Free wedding run sheet generator
Answer three questions and PlannedBy generates a full run sheet - timings, vendor calls, buffers and all - as suggestions you make your own. Keep what fits, cut what doesn’t.
Some call it a day-of timeline, a running order, or the order of the day - same document. The full sample below is open on this page, no email required.
How it works
Inside your run sheet, choose Generate Your Own Template. It asks three questions, then writes the whole day for you.
Three day shapes: Evening classic, Morning + lunch, or Split day. Pick the one that matches how your day actually runs.
Tick your team - Photographer, Videographer, Hair & makeup, Celebrant, Florist, Caterer, DJ / Band, Transport. Each one gets their own column with their own cues.
Lite, Standard, or Detailed - from the anchor moments alone to the full working day with buffers and reminders in every column.
The preview shows exactly what you are about to get - skim the Outline or See every row. When it looks right, one click on Use this schedule and the whole day lands in your run sheet.
Three day shapes: Evening classic, Morning + lunch, or Split day. Pick the one that matches how your day actually runs.
Tick your team - each vendor you pick gets their own column with their own cues.
Lite, Standard, or Detailed - from the anchor moments alone to the full working day with buffers and reminders in every column.
Skim the Outline or See every row. When it looks right, one click on Use this schedule and the whole day lands in your run sheet.
Ghost cells
Every generated cell lands as a ghost - faded, quiet, clearly a suggestion. Type over one and it becomes yours. Leave one alone and it stays a suggestion, not a commitment.
Level of detail
A blank grid asks you to already know how a wedding day runs. This template answers the questions you did not know to ask - how long things take, who moves when, and what goes wrong if nobody is watching.
The anchor moments of the day, nothing else. A skeleton you can read in one glance and hand to anyone.
Adds the working day - vendor arrivals, set ups, handoffs, and the small logistics that keep every column moving.
Adds the buffers and the warnings - the rows written by days that have gone wrong before, so yours does not.
The sample
This is the Evening classic template at the Standard level, exactly as it generates: a 3:00 PM ceremony, cocktail hour on the terrace, and an evening reception. Read the whole thing on this page - it is the same wedding day run sheet, day-of timeline, or running order you were about to build from scratch.
The Primary Sheet is your own column - the master view of the day. Three of the vendor columns are shown here: Photographer, Hair & makeup and Caterer. The generated template also carries columns for your Videographer, Celebrant, Florist, DJ / Band and Transport, which is where the quieter rows below get their cues. Ceremony at a different time? The same logic holds - a 2:00 PM ceremony pulls every row forward an hour, a 4:00 PM ceremony pushes them back. And if your day is not an evening one, the Morning + lunch shape runs an earlier ceremony into a lunch reception, while Split day handles a long gap between the ceremony and the party. Rather see your own day than a sample? The free run sheet generator builds one around your ceremony time, right on the page - no signup.
| Time | Primary Sheet | Photographer | Hair & makeup | Caterer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preparation | ||||
| 8:00 AM | Bride ArrivesAt the Airbnb, address TBA Bride, 3 bridesmaids and mother of the bride on site Breakfast delivered at 9:00 |
Running order on the fridge: 8:00 Bridesmaid 1 8:45 Bridesmaid 2 9:30 Bridesmaid 3 10:15 Mother of the bride 11:45 Bride Everyone in a button up shirt, no jumpers |
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| 9:00 AM | Groom ArrivesGroom, best man and 2 groomsmen at the hotel 10 mins from the venue Rings and vow books stay with the best man |
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| 9:30 AM | Arrives at the Airbnb - Flat lay: rings, invitation, shoes, perfume - Dress hanging in the light - Vow books and letters |
Bridesmaid 3 into makeup Bridesmaid 1 finished, keep her out of the sun |
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| 10:00 AM | This row’s cues sit in the Videographer and Florist columns, not shown in this view. | |||
| 10:45 AM | Candids in the getting ready room Robes, champagne, the mess Window side only, the back room is too dark |
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| 11:00 AM | All 3 bridesmaids finished Hairspray done before dresses go anywhere near them |
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| 11:30 AM | This row’s cues sit in the Videographer and Florist columns, not shown in this view. | |||
| 11:45 AM | Bride into the chair Makeup first, 45 mins Hair from 12:30 |
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| 12:00 PM | Kitchen team on site Bump in through the loading dock, not the terrace Fridges and prep bench claimed |
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| 12:30 PM | Bride into hair Veil placed while the mirror is still up, not after |
