceremony spot, have a good chat to those they haven’t seen in some time and then be seated ready. This ensures everyone is relaxed and ready, allowing for a smooth transition through each element of the ceremony and the day ahead.

Our suggestion is to allow at the very least, 30 mins from guest arrival on-site, to being seated for the ceremony. This may mean 45-60 minutes prior to the ceremony time you request you guests to be arriving by, or have your transport arrive on-site.

Cocktail Hour: Sipping and Mingling

After exchanging vows, it's time to revel in celebration! Designate specific time for a cocktail hour, allowing your guests to enjoy refreshing drinks, mingle, and extend their congratulations.

Make sure you are allowing time here also to chat with guests, rather than being whisked away for photos.

Photos: Capturing the Magic

Your wedding day unfolds like a visual masterpiece, with photographs immortalising each precious moment. Collaborate closely with your photographers to incorporate tips from experts in the field. Communicate your preferences in advance, whether it's a heartfelt first look, candid snapshots, or beautifully orchestrated group photos. Allocate dedicated time to photography, ensuring your runsheet becomes a roadmap to a treasure trove of cherished memories.

Let your photographer take the reigns here. If they’re experienced, they will have their own list of photos which you can review if you choose. They will also know some great spots for photos in the area – again, just ask them and let them lead. You will get the very best result if you allow them to truly immerse themselves in your day!

Eating: Let’s Feast!

Timings for your guests to be seated for the reception part of the evening will vary, for early ceremony’s this could be 5.30pm, and for later ceremony time this may be as late as 6.30pm (on average). Ensuring a well-defined time for your MC to communicate this, allowing for time for the speeches, cake cutting, main meal and dessert.

A side note - consider dietary restrictions and preferences during the planning phase, aligning with recommendations for a delightful dining experience that satisfies all tastes.

Speeches: Heartfelt Words and Laughter

Coordinate seamlessly with your MC and speakers to ensure a smooth flow. You’ll have a natural ease to this – you may want to have speeches while your entrée is being served, or before the meal entirely. You may want to weave speeches in at different times over the course of the meal – from entrée through to dessert.

Allow for extra time, more often than not speeches do go on a bit longer than expected. To make this a little easier to predict, you can give a time limit to those speaking. We would suggest no longer than 20 minutes collectively. If you’ve been to a wedding, you’ll know your personal preferences, but typically much longer than this it starts to get a bit long.

Dance: Dancing the Night Away

As the night unfolds, it's time to hit the dance floor! Leave ample time for dancing, whether it's the romantic first dance or a lively group number. Typically your band or DJ will start soon after your dessert has concluded.

Wedding Runsheet Example

We know it’s sometimes easier to see an example of a runsheet.

We’ve shared a simplistic overview of our own wedding runsheet for the actual day in hopes it will help you look at timings (note we didn’t do a first dance, or cutting of the cake hence they’re not listed).

8.00am Makeup/hair arrives

10.00am Little Hire Company on site at marquee

10.30am Flower delivery to bridal

11.00am Photographers arriving at bridal/groom locations

12.00pm Band on-site setting up

12.00pm Bus departs Christchurch for French Farm

12.30pm Videographer arriving (Ollie on-site at marquee, Craig at bridal location)

12.45pm Girls getting dressed

12.45pm Musician arriving on-site for setup

1.00pm Buses depart Akaroa

1.00pm Bar service on-site, drink dispensers filled, glassware out

Caterer arriving at marquee

12.00pm Boys arrive onsite, dressed

1.00pm Celebrant arrives

1.30pm Musician starts

All guests arrive on-site, bar serving water/non-alcoholic drinks

2.00pm Ceremony commences

2.30pm Ceremony ends

Bar opens, cocktails and canapes served

2.45pm Family photos

3.00pm Chairs packed away from ceremony

Bridal party depart for photos + bridal food basket

4.30pm Bridal party returns

5.00pm Shared entrée served to tables

Seated for reception

5.15pm Speeches – Groom, Best Man, FOG, Bridesmaid, Bride

5.40pm Mains served

6.30pm Dessert sideboard served

7.30pm Band starts

9.00pm Supper served

9.30pm Caterer departs

10.30pm Last call for drinks

11.00pm Band finishes

11.15pm Buses depart for Christchurch and Akaroa

Band packdown

11.30pm Furniture, heaters and lawn games all bought inside marquee, candles out, marquee doors

closed and secured, lights off and generator turned off

12.00am Depart

Conclusion

Working out your wedding runsheet is indeed a bit of a fine art at times, and now armed with expert insights and real wedding experiences, you're ready to shape your perfect day.

Cheers to the journey of planning a wedding as unique and wonderful as your love story, filled with love, laughter, and memories that will last a lifetime!

Free Wedding Runsheet Download with Pro Tips for Seamless Planning