Vesperline

Plan the wedding day around the light.

Wedding day timeline generator, planned around sunset

Enter your date, venue and ceremony time. Vesperline works out sunset and golden hour for that exact spot, builds the day backwards and forwards from the ceremony, and warns you where it doesn’t fit.

Saturday, June 12, 2027 · New York, New York, US

Golden hour
7:48 pm
Sunset
8:29 pm
Blue hour ends
9:02 pm
golden 7:48 pmsunset 8:29 pm
Hair & makeup (5 people, 2 artists)
Sam gets readyCocktail hourPlated dinnerOpen dance floor
Key momentGolden-hour portraitsGetting ready, photos, guestsBlue hour until 9:02 pm

Your day

Start from a template
Afternoon ceremony, photos in cocktail hour, golden-hour portraits during dinner.
Date, venue and ceremony 4:00 pm
Venue

New York, New York, US (America/New York)

Enter coordinates or change the time zone
Couple and getting ready 5 people
Gets hair & makeup

Hair and makeup together usually take 60–90 minutes for the person getting married and 45–60 for everyone else; ask your artist for their own times.

Places and travel 20 min
0 = same venue
Reception until 10:30 pm
Photo and video 9 h
Automatic: with detail photos
Counted from your shot list
25 min in total
Display
Currency and places

Order of the day

Alex & Sam · Saturday, June 12, 2027 · New York, New York, US

  • Tip:Golden hour overlaps the reception formalities, so 20 min of portraits are slotted into the reception at 8:00 pm and whatever follows starts after them. Sunset is 8:29 pm.
  • Buffer tip:Alex and Sam get ready in different places. One photographer can't cover both: book a second shooter, or let the photographer visit Sam first and leave Alex's details for later.
  1. 12:10 pmHair & makeup (5 people, 2 artists)2 h 15 min · Hotel suite3 rounds × 45 min. Alex goes second to last so the look is fresh.
  2. 1:50 pmSam gets ready1 h · Family homeGetting-ready photos here only if there is a second shooter or time between locations.
  3. 2:25 pmTouch-ups, a snack, breathing room15 min · Hotel suite
  4. 2:40 pmAlex gets dressed30 min · Hotel suitePhotographer captures the dress, shoes, final look and a few portraits with the wedding party.
  5. 2:50 pmSam travels to the ceremony25 min · Family home → Ceremony site
  6. 3:10 pmBreathing room before leaving10 min · Hotel suite
  7. 3:15 pmSam greets guests, takes place at the front45 min · Ceremony site
  8. 3:20 pmAlex travels to the ceremony25 min · Hotel suite → Ceremony site20 min drive + 5 min padding.
  9. 3:30 pmGuests arrive and are seated30 min · Ceremony sitePrelude music. Ushers seat family in reserved rows last.
  10. 3:45 pmArrive and wait out of sight15 min · Ceremony siteWater, a snack, final touch-ups. Guests should not see the couple now.
  11. 4:00 pmCeremony30 min · Ceremony siteProcessional, vows, rings, kiss, recessional. Music cues for the processional and recessional.
  12. 4:30 pmRecessional, hugs and confetti15 min · Ceremony site
  13. 4:45 pmFamily photos (12 groupings)25 min · Ceremony siteAnnounce before the recessional that family stays for photos.
  14. 4:45 pmCocktail hour1 h · Reception venueCanapés and bar open. Photographer grabs candids and the room before guests go in.
  15. 5:10 pmWedding party photos15 min · Ceremony site
  16. 5:25 pmQuick couple portraits (more at golden hour)10 min · Ceremony site
  17. 5:45 pmGrand entrance10 min · Reception venueMC introduces the wedding party, then the couple.
  18. 5:55 pmFirst dance5 min · Reception venue
  19. 6:00 pmWelcome and blessing5 min · Reception venue
  20. 6:05 pmPlated dinner1 h 45 min · Reception venueServe vendor meals at the same time as guests so the photographer is ready when speeches start.
  21. 6:45 pmSpeeches and toasts (3)15 min · Reception venueBar pours the toast before the first speech. DJ/band runs the mic.
  22. 7:50 pmParent dances10 min · Reception venue
  23. 8:00 pmGolden-hour portraits20 min · Reception venueGolden hour 7:48 pm–8:29 pm. The couple slips out for 20 min; the reception formalities wait for them.
  24. 8:20 pmCake cutting10 min · Reception venueCaterer takes the cake away to slice and serve during dancing.
  25. 8:30 pmOpen dance floor1 h 40 min · Reception venue
  26. 10:10 pmLast dance5 min · Reception venue
  27. 10:15 pmSparkler send-off15 min · Reception venueCheck the venue allows sparklers; long-burn (36-inch) sparklers, a bucket of water, lighters for the planner.

‹ 5 and 5 › move a block; − and + change its length. Moving a block pins it; everything after it in the same chain follows. “Auto” hands it back to the planner. Sun times from the suncalc algorithm for the venue’s coordinates; check the light on site for hills and tall trees.

Vendor run sheets Free during beta

Each vendor gets only the moments they work, with their own cues. Print one per vendor or save as PDF from the print dialog.