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| 1:00 PM | Touch up kit handed to the maid of honour Lipstick, powder, 4 pins, blotting papers 1 person owns it for the day |
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| 1:15 PM | Bridesmaids dressed first, then the bride Room cleared except the mother of the bride and the maid of honour |
Back of the dress, then the mother of the bride doing the buttons Door closed, nobody else in frame |
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| 1:30 PM | Groom, best man and 2 groomsmen leave the hotel 10 min drive to the venue, on site by 1:45 Groom stays off the front drive |
Pack down Bins emptied, benches wiped, nothing left in the bathroom |
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| 1:45 PM | Bridal Party PhotosIn the back garden at the Airbnb Bride, bridesmaids and mother of the bride 15 mins, then everyone into the cars |
Garden wall in open shade: Bride solo, 4 frames Bride + bridesmaids Bride + mother of the bride Father of the bride first look |
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| 2:00 PM | Leaves for the venue ahead of the cars Needs 15 mins with the groom and groomsmen before guests land |
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| 2:15 PM | Bride and father of the bride in car 1 15 min drive to the venue Side entrance to the bridal suite, no walking past the lawn |
Bar stocked on the terrace Water station and glasses at the top of the aisle |
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| Ceremony | ||||
| 2:30 PM | Guests ArriveUshers at the top of the path Front 2 rows held for family Order of service on the seats, 96 printed |
Groom and groomsmen portraits, 10 mins Then guest arrivals and the wide of the empty aisle |
Water station out and jugs full Glasses collected off the lawn before 2:55 |
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| 2:45 PM | This row’s cues sit in the Celebrant, Videographer and Transport columns, not shown in this view. | |||
| 3:00 PM | Ceremony BeginsGuests standing, phones away Runs 30 mins |
Aisle from the back, then move to the side No flash, never step into the aisle |
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| 3:20 PM | Front left for the vows, stay low 1 frame of the hands, then back to faces |
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| 3:25 PM | This row’s cues sit in the Celebrant and DJ / Band columns, not shown in this view. | |||
| 3:30 PM | Signing table, 3 frames Then 1 set up shot with both witnesses standing |
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| 3:35 PM | RecessionalB+G walk out together Wedding party follows in pairs Guests stay seated until the party is clear |
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| 3:40 PM | Confetti LineGuests form 2 lines down the path Confetti handed out at the end of each row Dried petals only, the venue will not take paper |
1 walk through, then a slower second pass Shoot into the light |
Cold drinks tray at the bottom of the path First thing they see coming out |
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| 3:45 PM | Family PhotosGroupings list is with the maid of honour 15 mins MAX, then everyone to the terrace |
Family Photos: B+G + B parents B+G + G parents B + siblings G + siblings B+G + both sets of grandparents Largest groups first Grandparents released after 2 frames |
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| 4:00 PM | Wedding Party PhotosWedding party only, on the lawn 15 mins, then they rejoin guests Drinks sent out to them |
Full party, then bride + bridesmaids, then groom + groomsmen 1 jumping frame because someone will ask |
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| Cocktail Hour | ||||
| 4:00 PM | Canapes and DrinksGuests to the terrace Bar open, lawn games out Runs 90 mins |
Canapes out, 6 per person across the hour 2 hot, 2 cold, 1 vegan, 1 gluten free Staff work the edges of the room, not the middle |
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| 4:20 PM | Couple PortraitsB+G away from guests for 20 mins Water and a canape plate goes with them |
Walled garden, then the stone steps 20 mins hard out, no extensions |
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| 5:00 PM | B+G back on the terrace Move as a pair, 2 mins per group MC pulls them along if a group runs over |
Candids only Grab the 4 group shots on the list while everyone is standing |
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| 5:30 PM | Empty room details, 10 mins Before anyone walks in, not after |
Ballroom set and doors closed Dietary cards on 4 seats, chef walks them before service |
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| 5:45 PM | Guests SeatedMC calls guests through to the ballroom Seating chart at the door, 2 ushers helping Wedding party lines up in the hallway |
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| Reception | ||||
| 6:00 PM | Couple IntroducedWedding party in first, then B+G Guests stand and stay standing until B+G are seated |
Shoot from beside the head table looking back at the doors | ||
| 6:15 PM | MC welcome, 2 mins Welcome toast from a family member, 1 min |
Entree plated and holding Nothing lands while a microphone is live |
