Weddings Wedding Time-Lines

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rhythmgj

rhythmgj

DJ Extraordinaire (Hey, Everybody's Doing It!)
Nov 10, 2013
1,190
1,648
Buffalo, NY
I'm interested in the different wedding time-lines/formats that you all of experienced/used/suggested. I've done a number of weddings as a DJ, played weddings in a band for a decade, and contracted my own bands many years prior to that, and I've really only experienced two types-- The standard cocktails/grand entrance/prayers and toasts/dinner/special dances/dance floor opening, or the one where the special dances are before dinner, immediately following the grand entrance. I've done some ethnic weddings, but it's been years since I've seen anything like a "dollar dance" or Oczepiny...

I have a client who is having a hard time grasping the wedding time-line thing, and she wants me to send her "a number of examples." Do any of you have anything different happening on a regular basis (or ever)??

GJ
 
Pretty much everything we encounter is the "standard cocktails/grand entrance/prayers and toasts/dinner/special dances/dance floor opening', with variations, obviously, if they don't want a grand entrance, etc.

One thing that's a bit less common, I think, but we mention when planning, is to have the parents dances first and -then- the couples first dance. Kind of a "sending off", if you will, and some seem to love the idea/change.
 
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90% or better are cockatils for an hour, 'grand' entrance, toast and blessing and dinner. The 10% other will have the dance or dance and cake cutting on the way in before the toast/blessing. Many halls here put the cake or buffet on the dance floor so that often dictates their options.

After dinner it's cake cutting, first dance, bride/dad, groom/mom. Rarely a bridal party dance. Then 20-30 min open dancing, garter/bouquet then money dance. Sometimes the toss in an anniversary dance.

I leave it up to them- here a money dance happens 90% of the time, garter bouquet 75%, anniversary dance 25%. My advice to them is if they have a lot of single friends then the garter/bouquet is great, if they have but 1 friend it's embarrassing for that friend. Last wedding the anniversary dance ended with granparents that had been married 54 years. I've seen as much as 68 years -and yes, they could get up and dance.

I do a last dance but most DJs don't from my experience. If there are a lot of kids I suggest they do something for them - hokey pokey, candy toss, one wedding they did a pinata, etc.
 
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Alot of times around here the DJ is hired strictly for the dance part of the reception (generally 9-1) When we are there for dinner usually a member of the family is the MC but occasionally the DJ will do it.

It's pretty standard. Grand Entrance, prayers, dinner, speeches, cake cutting, short break to flip the room and then first dance, Bride/Father Groom/ Mother, Bridal Party. More often I am seeing family dances also (Bride and Groom and their kid(s))

I haven't done a money dance in 10 years or more and even before that it was rare except in ethnic weddings. Garter and Bouquet is about 75% of the time and is sometimes replaced with the anniversary dance instead

A last dance for the B&G used to be very common here then a sendoff with a "Goodbye" song (Na Na Hey Hey Goodbye was the most common) but that's a rarity nowadays the B&G tend to stay till the end now
 
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It can vary by region as well my standard time line goes like this for the reception:
Cocktail Hour
Introductions
The First Dance
Parent Dances
Guests Seated
The Toast(s)
Blessing
Dinner
Longest Married Dance
Open Dancing
Cake Cutting
Bouquet/Garter
Open Dancing

That's a basic guideline for you
 
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Here is a rough example of what I do (for a fictional wedding):

Anderson/Smith Wedding
5pm-12am
VFW Hall
Hays, KS

3:00-5:00--Arrival for set-up
5:00--Background Music
Country Love Song Playlist​
5:45--Grand Introduction
Bring 'Em Out-TI
Susan and Larry
Amy and Jacob
Kelsey and William
Ginny and George (Maid Of Honor/Best Man)
Mr and Mrs Eli Anderson!​
6:00--Dinner
Blessing
June Anderson (mother of the Groom)​
Dismissal
Sarah and Eli
Wedding Party
Immediate Family
General Dismissal​
7:00--Traditions
Cake Cutting
Toasts
George
Ginny​
Receiving and Cake line​
7:30 Dance Begins
Grand March ((*side note, this is a regional thing here in this part of Kansas. Sometimes is referred to as the Wedding March))
Spotlight Dances
First Dance
I Don't Dance-Lee Brice​
Father Daughter Dance
Just Fishin'-Trace Adkins​
Mother Son Dance
A Song for Mama-Boys II Men​
Dance Floor opens
8:45--Anniversary Dance
9:00--Bouquet And Garter Toss
Bouquet
Single Ladies-Beyonce​
Garter
Another One Bites The Dust-Queen​
9:10--Dollar Dance
9:30--Dance Resumes
Popular Icebreaker (i.e. Cotton Eyed Joe, Cupid Shuffle, Wobble)​
11:55--Last Dance
Save The Last Dance-Michael Buble​
12:00--Dance Ends
12:00-1:00--Break down

