Wedding timeline for a 5 pm ceremony
Computed for Saturday, June 19, 2027 in New York (sunset 8:31 pm). Hair and makeup at 1:10 pm, photographer at 2:55 pm , cocktail hour 5:45 pm, dinner 7:05 pm, golden-hour portraits 8:00 pm.
Why this order
A 5 pm ceremony gives a slow morning and keeps golden hour close to the ceremony. In late spring and summer it falls during dinner, so portraits are a 20-minute slip-away between courses; in September and October it arrives during the cocktail hour, and the couple portraits straight after family photos are in the best light.
The reception runs later, so check the venue’s music and bar cut-off times against the exit. Photographers commonly cover eight to ten hours; with a 5 pm ceremony that usually starts around 3 pm.
Outside summer, sunset can come before or during the ceremony. A first look moves portraits into daylight; without one, family photos may need to be indoors.
The numbers behind it
- Hair and makeup: 5 people × 45 minutes ÷ 2 artists = 2 h 15 min, finishing 15 minutes before getting dressed.
- Travel: a 20-minute drive is planned as 25 minutes (20 % padding).
- Cocktail hour: 1 h — long enough for 8 family groupings, the wedding party and quick couple portraits.
- Dinner: plated, 1 h 45 min including three 5-minute speeches between courses.
- Photographer: about 9.5 hours from 2:55 pm to cover every key moment.
What the planner flagged
- Golden hour falls during dinner. Slip out between courses at 8:00 pm for 20 min; ask the caterer to hold your plates.
- Photography coverage (9 h from 2:55 pm) ends at 11:55 pm and misses: Sparkler send-off. You need about 9.5 h, or start coverage later.
Sample order of the day
- 1:10 pm Hair & makeup (5 people, 2 artists)
- 2:50 pm Sam gets ready
- 3:25 pm Touch-ups, a snack, breathing room
- 3:40 pm Alex gets dressed
- 3:50 pm Sam travels to the ceremony
- 4:10 pm Breathing room before leaving
- 4:20 pm Alex travels to the ceremony
- 4:30 pm Guests arrive and are seated
- 4:45 pm Arrive and wait out of sight
- 5:00 pm Ceremony
- 5:30 pm Recessional, hugs and confetti
- 5:45 pm Family photos (8 groupings)
- 5:45 pm Cocktail hour
- 6:05 pm Wedding party photos
- 6:20 pm Quick couple portraits (more at golden hour)
- 6:45 pm Grand entrance
- 6:55 pm First dance
- 7:00 pm Welcome and blessing
- 7:05 pm Plated dinner
- 7:45 pm Speeches and toasts (3)
- 8:00 pm Golden-hour portraits
- 8:50 pm Parent dances
- 9:00 pm Cake cutting
- 9:10 pm Open dance floor
- 11:40 pm Last dance
- 11:45 pm Sparkler send-off
The same 5 pm ceremony through the year
Where 20 minutes of golden-hour portraits land with a classic, no-first-look day, mid-month Saturdays in 2027.
| Month | Place | Sunset | Golden-hour portraits | First look? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April | New York | 7:38 pm | a 20-minute slip-away during dinner | Optional |
| April | London | 8:00 pm | a 20-minute slip-away during dinner | Optional |
| June | New York | 8:31 pm | a 20-minute slip-away during dinner | Optional |
| June | London | 9:22 pm | a 20-minute slip-away during dinner | Optional |
| September | New York | 7:03 pm | during cocktail hour, straight after family photos | Optional |
| September | London | 7:12 pm | during cocktail hour, straight after family photos | Optional |
| October | New York | 6:17 pm | during cocktail hour, straight after family photos | Recommended |
| October | London | 6:08 pm | during cocktail hour, straight after family photos | Recommended |
| December | New York | 4:32 pm | over by the end of the ceremony: needs a first look | Recommended |
| December | London | 3:53 pm | over by the end of the ceremony: needs a first look | Recommended |
Other start times: 1 pm · 2 pm · 3 pm · 4 pm · 6 pm · Guides: timeline examples, first look or not.
Frequently asked questions
What time should hair and makeup start for a 5 pm ceremony?
About 1:10 pm for five people with two artists at 45 minutes each and a 20-minute drive, so everyone is dressed and out of the door with a buffer. Each extra person per artist adds 45 minutes.
When does the photographer arrive for a 5 pm ceremony?
Around 2:55 pm for detail photos, about 2 h 5 min before the ceremony. To cover the day through the exit, book about 9.5 hours.
When is golden hour for a 5 pm wedding?
In mid-June in New York golden hour starts at 7:50 pm and the sun sets at 8:31 pm; the sample day schedules 20 minutes of portraits at 8:00 pm. It moves earlier through autumn — see the season table on this page.
Help shape what comes next
Everything here is free while Vesperline is in beta. Tell us which of the next tools you would pay for and we will email you when it is ready.