As we always say, your day your way but if you need a guide as to how your morning wedding might plan out you can use this as a base.

6am - Hair and make-up will likely start around now (it's really important to check timings with your hair and MUA) depending on how long it takes for you to get to your ceremony venue and how many bridesmaids you have - could be slightly earlier, could be a bit later.
10am - Ceremony
10:45 - Confetti
11:15 - Reception drinks/canapés/decor entertainment. Two hours for this might feel like a long time but actually, it's not that long. Remember, you're having photos, guests are catching up. It's better you have two hours (plus) here than rushing it through in one.
1:30 - Wedding breakfast
3:30 - Speeches
4:30 - Wedding cake and coffees
5:30 - Evening guests arrive (yeah the party is starting early!)
6:30 - First dance
8:00 - Evening food as day guests will start to get peckish by now
Midnight - Carriages as dictated by your venue.

Afternoon Wedding Order Of The Day

Afternoon wedding guestlist
Have you considered the possibility of joining your guest lists together if you originally had a day and an evening list? You can be sure that with a 3pm ceremony, for example, that your guests will have had a good lunch before they join you - you can even suggest that they do as your evening food isn't likely to be served until about 6pm. With that in mind, you could speak with your caterers/venue and ask them if they have a suggestion for how to change your food plans to incorporate more guests into your entire day. Perhaps you could drop from 3 courses to 2 or look at sharing platters or a hot buffet-style dinner. If this is an option for you yet you feel you would still like to have more of a formal sit-down dinner you could always do that the next day with your families and bridal party perhaps. Food for thought. (Don't pardon the pun - it was entirely intended).

Getting Ready
You'll likely still be up at the crack of dawn. It is your wedding day and regardless the time of your ceremony - your butterflies will be the same only now it means you can take your time getting ready. It's likely that your hair and MUA will still stick to the same timeframes for getting you ready but you will have more time before that all kicks off. Why not organise for friends to pop round and see you for a bit, perhaps organise a wedding morning brunch? You may not need to start getting ready until 11:30 so make the most of that time. Take a long soak in a big bubbly bath, watch your favourite episode of Drag Race to get your energy up. Whatever takes your fancy, you have the time to do it.

First Look
We often talk about throwing caution to the wind and sacking off traditions or in fact, creating your own. And having a later wedding is a great way of incorporating a growing tradition we're seeing more form our friends across the pond in the USA. The first look. This is essentially when you and your soon to be husband or wife take some time before your ceremony to be together. The first look happens when you are both ready... fresh out of your respective hair and MUA chairs feeling and looking your very best. You can check out some examples of first looks below and we absolutely LOVE them. Especially if you may be having a ceremony later and you're short on light depending on the season in which you marry. Getting those couples shots when you still have the light might be a great compromise for you. You can still carry on the rest of your ceremony the same. Waltz yourself down the aisle to your other half waiting at the altar or maybe walk down together. Caution to the wind remember. Whilst I'm on the topic of photography, it's a good idea to chat to your photographer about when they think will be the best time for certain shots based on your new schedule, and from experience, I can tell you not to worry about the dark. Some of my favourite photos from our wedding were at night. Something about the atmosphere and the intensity really made them stand out. Our dance floor photos were also brilliant and really make me smile. So trust in your photographer. You chose them for a reason and they will capture your day perfectly whatever the light.

Make It An Evening Affair
Embrace the night. Ask your guests to come in their finest cocktail dresses, maybe make it black-tie... Think Met Gala fashion - OTT and super celebratory. Because why not? If you're concerned that your original party was finishing at 11 or 12pm and you now feel that's too short of a party timeframe, speak with your venue about ways in which you can extend that time. Is it possible? How much would it cost? Are there any other restrictions? Perhaps they close at 11pm because of a noise restriction - can you suggest having a silent disco to combat this and get an extra hour out of your dance floor?

How To Plan The Order Of Your Wedding Day

Becky Sappor