How to Create a Wedding Runsheet | Free Templates
Ask any wedding coordinator, photographer, DJ or celebrant what the single most important planning document is, and every one of them will give you the same answer: the run sheet.
Not the mood board. Not the seating chart. The run sheet.
It is the document that keeps every person working on your wedding day — your florist, caterer, venue, MC, photographer, videographer, celebrant and coordinator — all operating from the same page, at the same time. Without one, even the most beautifully organised wedding starts to drift. With one, the whole day has a spine.
This guide covers what a run sheet actually looks like, the average timings used by Australian couples and vendors, how to build yours, the tools that make it easier, and the tips that experienced coordinators use to protect against the inevitable delays.
What Is a Wedding Run Sheet?
A wedding run sheet — sometimes called a running sheet or day-of timeline — is a minute-by-minute schedule of your entire wedding day. It lists every event in chronological order, from the moment the florist arrives at the venue through to the last dance of the evening.
A good run sheet includes:
Every vendor's name, contact number, and scheduled arrival time
The full sequence of events with start and finish times
Location details for each part of the day
Notes for specific vendors (e.g. "DJ to play entrance song at exactly 6:30pm")
Buffer time built between key moments
Contingency notes for weather or delays
It is shared with every vendor in the lead-up to the wedding so there are no surprises on the day. Your coordinator, MC, and wedding party should all have a copy.
The Golden Rule: The 30-Minute Buffer
Before looking at any specific timings, there is one rule that experienced wedding professionals apply universally: build in at least 30 minutes of buffer time across your day.
Not because things go wrong (although they sometimes do) — but because almost everything takes longer than you think it will.
A few examples couples consistently underestimate:
Hair and makeup — most couples allow too little time. If a bridesmaid is running behind or the curl doesn't sit right, there's no margin
Getting dressed — this is a significant photographic moment and routinely takes 20–30 minutes longer than planned
Group and family photos — corralling 15 family members after a ceremony is famously difficult. Allow at least 20–30 minutes, not 10
Travel between locations — always add 15 minutes to any Google Maps estimate, especially in peak hour or on a Saturday
Guest seating at the reception — guests linger, chat, and take photos. Allow 20 minutes minimum to get everyone seated
The 30-minute buffer isn't wasted time — it's insurance. If you stay on schedule, those minutes become an unplanned moment with your partner, a quiet drink before the reception doors open, or simply a breath. As one coordinator framing it well: if you're running on track, you can always bump timings forward. You can never add time back.
Average Australian Wedding Timings
These are the timings used by experienced Australian wedding photographers, coordinators, and vendors across Queensland and the broader Australian market. They're averages — your day will vary based on your location, season, and style — but they provide a reliable starting framework.
Getting Ready — 2 to 4 hours total
Easy Weddings recommends allowing two to three hours for the pre-wedding glam process, including hair, makeup, getting dressed, and getting-ready photography. With a larger bridal party, most hair and makeup artists require 30 minutes each for hair and makeup per bridesmaid.
In practice:
Hair and makeup per bridesmaid: 30–45 minutes each
Hair and makeup for the bride: 60–90 minutes
Getting dressed (bride): 20–30 minutes — longer than most couples plan for
Groom and groomsmen getting ready: 60–90 minutes total as a group
Photography of getting-ready details (rings, dress, bouquets): 20–30 minutes
Pro tip: Schedule the bride's hair and makeup second-to-last, not last. It gives time for touch-ups and means she doesn't feel rushed into her dress.
Pre-Ceremony Photos — 1 to 1.5 hours
Once dressed, allocate at least an hour for solo portraits and group photos with the wedding party. If doing a first look with your partner before the ceremony, allow an extra 30 minutes.
Bridal party portraits: 30–45 minutes
First look (if having one): 15–30 minutes additional
Travel to ceremony: always add 15 minutes buffer to Google Maps
Ceremony — 20 minutes to 1 hour
Civil ceremony (simple): 20–30 minutes
Standard civil ceremony with vows, readings, ring exchange: 30–45 minutes
Religious ceremony: 45–60 minutes, sometimes longer
In Australia, most ceremonies are scheduled at 2:30pm or 3:00pm year-round. This gives couples a relaxed morning for getting ready, plenty of time for photos after the ceremony, and a natural flow into an early evening reception. The ceremony start time doesn't shift dramatically with the seasons — what changes is how much daylight you have for photos afterwards.