I always remind them that rarely things go according to the exact times but it helps make a flow for the night. If we get ahead of schedule, cool, if we get behind schedule, no big deal. I also plan a little extra time on some things just to be safe and to work in stuff for the photographer
 
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Some options are: Cutting the cake right after the wedding party entrance. Speeches/toasts can be before the prayer then dinner, or do them near the end of dinner. Another possibility, only introduce the B&G rather than the entire wedding party, then they do their first dance right away, but save the parents dances for later on (after cake cutting).

OK, if doing the dollar dance is it better to do it after the special dances and bouquet toss, or open up the dance floor for 20 minutes to break things up a bit? Whenever I do this, it turns out that the B&G agree not to even do the dollar dance since everyone is having fun dancing. Yet if the dollar dance is too late in the night some of the key relatives may have left early.

Other possible events: Newlywed shoe game, Anniversary dance, snowball dance, kissing game. End the night with a wedding party group hug and a good sing along song.
 
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Awesome responses, thanks guys.

Anyone else? I'm going to synthesize and summarize this info and report to my sure-to-be-even-more-confused client. Good thing she has over a year to figure it out!

GJ
 
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This is more of a suggestion for the DJ and not so much for the client, but I put all the pertinent info on the timeline as well. I.e. Names of Bridal Party, Names of Parents or anyone else that I may be announcing or interacting with throughout the event, photographer, videographer, etc.!

Since I keep the timeline close-by, it's handy to have that information right there!

Cheers!
 
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EERobert you have receptions that go from 5:00pm till midnight? That's 7 hours. That to me is great as some receptions are so short they leave very little time for open dancing. I hate that because for me that doesn't get people to see my talent playing music as a DJ when there is only 1/2 hour to 45 minutes for open dancing. Then I've know some that will cut certain things out to allow more open dancing.

I used to advertise on Wedj.com and saw some receptions were listed to be 2 hours. That's when I first got to see such a thing. I always wondered what could get done in 2 hours so that the bride, groom and their guest could say they had a good time.
 
MIXMASTERMACHOM said:
EERobert you have receptions that go from 5:00pm till midnight? That's 7 hours. That to me is great as some receptions are so short they leave very little time for open dancing. I hate that because for me that doesn't get people to see my talent playing music as a DJ when there is only 1/2 hour to 45 minutes for open dancing. Then I've know some that will cut certain things out to allow more open dancing.

I used to advertise on Wedj.com and saw some receptions were listed to be 2 hours. That's when I first got to see such a thing. I always wondered what could get done in 2 hours so that the bride, groom and their guest could say they had a good time.
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Mix it's not about people getting to see your talent, it's about providing a service that leaves the client happy. If you were that talented you would have been discovered long ago and be on tour making huge sums of money instead of playing s**thole bars in New Jersey making less than $200 or drama filled private events
 
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Below is what I would usually suggest to the B&G to be :)


1:When ready announce Wedding Party into Reception.

2: head table photos.

3: Announce Buffet with a blessing the food?.

4: Toast once all guests have their food.

5: Once everyone has finished their food, announce the cake cutting.

6: Once you guys clean up after cutting the cake, 1st dance

7: Father Daughter dance.

8: Mother son dance.

9: Parents dance?

10: Wedding party dance?

11: Bouquet toss.

12: Garter toss.


13: slow song for couples and a fun/slide dance for all.

14: Dollar Dance.

15: Open Dancing for rest of the evening with requests taken.

16: Last song?
 
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In my area it is usually the following:
  1. Cocktails
  2. Grand Entrance
  3. First Dance
  4. Parent Dances
  5. Welcome / Blessing of Food
  6. Dinner
  7. Toasts / Cake Cutting (sometimes the cake cutting is held off for about 45 min)
  8. Open Dance
  9. Bouquet / Garter Toss
  10. Open Dance
  11. Last Dance
Most receptions running about 5 hours.
 
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Mine are mostly 4 hours and they usually go like
if its a 5 hour event cocktails first,
1, grand entrance
2, first dance
3, toast then dinner
4, cake cutting
5, dollar dance
6, father daughter
7, mother son
8, parents dance
9, bouquet, garter
10, open dancing
which will leave about 1.5 to 2 hrs of dancing
 
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