We have realized the wedding program for hundreds of our clients and we have come to the conclusion that weddings can be an enjoyable, relaxing and stress-free day with the right program which you will learn to do in about 3-5 minutes.
Whether you're planning a daytime or evening wedding, this article gives you complete, detailed information and accurate timings with everything you need to know about the wedding program.
IMPORTANT: In order for the wedding program to make sense and to make it easier for you to determine the starting time of each moment, plus the time needed for travel and relaxation breaks, the program is completely backwards, starting with the party, the photo session, the religious wedding, the civil wedding (if you decide to have it on the same day) and the preparation of the bride and groom, thus determining the official starting time of the event.
A well-defined program is absolutely necessary, especially for an evening event! A wedding in Romania can take up to 15-16 hours of continuous activity, not counting the morning preparations such as make-up, hairdresser or others, and this can be overwhelming and frustrating along with a loaded program.
We have noticed and avoided all possible mistakes in organization of the event, and from the experience gained, the following ideal program emerges:
In the case of an evening event, the invitations will indicate 20:00, hoping to open the party around 9:30pm or 10:00pm, depending on when all the guests show up.
The first to arrive will always be family and close friends who have also taken part in the day's activities, with the other guests generally arriving after 21:00.
The program is very light and it allows you to arrive even an hour early (7pm) before your guests (as long as the schedule hasn't been pushed back), making sure the band is ready, your favorite testimonials and envelopes are laid out on the tables, the mirror or photo booth is set up and ready for action, a last dance rehearsal and why not, time to have a quiet meal, building up the energy for the party to come.
Travel time: From the next “photo shoot” to the restaurant location, we have calculated a maximum of 30 minutes. In your case, the result may be different.
The ideal time to start your wedding day photo shoot is after 17:00. Shooting outdoors earlier than the specified time (Ex:14:00) is not recommended at all, as the sun is extremely strong and the shadows can be very harsh, resulting in undesirable image quality.
On average, for the wedding day photo and video shoot you can allow up to 1 hour and 30 minutes, with the possibility to extend even up to 2 hours if needed. The program is flexible and allows you to do this.
If the photographer's offer also includes a post-wedding photo session, On the day of the event, you can take the time to take photos of the groomsmen, bridesmaids, groomsmen or family, as well as a few photos of just the two of you, and after the wedding you can have a special the carefree or stress-free photo shoot, maybe even outside the city, in a special location.
Travel time: The next moment is “The Church”, and until the location of the photo shoot, we calculated a route of less than 20 minutes, but just to be sure I've allocated 30 minutes.
Religious marriage recommended starting time is 15:00 no later than 16:00, inside the churches being cooler than outside, especially in the summer, and immediately after having enough time to do a photo shoot in ideal light.
Religious marriage can last on average from 45 minutes to 1 hour maximum, whether the ceremony is Catholic or Orthodox. For program safety, an hour should be enough for this moment.
Also an extra 30 minutes should be added into the after church program, to accomplish family photos, the opportunity for a snack or simply a much needed break for you and your guests.
Travel time: The next moment is the “Civil Wedding”, and we calculated a less than 15-minute drive to the church location, but I've allocated 30 minutes to arrive early.
The appropriate start time for the civil wedding is 14:00 for this program. You may be surprised to find out or you may already know, the civil ceremony lasts a maximum of 5 minutes, from the moment it begins until the signing and handing over of the marriage certificate.
However, up to 30-40 minutes is more than enough for the whole moment, taking time for congratulations, photos with family and friends.
If you want to be dressed in a different outfit for the civil ceremony on your wedding day, you can swap the first two moments in between (bride and groom preparation and the civil ceremony), as illustrated in the example below, but this change will not be necessary for the actual program.
If you want to have your civil wedding on a different day, your program is listed in the image below. This is a great decision, as your wedding day program will be much more relaxed.
Travel time: The next moment is “Getting ready for the bride and groom”, and until the location of the registry office, I calculated a route of less than 15 minutes, but I've allocated 30 minutes to arrive early.
The moment of preparation can start at 11:30, having 2 hours at your disposal is more than enough, whether or not you want to carry out traditions, but also to prepare the bride and groom with parents, godparents or bridesmaids and groomsmen.
The time can be divided as follows: less than 1 hour for girls and up to 30 minutes for guys, with the rest of the time being ideal for family photos, a first look or simply a little extra time to get all the photos you want without the time pressure.
Try not to load the program with too many traditions, especially if you don't understand them and possibly accept simple traditions such as flowers to put on your chest or other moments that don't last more than a few minutes, allowing time for the rest of the preparations.
You can also you should consider preparing in a hotel room, as they are more spacious, stylish and generally more pleasant to look at in certain situations than your own home.
Most restaurants already have at least one room included in the price, and if not, you can look for other options in the city that suit your taste.
On average, make-up and hairstyling can take up to 3 hours combined or 1 hour and 30 minutes each, but it's better to ask the people you decide to work with.
Also, if artists don't work together, The travel time from one to the other and then to the training location must also be taken into account.
If gaps occur in the program and most of the time it happens, the work of the photographer and videographer can start with the preparation of the groom and groomsmen, and once the bride and bridesmaids are present, the work can continue according to the program.
When making the program for a day wedding, it is advisable that most or all of the moments should be in the same place or nearby and in general be aware of all movements from one location to another, avoiding wasting valuable time on the road.