Photographer run sheet

Alex & Sam · Saturday, June 12, 2027 · New York, New York, US

Arrive by 1:35 pm · finished around 10:30 pm · booked coverage 1:55 pm–10:55 pm

Golden hour from 7:48 pm, sunset 8:29 pm, blue hour until 9:02 pm.

TimeWhatWhereYour cue
1:50 pm–2:50 pmSam gets readyFamily homeGetting-ready photos here only if there is a second shooter or time between locations.
1:55 pm–2:40 pmDetail photos (rings, invitation, shoes, flowers)Hotel suiteHave the details in one box: rings, invitation suite, shoes, perfume, jewellery, vow books.
2:40 pm–3:10 pmAlex gets dressedHotel suitePhotographer captures the dress, shoes, final look and a few portraits with the wedding party.
3:15 pm–4:00 pmSam greets guests, takes place at the frontCeremony site
3:20 pm–3:45 pmAlex travels to the ceremonyHotel suite → Ceremony site20 min drive + 5 min padding.
4:00 pm–4:30 pmCeremonyCeremony siteProcessional, vows, rings, kiss, recessional. Music cues for the processional and recessional.
4:30 pm–4:45 pmRecessional, hugs and confettiCeremony site
4:45 pm–5:10 pmFamily photos (12 groupings)Ceremony siteAnnounce before the recessional that family stays for photos.
4:45 pm–5:45 pmCocktail hourReception venueRoom details before guests enter, then candids.
5:10 pm–5:25 pmWedding party photosCeremony site
5:25 pm–5:35 pmQuick couple portraits (more at golden hour)Ceremony site
5:45 pm–5:55 pmGrand entranceReception venueMC introduces the wedding party, then the couple.
5:55 pm–6:00 pmFirst danceReception venue
6:00 pm–6:05 pmWelcome and blessingReception venue
6:45 pm–7:00 pmSpeeches and toasts (3)Reception venueBar pours the toast before the first speech. DJ/band runs the mic.
7:50 pm–8:00 pmParent dancesReception venue
8:00 pm–8:20 pmGolden-hour portraitsReception venueGolden hour 7:48 pm–8:29 pm. The couple slips out for 20 min; the reception formalities wait for them.
8:20 pm–8:30 pmCake cuttingReception venueCaterer takes the cake away to slice and serve during dancing.
8:30 pm–10:10 pmOpen dance floorReception venue
10:10 pm–10:15 pmLast danceReception venue
10:15 pm–10:30 pmSparkler send-offReception venueCheck the venue allows sparklers; long-burn (36-inch) sparklers, a bucket of water, lighters for the planner.

How the timeline is built

  1. The ceremony is the anchor

    Before it, the day runs backwards: hair and makeup (people × minutes ÷ artists), getting dressed, a buffer, travel with padding, and — with a first look — portraits and family photos. After it, the day runs forwards through photos, cocktail hour and the reception.

  2. The sun is calculated, not guessed

    Sunset, golden hour (sun below 6°) and blue hour (until civil dusk) come from the venue’s coordinates and time zone. Portraits are placed in the golden-hour window where they clash least with the entrance, speeches and dances.

  3. Every vendor gets their slice

    Run sheets filter the master timeline for the photographer, videographer, DJ or band, caterer, bar, planner and hair & makeup, with their own cues. Move a block and every sheet follows.

Sample timelines by ceremony time

A full day for each start time, with the reasoning and how it changes from spring to winter.

Sunset times for weddings in 2027

Every Saturday’s sunset, golden hour and the ceremony times that work, month by month, for popular wedding destinations.

Popular months: New York in October, London in June, Sydney in March, Tuscany in September.

Running the bar?

The drinks calculator turns guests × hours into bottles, cases, ice and mixers. Mobile bar businesses can price an event and check the UK and US licensing checklists.

Frequently asked questions

How far before the ceremony should hair and makeup start?

Work backwards: people × minutes each ÷ number of artists, then add 15 minutes of breathing room, 30 minutes to get dressed and the travel time. Five people at 45 minutes with two artists is about 2 h 15 min, so for a 4 pm ceremony with a 20-minute drive, hair and makeup starts around 12:10 pm.

When is golden hour for wedding photos?

Golden hour is the time before sunset when the sun is less than about 6° above the horizon. In mid-latitudes that is roughly the last 40–60 minutes before sunset in summer and a bit less in spring and autumn. Vesperline calculates it for your exact date and venue and schedules a 20-minute portrait slot inside it.

What time should a wedding ceremony start?

Count back from sunset. With no first look, a ceremony 3½–4 hours before sunset puts golden-hour portraits during dinner without missing the speeches. With a first look you can start closer to sunset, because portraits and family photos are done before the ceremony.

How long should the photographer stay?

From the detail photos (about 2 hours before the ceremony) to the exit. A 4 pm ceremony with a 10:30 pm sparkler exit needs about 9 hours. The tool lists which moments fall outside the hours you booked.

How many family photo groupings can we fit in?

Allow about 2–3 minutes per grouping when someone calls names from a list. Eight to twelve groupings fit in the first half of a 60-minute cocktail hour; the shot-list builder generates them from your family list and counts the time.

Is my plan saved or shared anywhere?

Your plan stays in your browser’s local storage. A share link carries the plan inside the link itself (after the #), which browsers do not send to our server. You can also download a backup file.

Guides

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