Family and Group Photos — 20 to 30 minutes
This is consistently the most underestimated block of the day. If you think a group photo after the ceremony will take 5 minutes, think again. It can take 10–15 minutes just for guests to finish congratulating the couple, then another 10 minutes to coordinate guests into a group.
Group photo (full guest attendance): 15–20 minutes
Immediate family combinations: 20–30 minutes depending on list length
Tip: Prepare a written family photo list and assign a family member to help call names. This alone can halve the time.
Cocktail Hour / Canapes — 60 to 90 minutes
In Australia, the cocktail hour is a cornerstone of the wedding day flow — not just for guests, but for the couple. This is almost always when the couple slips away with their photographer for portraits, meaning guests are entertained while the couple gets their photos done without eating into the reception schedule. Most coordinators recommend 60–90 minutes for the cocktail period to allow enough time for both.
Standard cocktail hour: 60–90 minutes
With extended portrait session or travel between locations: 90 minutes
Wedding Party Photos — 45 minutes to 2 hours
Standard portrait session (couple only): 45 minutes–1.5 hours
With full wedding party: add 20–30 minutes
Reception — 4 to 6 hours
In Australia, receptions typically begin between 5:00pm and 6:00pm, flowing naturally from the cocktail hour. While guests enjoy drinks and canapés, the couple slips away with the photographer for portraits — meaning the cocktail hour doubles as both guest entertainment and the couple's portrait window. The reception then continues for 4–6 hours.
A typical reception sequence:
Guest seating and welcome: 15–20 minutes
Bridal party entrance: 10–15 minutes
Welcome speech / MC introduction: 10 minutes
Entrée: 30–45 minutes
Speeches (2–4 speakers): 20–40 minutes
Main course: 45–60 minutes
First dance: 5–10 minutes
Cake cutting: 5–10 minutes
Dancing and dessert: 1.5–3 hours
Sunset portraits (if not done earlier): 15–30 minutes, scheduled around golden hour
A Sample Australian Wedding Run Sheet
Here is what a typical Queensland autumn wedding run sheet looks like, based on a 3:30pm ceremony and 6:00pm reception:
7:30am Florist arrives at venue — setup begins
8:00am Hair and makeup team arrives at bridal suite
8:30am Bridesmaid 1 — hair and makeup
9:15am Bridesmaid 2 — hair and makeup
10:00am Bridesmaid 3 — hair and makeup
10:45am Maid of honour — hair and makeup
11:30am Bride — hair begins
12:00pm Groom and groomsmen meet — getting ready begins
12:30pm Photographer arrives — groom prep photos
1:00pm Bride — makeup begins
1:30pm Photographer moves to bridal suite — detail shots
(dress, rings, bouquet, jewellery)
2:00pm Bride — getting dressed
2:20pm Bridal party portraits at getting-ready location
2:45pm ** BUFFER — touch-ups, family moments, departure prep **
3:00pm Bridal party departs for ceremony venue
[Allow 15 min travel + buffer]
3:15pm Groom and groomsmen arrive at ceremony venue
3:20pm Guests begin arriving — ushers in position
3:30pm CEREMONY BEGINS
— Bridal party entrance
— Bride entrance
— Vows and ring exchange
— Signing of register
— Couple exits
4:00pm CEREMONY CONCLUDES
4:00pm Group photo — all guests (15 min)
4:15pm Family photo combinations (25 min)
Couple & Bridal Party depart for photos
4:40pm Guests proceed to cocktail area — drinks and canapés
5:45pm ** BUFFER — venue transition, final setup check **
6:00pm RECEPTION DOORS OPEN — guests find seats
6:15pm MC welcome and bridal party entrance
6:30pm Entrée served
6:45pm Speeches begin (2 speakers)
7:10pm Main course served
7:15pm Remaining speeches (2 speakers)
7:45pm First dance
7:55pm Father/daughter or parent dances
8:10pm Dancing opens
8:20pm Cake cutting
9:00pm Dessert / coffee service
10:30pm Last song
11:00pm EVENT CONCLUDESSeasonal Timing Considerations
The best ceremony time in Australia is generally 2:30pm to 3:00pm year-round. The main seasonal consideration isn't when to start — it's how much time you'll have for photos before the light changes.
In summer, golden hour arrives late (around 5.45pm–7.00pm), giving couples a long window for portraits well into the evening. In winter, the light fades earlier (around 5:00–5:30pm), so the couple's portrait session during cocktail hour needs to be planned earlier and kept tight. The ceremony time itself rarely needs to shift dramatically — what shifts is the timing of when you sneak away for sunset photos.