There are lots of variations of a daytime wedding program, but I have found that this works excellent, having well arranged moments, and appropriate breaks without the event feeling like a marathon.
We note again that the program below is completely backwards, being much easier to understand and to keep it simple, when and if you want to customize it:
The ideal time to welcome guests is 16:00 (if you want your event to end by 24:00) or 17:00 (if the restaurant allows the party after 24:00) and about an hour later after all the invitations have been received, the party can start.
In this situation 17:00 is scheduled for receiving guests, in the hope that by no later than 18:00-18:30 to get the party started and approximately around 12:30-01:00 this to be completed. (6h and 30m in total approximately)
On average the wedding party can last up to 5-6 hours, This is enough or even the maximum you need, as the duration of the party is the same as an evening event.
Travel time: The next moment is the “Photo Shoot”, whether it will be in the restaurant garden or another location, you can add an extra 30 minutes, being beneficial for both travel or free time in your schedule.
Wedding day photo and video shoot can be held between 15:30-16:30, with an hour to spare, which was enough time for most of the photos with both bridesmaids and groomsmen, as well as a few portraits with just the two of you.
If the photographer's offer also includes a post-wedding photo session, On the day of the event, you can take the time to take photos of the groomsmen, bridesmaids, groomsmen or family, as well as a few photos of just the two of you, and after the wedding you can have a special photo shoot without worry, stress or time pressure, in a special location maybe even somewhere outside the city.
Travel time: The next moment is “The Church”, and until the location of the photo shoot, we calculated a route of less than 15 minutes, but just to be sure I've allocated 30 minutes.
Religious marriage can last on average from 45 minutes to 1 hour maximum, whether the ceremony is Catholic or Orthodox. For program safety, an hour should be enough for this moment.
Religious marriage recommended starting time is 13:30 no later than 14:00, having one hour for the ceremony and the possibility to add an extra 30 minutes maximum to take group photos, portraits of family and loved ones.
If the religious ceremony ends sooner than you expected, there's no problem, saving you extra time for the photo shoot afterwards.
Travel time: The next moment is the “Civil Wedding”, and we calculated a less than 15-minute drive to the church location, but I've allocated 30 minutes to arrive early.
The appropriate start time for the civil wedding is 12:30 for this program. You may be surprised to find out or you may already know, the civil ceremony lasts a maximum of 5 minutes, from the moment it begins until the signing and handing over of the marriage certificate.
However, up to 30 minutes is more than enough for the whole moment, taking time for congratulations, photos with family and friends.
If you want to be dressed in a different outfit for the civil ceremony on your wedding day, you can swap the first two moments in between (bride and groom preparation and the civil ceremony), as illustrated in the example below, but this change will not be necessary for the actual program.
If you want to have your civil wedding on a different day, your program is listed in the image below. This is a great decision, as your wedding day program will be much more relaxed.
Incidentally, we can add an extra 30 minutes to the bride and groom's preparation time, to make sure you can get the photos you want without being under time pressure.
Travel time: The next moment is “Getting ready for the bride and groom”, and until the location of the registry office, I calculated a route of less than 15 minutes, but I've allocated 30 minutes to arrive early.
The bride and groom's preparation time can start at 10:30, having 1 hour and 30 minutes is more than enough, whether you want to make various traditions, but also to cook for the bride and groom with parents, godparents or bridesmaids and groomsmen.
The time can be divided as follows: less than 1 hour for girls and up to 30 minutes for boys, with the rest of the time being ideal for a few family photos and a first look.
Try not to load the program with too many traditions, especially if you don't understand them, and possibly accept simple traditions such as flowers to put on your chest or other moments that last no more than a few minutes, allowing time for the rest of the preparations.
You can also you should consider preparing in a hotel room, as they are more spacious, stylish and generally more pleasant to look at in certain situations than your own home.
Most restaurants already have at least one room included in the price, and if not, you can look for other options in the city that suit your taste.
On average, make-up and hairstyling can take up to 3 hours combined or 1 hour and 30 minutes each, but it's better to ask the people you decide to work with.
Also, if artists don't work together, The travel time from one to the other and then to the training location must also be taken into account.
If gaps occur in the program and most of the time it happens, the work of the photographer and videographer can start with the preparation of the groom and groomsmen, and once the bride and bridesmaids are present, the work can continue according to the program.
This program has worked and still works for hundreds of clients.
If you feel the need to customize your wedding program, try to run the entire program backwards, starting with the party, the photo shoot, the religious wedding, the civil wedding (if you decide to have it on the same day) and the grooms' preparation, thus also determining the ideal start time of each moment, but also the breaks needed for a relaxed program.
Approximate displacements and provides enough time for extra safety. For a 15-20 minute trip, you can round up to a total of 30 minutes. Better to be early than late.
We encourage civil weddings to be held on a different day, thus resulting in fewer emotions, fewer worries and also a more relaxed program for you and your guests.
Hotel preparations are also a great idea, The rooms are more spacious, elegant and generally look much nicer in certain situations than your own home.
You can also learn which are the common mistakes in organizing your event or how to avoid them, so you can enjoy and relax with no regrets during the event or after.
What are your questions and how can we help you plan your wedding program?
Flower shop BUJOR - Copou
BUJOR Florist - Railway Station
Orders placed on April 11th after 4:00 PM will be delivered on Monday, April 13th, starting at 2:00 PM.
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