Somewhere between the engagement and the wedding, the questions begin. The photographer asks what time the ceremony will start. The florist wants to know when she can deliver. The celebrant is asking about a rehearsal.
The DJ needs a finish time. And suddenly, a year out from the wedding, couples find themselves staring at a blank document called a run sheet and wondering where to begin.
If this sounds familiar, take a breath. A wedding day timeline is far less complicated than it first appears, especially when your venue has done it hundreds of times before.
What is a wedding run sheet?
A run sheet is a minute-by-minute plan of your wedding day, shared with all your suppliers so everyone is working from the same page.
It usually includes:
- Supplier arrival and setup times
- Bridal party getting-ready schedule
- Ceremony start, length and confetti moment
- Photo windows (family, bridal party, couple portraits)
- Pre-dinner drinks and canapés
- Reception entry, speeches, cake cut and first dance
- Last drinks and farewell
The good news: couples aren’t expected to build this from scratch. A good venue provides a template based on your package, guest count and ceremony location. Your job is to make a handful of decisions. The venue translates them into a workable timeline.
Why suppliers ask for times so early
It can feel jarring when a supplier requests a ceremony time twelve months out. There’s a reason behind it:
- Photographers and videographers build their day around the light
- Florists plan delivery windows so arrangements arrive fresh
- Celebrants often officiate more than one ceremony in a weekend
- Hair and makeup artists work backwards from the time you need to be ready.
An early answer doesn’t have to be a final answer. A ballpark like “ceremony around 4pm, reception until 11pm” is usually enough for suppliers to hold the date and begin planning. The finer detail can be locked in closer to the wedding.
The shape of a Potters wedding day
Most Potters weddings follow a similar, well-tested flow. A few of the moments couples find most reassuring:
- 10:00am. The Penthouse Day Room opens. The bridal party arrives, hair and makeup begin, and the morning unfolds slowly.
- 11:00am. The Wedding Concierge arrives with a brunch platter, coffee and bubbles. A small thing, but it’s the moment most couples say the day starts to feel real.
- 3:00pm. One hour before the ceremony, the Wedding Gallery opens for the other half of the wedding party.
- 4:00pm. The ceremony begins. Our team opens the doors and signals the start, but the timing of your walk down the aisle stays with you. Confetti, family photos and couple portraits follow.
- 4:30pm. Pre-reception drinks in the wisteria courtyard while the couple is in the gardens for portraits.
- 5:30pm. Guests move into the Atrium for canapés and the formal reception begins.
- 11:00pm. The night closes with a sparkler farewell through the courtyard arch.
Between every one of these moments sit dozens of smaller ones. The kind a couple shouldn’t have to think about, but which make the difference between a day that flows and a day that drags.
The detail you’ll never see
Couples often imagine the venue’s job ends with food and drinks. In reality, a Potters wedding day involves a quiet choreography that runs in the background from morning to midnight.
A few things the coordination team handles without ever mentioning them:
- Sorting your place cards by table number so the setup runs smoothly
- Briefing each supplier as they arrive on the day with the latest timing
- Working with the chef on meal service timing, which is set by the kitchen and adjusted around your final guest numbers to optimise the flow of the night
- Building courtyard games into the timeline if you’re having them, so they slot between formalities rather than competing with them
- Setting up your wishing well, signage, favours and gifts to your specifications
- Tracking supplier meals so your photographer and band eat before service ends
- Managing bar tabs and limits if you’ve arranged a pre-ceremony drinks tab
- Coordinating the cake cut, speeches and first dance with the kitchen so dessert lands at exactly the right moment
This is the part of the wedding day couples almost never see, and that’s the point. The most beautifully flowing weddings aren’t the ones where the couple is constantly checking the time. They’re the ones where someone else is, quietly.
The decisions only you can make
While the venue handles the structure, a handful of decisions sit with the couple. These are the answers that unlock the rest of the timeline:
- Ceremony time (usually 3pm or 4pm at Potters, depending on the season and light)
- Ceremony location (the Chapel, the Garden Gazebo, or the wisteria courtyard)
- First-look or aisle moment (whether to see each other before the ceremony)
- Speech style (spread over dinner, or all in one block)
- Cake moment (traditional cake cut, or a relaxed dessert station)
Once these are decided, most of the run sheet almost writes itself.
What changes on the day (and what doesn’t)
Even the most carefully built run sheet will shift on the day. A speech runs long. A storm rolls in. A grandmother wants one more photo. None of this is a problem when the venue is prepared for it.
At Potters, one wedding is hosted per day, with a full team working to the same timeline:
- Wedding Concierge to support you personally through the day
- Coordinating Team to manage suppliers and setup
- Bridal Party Host to look after your wedding party
- Function Manager to oversee the reception flow
Adjustments happen quietly in the background, so you’re rarely aware anything has moved at all.
The calm comes from the structure
The couples who feel most relaxed on their wedding day are the ones who trusted the timeline early, made their decisions in stages, and let the venue carry the operational load. A good run sheet isn’t a source of stress. It’s the reason the day flows.
And the very best run sheets are the ones the couple never has to look at. The work has already been done.
If you’d like to see how a wedding day unfolds at Potters, our team would love to walk you through a sample timeline during your venue tour. Get in touch to book a personalised tour.