Always check the exact sunset time for your specific date and location — timeanddate.com is the most reliable free resource for this. Share the sunset time with your photographer when building the run sheet together.
One of the Best Tips Nobody Mentions: Ask Your Venue for a Previous Run Sheet
Before you build your run sheet from scratch, contact your venue and ask if they can share a run sheet from a previous wedding of a similar size and style. Most experienced venues are happy to do this, and it gives you something invaluable: real timings from a wedding that actually happened at your specific venue.
Every venue has its own quirks — how long it takes to transition guests from cocktail space to reception room, how far the ceremony site is from the bridal suite, how long the catering kitchen takes between courses. These are things no generic template can account for, but a past run sheet from your own venue will reflect them exactly.
Ask specifically for a run sheet from:
A similar guest count to yours
A similar ceremony time
A wedding that used the same spaces you're planning to use
This single tip can save you an hour of guesswork and prevent the most common timing errors couples make.
The Best Apps and Tools to Build Your Run Sheet
Managing Matrimony — Built specifically for Australian couples, this platform includes a dedicated run sheet builder alongside guest lists, seating charts, budgets, and vendor management. Pricing in AUD, backed by real wedding coordinators, and free to start. One of the most complete locally-built tools available.
WedSites — Includes a drag-and-drop run sheet builder as part of its wedding planning platform, alongside a seating chart tool and digital checklist. A strong all-in-one option for couples who want their run sheet connected to their broader planning.
Zola — Zola's timeline tool is part of its broader free planning suite. Clean interface, easily shareable, and integrates with guest management and vendor contacts.
Easy Weddings App — Australia's most popular wedding planning app. Includes a timeline tool, checklist, and supplier directory in one place. Ideal for couples who want a locally-focused, all-in-one solution.
Google Docs or Google Sheets — Still widely used by coordinators and couples alike for its simplicity, shareability, and flexibility. A well-structured Google Sheet shared with all vendors remains one of the most practical and universally accessible options. Hey Jack's free run sheet template is a well-regarded free starting point.
Pro DJs Australia — Free Run Sheet Template — A free interactive run sheet template built from real DJ-coordination experience, with common Australian timings pre-filled. Good starting point for couples who want a structured template without starting from scratch.
Pro Tips for Building Your Run Sheet
Start with your ceremony time and work backwards and forwards from there. Your ceremony time is your anchor. Everything before it (getting ready, travel, photos) works backwards from it. Everything after it (cocktail hour, reception) works forward.
Add vendor contact numbers to the run sheet itself. When something goes wrong on the day, you don't want to be searching through emails. Every vendor's name and mobile number should be on the run sheet so your coordinator (or MC) can reach them instantly.
Share it with everyone — and I mean everyone. Your coordinator, MC, photographer, videographer, DJ, celebrant, venue manager, and both sets of parents should all receive a final copy at least one week before the wedding. Surprises are only fun on the dance floor.
Do a dry run of key transitions. Walk or drive the route from your getting-ready location to your ceremony venue. Know exactly how long it takes. Do the same for any other location changes during the day.
Mark the non-negotiables. Highlight the three or four moments that are absolute priorities — first dance, speeches, sunset photos — and build the rest of the day around protecting those.
Never schedule speeches immediately after entrée. Guests are hungry, the kitchen is timing courses, and speeches running long (which they always do) throws catering completely off. Schedule speeches either between entrée and main, or during main course service.
Plan for a minimum 15-minute gap between your ceremony ending and your reception beginning. Guests need time to move, find drinks, and decompress. Trying to rush people from ceremony straight to seated reception creates friction and a chaotic start to the evening.
Working With a Coordinator on Your Run Sheet
If you've engaged an on-the-day coordinator, they will work through your run sheet with you in your planning sessions — refining timings, identifying gaps, and making sure vendor arrival times are realistic and properly spaced.
At The Wedding Project, we send every couple our 19-page wedding checklist to work through over the course of their engagement — it covers every detail that feeds into a complete run sheet, from vendor contacts to room setup preferences to music cues. Once submitted six weeks before the wedding, we use it as the foundation for your personalised run sheet, which we then refine together in your planning sessions.
The run sheet we build together becomes the document shared with every vendor, ensuring everyone is working from the same version on your day.
Book a free consultation to learn more about how we approach run sheet preparation with our couples.
The Bottom Line
A wedding run sheet is not a formality. It is the single document that ties every vendor, every transition, and every moment of your day together into something coherent and executable.
Build it early, build it with realistic timings, add your buffer time religiously, and share it widely. Your wedding day will thank you.