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Wedding day timeline for a 6 PM ceremony.

Start with a sample wedding day schedule for a 6 PM ceremony. Adjust the first look and reception length below, then confirm your final timings with the venue and suppliers.

Revised 30 June 2026

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Your day · ceremony at 6:00 PM
6:00 PM ceremony

From 1:00 PM when hair and makeup begins to 11:30 PM at the send-off, here is the run of the day, set around your ceremony.

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  1. 1:00 PM
    Hair & makeup begins
    Allow five hours for a party of four to six.
    1
  2. 4:00 PM
    Photographer arrives
    Details, dress, and getting-ready frames.
    2
  3. 4:30 PM
    First look & couple’s portraits
    A private moment before the guests.
    3
  4. 4:45 PM
    Wedding party & family photos
    Done early so you join your own cocktail hour.
    4
  5. 5:30 PM
    Guests arrive & are seated
    Doors open; ushers seat the front rows.
    5
  6. 6:00 PM
    Ceremony begins
    Processional to recessional, about thirty minutes.
    6
  7. 6:30 PM
    Cocktail hour begins
    Drinks and canapés while the room is turned.
    7
  8. 7:30 PM
    Grand entrance & guests seated
    Introductions, then everyone finds their table.
    8
  9. 7:45 PM
    Dinner is served
    Courses out; the room settles in.
    9
  10. 8:30 PM
    Toasts
    Keep them to three; warn the speakers in advance.
    10
  11. 8:50 PM
    First dance
    Then straight into the night.
    11
  12. 9:00 PM
    Parent dances
    Optional, many couples fold these in.
    12
  13. 9:15 PM
    The floor opens
    Band or DJ takes it from here.
    13
  14. 10:00 PM
    Cake cutting
    A quiet lull, then back to dancing.
    14
  15. 11:30 PM
    Last dance & send-off
    Sparklers, a getaway car, or simply the lights up.
    15
Planning note

Confirm photo timings with your photographer and meal service with your caterer. Add travel time between venues and leave room for delays before sharing the final schedule.

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Sample · 6 PM ceremony · first look · 5-hour reception

A 6 PM ceremony,
hour by hour.

1:00 PM
Hair & makeup begins
Allow five hours for a party of four to six.
4:00 PM
Photographer arrives
Details, dress, and getting-ready frames.
4:30 PM
First look & couple’s portraits
A private moment before the guests.
4:45 PM
Wedding party & family photos
Done early so you join your own cocktail hour.
5:30 PM
Guests arrive & are seated
Doors open; ushers seat the front rows.
6:00 PM
Ceremony begins
Processional to recessional, about thirty minutes.
6:30 PM
Cocktail hour begins
Drinks and canapés while the room is turned.
7:30 PM
Grand entrance & guests seated
Introductions, then everyone finds their table.
7:45 PM
Dinner is served
Courses out; the room settles in.
8:30 PM
Toasts
Keep them to three; warn the speakers in advance.
8:50 PM
First dance
Then straight into the night.
9:00 PM
Parent dances
Optional, many couples fold these in.
9:15 PM
The floor opens
Band or DJ takes it from here.
10:00 PM
Cake cutting
A quiet lull, then back to dancing.
11:30 PM
Last dance & send-off
Sparklers, a getaway car, or simply the lights up.
1 PM ceremony2 PM ceremony3 PM ceremony4 PM ceremony5 PM ceremony7 PM ceremony

Common questions

What is a good wedding day timeline for a 6 PM ceremony?

For a 6 PM ceremony, hair and makeup begins around 1:00 PM, the photographer arrives about two hours before, and a first look with portraits happens 60–90 minutes ahead. After the ceremony at 6 PM, cocktail hour starts ~30 minutes later, then the grand entrance, dinner, toasts, first dance, open dancing, cake, and a send-off near 11:30 PM for a five-hour reception.

What time does a 6 PM ceremony wedding end?

With a standard five-hour reception (one hour of cocktails plus four hours of dinner and dancing), a 6 PM ceremony wraps with a send-off around 11:30 PM. A four-hour reception ends an hour earlier; six hours, an hour later.

For agentsThe same numbers are callable as get_day_of_timeline over the Aisle MCP server, in ChatGPT, Claude, or Cursor.

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