Tvoi Event
A good wedding day looks relaxed to the guests, but behind it stands precise timing. A day in Italy is built differently from many other countries: the celebration is longer, the aperitivo plays a large role and dinner is served at an unhurried pace. If the schedule is built badly, the couple manages everything except the celebration itself. Below is a sample for a ceremony in the warm season towards the evening. It is a guide, not a ready-made schedule: the exact times depend on sunset, the venue, the number of guests and the type of ceremony. Plan the day by counting back from the ceremony, and leave a margin for every transition: between getting ready and leaving, between ceremony and aperitivo, between dinner and dancing.
Start from the ceremony time and the sunset
The schedule is not built from the morning but from the ceremony: it is the main point on which everything else rests. The time of the ceremony is chosen so that after it there is room for the aperitivo and a few portraits of the couple in soft light before sunset. In summer this is usually the second half of the day, in autumn the ceremony has to move earlier. Find the sunset time for your date and count back: how long the ceremony lasts, how long family photographs take, how long guests need to leave. Discuss the time with the photographer, who will know where the warmest light falls. Every other item, from getting ready to the cake, is then placed around this point, and the whole team works from one document.
Morning and getting ready
Start the morning without hurry. The hair stylist and make-up artist normally begin with the bride, and there can be a lot to do: if bridesmaids and mothers are part of the team, allow more time and place the bride in the queue so that she is not last. If there is a trial, agree it beforehand. Put a light breakfast in the schedule, the delivery of flowers, the dress and jewellery, and the arrival of the photographer for the preparations. In the morning also check that transport and people are in place and that the groom has time to dress without rushing and to greet the first relatives. A generous margin gives you a calm face in the first photographs and less stress, and a delay does not move the whole day.
Before the ceremony: welcoming guests
Ask guests to arrive before the ceremony begins, so that they can park or leave the shuttle, find their seats and have a glass of water. In the heat prepare water and shade, and add fans or parasols if needed. Musicians play quietly while guests take their seats. If the moment of meeting matters to you, you can arrange a private first look before the ceremony and take family portraits ahead of it. After the ceremony the couple then goes straight to the aperitivo instead of disappearing for an hour. Decide this beforehand with the photographer, and remember that the format does not suit every couple: some prefer to see each other for the first time at the ceremony.
The ceremony
The length depends on the type of ceremony. A symbolic ceremony usually takes from half an hour to about forty minutes, a civil one can be shorter, and a church one, if it includes a Mass, is longer, with the exact time confirmed with the parish. Guests outdoors should not wait long, so set the start with a small margin rather than at the last minute. Check the sound: a microphone for the host and the music must cope with wind and birdsong. Appoint someone to hand over the rings at the right moment, and prepare a pen and a place for the witnesses to sign if the ceremony requires it. The photographer and videographer receive the schedule in advance and know where to stand, so that no one blocks the view of the guests.
Aperitivo, portraits and dinner
After the ceremony comes the aperitivo: it usually lasts about an hour, and guests mingle while the couple is photographed. Give the couple a little time for portraits at sunset, but no more than needed: a long absence tires guests. Arrange the aperitivo so that drinks and snacks are available at once. Dinner in the Italian tradition is unhurried and served in several courses. Spread toasts and speeches between courses rather than putting them all in a row, and limit their length. Agree the order with the host: who speaks and when, when the cake is served, when dancing begins. The kitchen needs to know this order in advance, otherwise the service of the courses will go off track.
Cake, dancing and the end of the evening
The cake is usually cut after dinner and before dancing, so that all guests are present. The first dance should follow straight away, while the room still has energy. For dancing, check in advance until what hour music is allowed: the rules of the venue and the comune on loud sound and late hours differ, and they cannot be taken as guaranteed. Plan the guests' return separately: the timetable of shuttles or taxis for the night, hotel rooms, an after-party for the most determined. It is best to announce the last departure of the transport to guests ahead of time, so that no one is left without a way home and the team can close the venue calmly and collect the equipment.
What to check in the day's schedule
- The sunset time on the wedding day and the ceremony time counted from it
- The queue for hair and make-up with a time margin
- The arrival of the photographer and videographer for the preparations
- Welcoming guests: water, shade, seating and music
- The decision on a first look and family portraits before the ceremony
- The order of toasts and speeches between the courses of dinner
- The time of the cake, the first dance and the permitted hour for music
- The timetable of shuttles or taxis for guests returning at night
We build the timeline around your venue
One coordinator leads the day from the first call to the last guest and checks the timing with the photographer, the musicians and the kitchen. A written estimate is prepared on request before preparation begins.