We Would Rather Quit Our Jobs Than Write Any of These Sentences in a Wedding Schedule

There are lots of parts of wedding planning we genuinely love.

Designing flow. Protecting energy. Making things feel effortless when they absolutely are not.

But there are also certain sentences that, when they appear in a draft schedule, make us pause, breathe deeply…and quietly die a little inside.

Not because couples are doing anything wrong - but because these sentences are almost always a sign that the day is about to become harder, longer, or more stressful than it needs to be.

So consider this a public service announcement from planners who have seen a lot of weddings.

Here are the sentences we would rather quit our jobs than write - and why.

“1:00pm ceremony”

An early ceremony sounds lovely in theory. In practice, it creates a very long day for everyone involved.

Early starts mean rushed mornings, tired guests by mid afternoon, energy dipping long before the party begins.

Unless you plan to feed people a full meal twice or finish at 9pm, this is way too early, it’s too long a day, no one eats at a normal meal time and it’s way longer to feed, water and entertain everyone.

Later starts allow the day to build properly - better light, better pacing, better momentum. A wedding doesn’t need to be long to feel generous. It needs to be well-timed.

The caveat to this is, of course, seasonal. If your wedding is in winter and you’re pressed for time in terms of daylight hours, consider having some group photos and perhaps couples portraits (if you’re happy to see eachother pre-ceremony) beforehand.

“Hair & makeup from 7am (1 stylist, 5 bridesmaids)”

This is a stress experiment.

One stylist doing multiple people back-to-back leaves no room for delays, nerves, touch ups - anything.

Someone will run late. Someone will feel rushed. Someone will cry.

Adding another stylist is almost always cheaper than the stress it prevents.

“Speeches x4”

Even four of the loveliest speeches to ever be spoken would be too much for our dwindling attention spans.

More than two at a time is a test of endurance for everyone and a recipe for over-running. Space them out or make them ‘toasts’ with a 5 min cut-off.

Good schedules protect both the speakers and the guests by editing, spacing, and timing speeches properly - not stacking them like a podcast playlist.

“DJ SET: 7pm–1am”

Six hours of dancing does not feel luxurious, it feels long.

Three to four hours of dancing, timed well, ending on a high, will always feel better than stretching the party until it quietly fizzles out.

“Drinks reception: 2.5 hours”

Cocktail hour should feel relaxed, not endless.

Unless you have an insane number of guests, a major room flip from ceremony to dinner, there is no need for a drinks reception to run longer than 90 mins, maybe 1hr 45 if you’re forcing our hand.

Any longer than this means way more budget on food, drink, seating and something to do. It also assumes that most of your guests are happy to chat and mingle, and - speaking on behalf of all introverts here - not everyone feels comfortable in those environments.

Also remember that this is the duration of the drinks reception itself, this doesn’t factor in the 30 additional mins it then takes between the end of it, and then being served dinner when you consider herding everyone. getting them to find their seats, bathroom breaks, waiting for you to come back in etc.

“Speech / starter / speech / main / speech / dessert / speech”

Sure, we said space them out but not this much. This is too much and too often. Limit it to two back to back. Cluster when you want everyone’s attention or you’ll lose it. Like a ‘boy that cried speech’.

Interrupting every course kills both experiences. A good timeline respects rhythm.

“Suppliers: friends of the couple”

We love talented friends. Truly.

But when suppliers are also guests, roles blur, boundaries soften, and awkward conversations multiply.

Friends deserve to enjoy your wedding - not work it, worry about it, or feel responsible for it going wrong.

A few friends helping? Fine. A full supplier line-up of friends? Please don’t.

“Guests make their way to dinner”

How will they know? Who is your MC? Make no mistake, guests need herding and often telling thrice.

This kind of phrasing is assuming people will instinctively know what to do, where to do and when. Trust us, this just makes an ass out of you and me.

“Supplier green room: none”

A tired supplier is not a better supplier.

If your band, DJ, or coordinators have nowhere to reset, the energy drops long before the dancefloor does.

Looking after your team means = them looking after your wedding.

What All of This Has in Common

These sentences aren’t bad because they’re wrong. They’re bad because they’re overly optimistic, vague and disconnected from how people actually behave.

A great wedding schedule isn’t about cramming everything in. It’s about protecting energy, momentum, food, and experience.

What We Write Instead

We believe a good wedding schedule should be clear, realistic, designed for flow and kind to guests and suppliers.

A wedding timeline is the invisible structure holding the entire day together. When it’s done well, everything feels effortless. When it isn’t, no amount of styling can save it.

We plan marriage launch parties with timelines we’re proud to sign off on. Let’s chat :)