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| 6:30 PM | Entree ServedEntree out to 12 tables No speeches while plates are landing |
Allergy plates go out first, marked with a blue card 12 tables, 96 guests, head table served first |
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| 6:45 PM | Table shots, 2 tables per song Start at the back so the head table stays fresh |
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| 7:00 PM | Speeches3 speakers: Father of the bride Maid of honour Best man 5 mins each, MC holds the clock |
Speaker, then reaction, then back Stay low and off to the side |
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| 7:30 PM | Dinner ServedMains out Speeches paused until every plate has landed |
Mains out, 45 mins from first plate to last cleared Alternate drop, 2 vegetarian on table 7 |
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| 7:45 PM | Golden Hour PhotosB+G slip out for 15 mins MC covers the room, nobody follows them |
7:45 Sunset shots 8:00 Back inside Spot TBA, walk it at 4:00 while it is light |
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| 8:15 PM | Cake collected from the head table Cut, plated and back out within 15 mins |
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| 8:30 PM | Cake CuttingB+G at the cake, guests gather in a half circle 5 mins, straight into the first dance |
2 angles, the cut then the kiss Ask them to hold the knife down for a beat |
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| 8:45 PM | First DanceB+G on the floor alone for the first verse Wedding party joins on the second chorus, then everyone in |
Backlit from the far side Get the parents watching, not just the couple |
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| 9:00 PM | Dessert ServedDessert and cut cake out to the tables Guests can eat standing, the floor stays open |
Dessert out with the cut cake Late coffee on request only |
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| 9:15 PM | Dance BracketFloor open until 10:45 Bar stays open, no table service from here |
Dance floor candids, flash on Grab the grandparents before they leave |
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| 10:15 PM | Late night bites at the bar Sliders and hot chips, 2 rounds |
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| 10:45 PM | Last drinks called Bar closes at 11:00 |
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| 11:00 PM | Send OffGuests line the drive B+G walk out and leave first Sparkler exit? Need venue OK |
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Generate this day with your vendors, your times, and every cell editable.
FAQ
Yes. Run sheet, day-of timeline, running order and order of the day are the same document with different regional names - run sheet is the Australian term, day-of timeline the American one, and running order or order of the day is what you will hear in the UK and Ireland. Whatever you call it, it is the minute-by-minute schedule of your wedding day, with a column for you and one for each vendor.
Start with the anchor moments: guests arriving, the ceremony, photos, the entrance, dinner, speeches, cake, first dance and the send off. Then add what most templates miss - vendor arrival and set up times, travel between locations, handoffs like who holds the rings or the touch up kit, and buffers around the parts that run long. The generated template includes all of it as suggestions, so the checking is done before you start editing.
The numbers baked into the template above: family photos 15 minutes, wedding party photos 15 minutes, couple portraits 20 minutes with no extensions. Speeches run 5 minutes per speaker with the MC holding the clock, and mains take about 45 minutes from first plate to last cleared. These are working defaults from real wedding days - stretch or shrink them, but budget them before the day, not during it.
The Evening classic order: couple introduced, a short welcome, entree, speeches, mains, cake cutting, first dance, dessert, open dance floor, then the send off. Golden hour photos slip out between courses while everyone is seated. It is a proven sequence, not a rule - the template lays it out and you reorder whatever your day needs.
Yes. A venue coordinator runs the venue - room set up, catering timings, what happens inside their walls. Your morning at the Airbnb, the hair and makeup running order, the photographer’s shot list, transport and everything off-site is still yours to schedule. A run sheet gives everyone the same picture of the whole day, the coordinator included.
Yes. Each vendor has their own column, so your photographer sees their cues alongside the master timeline instead of hunting through a 12-page PDF. And because the run sheet stays a living document rather than a one-off download, the version your vendors read is always the current one.
No. Answer three questions - Shape of the day, Who’s working your day, Level of detail - and the full day generates as suggestions. Keep what fits, cut what doesn’t, and edit every cell like anything else in your run sheet. Nothing is added until you choose.
Works with any tradition - you layer yours on top.