Timing Guide

Howdy!  This post serves as a rough guide to the timing of your special day at the Timberlodge.

While there is no “cookie-cutter” time line for every event- your special day may look a bit different depending on your personal preference and needs- the outline below should be helpful for getting an idea of how a wedding day usually runs at the Timberlodge.  When figuring out the grand timing, it may be helpful to think of the day backwards, forwards, and then backwards again!

The start time will definitely depend on the day of the week- Friday ceremonies usually tend to start a bit later around 5:30 PM.  Saturday ceremonies tend to start around 4:00 PM.  Sunday ceremonies tend to start earlier in the day around 2:30 PM.

For the sake of an example, we will use a Saturday with the ceremony on-site:

3:30 – 4:30 PM
Guests arrive

4:00 – 4:30 PM
Ceremony

4:30 – 5:30 PM
Cocktail Hour, First Hour of Open Bar

5:00 – 5:30 PM
Guests are Seated, Formal Introductions, *First Dance, *Cake Cutting, Speeches & Toasts, Prayer or Blessing

6:00 – 7:30 PM
Dinner Service, Coffee & Tea Station, Cake & Dessert Station

5:30 – 6:30 PM
Bar is Closed During Dinner

6:30 – 10:30 PM
Bar ReOpens/Closes (with a 5 Hour Package)

11:00 PM
Music Ends (The electronic generation and/or amplification of music by any DJ, band, instrument, or other device for the production of sound must cease no later than 11:00 PM the day of the event, to comply with Chapter 450 Zoning Article XIII with the Town of Newstead.)

*Items marked with the asterisk may take place before or after dinner, depending on your personal preference.

Pros to having the First Dance and/or Cake Cutting before dinner:  smooth transition since all the guests will already be sitting quietly in their seats and you will have their captive attention, sets an elegant tone for the rest of the evening, splits up formal dances so that guests do not get bored, after dinner you can relax and go right into the guest dancing, cake can be taken back to the kitchen sooner for slicing, cameras are already out for introductions.
Pros to having the First Dance and/or Cake Cutting after dinner: more traditional, earlier dinner time, will attract focus if you decide to forego formal introductions.

For a bigger impact, we usually suggest doing the First Dance and Cake Cutting before dinner to our brides and grooms who may not know what to choose.    However, your DJ/MC should be able to integrate either into the evening with a natural flow that works well with the order of events.  Get ideas from other weddings you’ve attended and what you think your style and approach should be.

Other timing considerations- how many hours you have your DJ, Photographer, Videographer, Photo Booth, and etc. for, when and for how long you plan on taking pictures (before ceremony, between ceremony and reception, during cocktail hour, and etc.), if and when you would like to implement a receiving line, if and when you would like to implement an official send-off, and how many hours your open bar package is.

In conclusion, make sure to confirm the time line with us before you send out the invitations.  And remember, no matter which time line you choose the day is going to be awesome!