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Newlywed Bliss or Wedding Day Miss? Nail Your Timeline with These 5 Must-Know Timing Tips

Planning your dream wedding? You’ve probably got the vision locked down – from the perfect venue to those gorgeous blooms. But do you know when everything should happen to pull off your big day seamlessly? Don’t sweat it! I’m here to share my top 5 wedding day timing tips that are an absolute must for South African couples. 1. What Time Should You Put on Those Invites? Your wedding invitations set the tone for your guests, so you want to get the timing right from the start. Here’s my rule of thumb: always list the time you want your guests to arrive, not the actual ceremony start time. If you just put the ceremony start, I can guarantee most of your crew will rock up right at that moment, making you late to your own party! My suggestion? Ask guests to arrive at least 30 minutes before the ceremony kicks off. This gives them a chance to use the restrooms, find their seats, and be ready to watch you walk down that aisle right on time. 2. The Ideal First Dance Timing Who doesn’t love a good party? But you don’t want to get the dance floor popping too early and risk your guests losing steam. If you’re having a summer wedding, keep in mind the sun stays out pretty late – until around 9:30pm. You’ll want to hold off on your first dance until at least 7:30 or 8pm when it’s cooler. Getting your guests hot and sweaty on the dance floor while the sun’s still blazing is a recipe for an early exodus! For winter weddings, the shorter daylight hours won’t be an issue, so you can be a bit more flexible with dance floor timing. 3. When the Bride Should Be Ready As the star of the show, you’ll want to be all dolled up and ready to go well before your ceremony begins. I recommend aiming to be fully ready 45-60 minutes prior. Those morning hours just fly by with hair, makeup, and photos. You don’t want to feel rushed! This extra time also allows for special getting ready moments – like a first look with your dad or bridesmaids photos – without the time crunch. And of course, you need to factor in time to actually travel to your ceremony venue and get in place to walk down the aisle. 4. Don’t Overdo It – Know When to Call It a Night I get it – you want to soak up every last second of your dream wedding day. But trust me, you don’t want to be the last one standing at 4am. Newlyweds should aim to end their night on a high note around midnight. That way, you can go out with a bang – like one final dance party with all your loved ones before making your grand exit. If you push it too late into the wee hours, you’ll likely be too drunk, emotional, and exhausted to properly enjoy those final moments. Not to mention, only having 10 drunk diehards left on the dance floor at 3am isn’t exactly the magical ending you envisioned. 5. The Best Ceremony Start Times When you kick off those all-important “I dos” will depend a lot on the season. In summer, the days are longer with more daylight. In winter, the sun sets much earlier. You’ll also need to factor in how many bridesmaids you have and how long it will take to get all you ladies ready. For winter weddings, a nice ceremony start time is usually between 12-1pm. For summer, you’ll want to push it back a bit more to 1:30-2:30pm to account for that extra daylight. There you have it – my 5 essential wedding day timing tips! Having a professional wedding planner to manage your schedule and keep things running smoothly is always a great idea. But if you’re taking the DIY route, be sure to designate a time-keeping friend or family member to help you stay on track. At the end of the day, it’s all about making the most of your special day without any unnecessary stress and chaos. With some smart scheduling, you can focus on just being present and soaking in every joyful moment!