Some thoughts from our team…
What time of the day are you planning to have your wedding ceremony? For many couples who visit Roundwood, this is not something they have considered before our initial meeting. However, the timing of your ceremony impacts everything about your day from your preparation time in the morning, through to food service and entertainment. At Roundwood, we hold ceremonies as early as 12pm and as late as 5pm and always discuss with our couples how this will affect the flow of their day. Here are some of the things we take into account during the planning:
A typical All Inclusive Package
Our All Inclusive Package is designed around a 2pm ceremony. Here is an idea of the itinerary for the day:
🕐 1pm – arrival of Groom and guests. The Bride usually arrives around 15 minutes before the ceremony once everyone is seated
🕑 2pm – ceremony (remember if you are booking the Registrars they require the ceremony to start promptly)
🕝 2:30pm – ceremony finishes. Serving of post ceremony drinks and time for photos whilst the room is being turned around
🕓 4pm – wedding breakfast
🕠 5:30pm – speeches
🕕 6pm – more time for photos
🕖 7pm – arrival of evening guests/DJ
🕗 8pm – first dance and cutting of the cake
🕣 8:30pm – serving of evening buffet (or alternative)
🕛 12am – bar closes
🕧 12:30am – carriages
Could we have our ceremony earlier in the day?
At Roundwood, we have ceremonies taking place as early as 12pm. Here are some things to consider when planning an earlier ceremony:
✅ Preparation time – How much time are you and the rest of the bridal party/guests going to need to get ready before leaving? How many hairs need styling? How long does each one take? How many stylists do you have? What about make up? How early are you prepared to start? Remember to plan in some time for food as well.
✅ Arrival time – One member of the bridal party (usually the Groom) is at the venue around 1 hour before the ceremony time to welcome the guests who we recommend inviting from around 45 minutes before the ceremony. The other member usually arrives around 15 minutes before the ceremony is due to start. Consider your travel times as well as the distance of your guests. What time will people have to leave to arrive in time?
✅ Timings of the rest of the day – With a 12pm ceremony, we would usually anticipate sitting down for a meal around 2pm. The meal and speeches usually take around 2 hours (depending on numbers of guests and choice of menu) so would be finished by 4pm. Evening guests are usually invited from 7pm. Do you have any plans for you and your ‘day’ guests from 4pm-7pm. This can be an ideal time for singers, magicians and other entertainment but can also be a long day for guests, particularly those with children. You could consider starting your evening party early or even finishing your day after the meal.
Could we have a later ceremony?
A later ceremony will also impact the day. Here are things we ask couples to consider when thinking about a later ceremony as part of an All-Inclusive Package
✅ Timings for the rest of the day – The length of the ceremony and meal will remain constant therefore it is the timings between these events that will reduce. However, as a venue we need around 1.5 hours between the ceremony and the meal to prepare the room so this needs to be taken into account. How much time do you want for photos to be taken? If you push the meal time back, evening guests may arrive whilst the speeches are still going on so you may want to think about delaying their arrival time.
✅ Serving food – A 3pm ceremony would result in a 5pm wedding breakfast finishing around 6:30pm. This is a great time for a meal and guests would have had time to have lunch before arriving for the ceremony. Make sure you will too! Consider whether you would then wish to serve an evening buffet as most people would not then require another meal later in the day. What about your evening guests?
Our Twilight Ceremony
Our Twilight Package was designed as an option for couples wishing to get married later in the day. A typical itinerary looks like this:
🕓 4pm – wedding ceremony
🕟 4:30pm – ceremony finishes. Serving of post ceremony drinks and photos whilst the room is being turned around.
🕕 6pm – arrival of any additional guests/DJ
🕖 7pm – first dance and cutting of the cake
🕢 7:30pm – serving of evening buffet (or alternative)
🕛 12am – bar closes
🕧 12:30am – carriages
Some of the benefits we see and share with our couples include the following:
✅ Ideal for midweek weddings so guests do not need to take a whole day’s holiday to attend
✅ Most couples choose to invite all of their guests to the whole event taking away the need to choose between ‘day’ and ‘evening’ guests
✅ You are only feeding your guests once therefore reducing your venue costs and allowing you to spend more of your budget on additional extras
At Roundwood, we are committed to delivering your wedding day the way you envisage it and we understand how important a stress-free wedding is. That’s why all our wedding packages include a dedicated Wedding Coordinator to guide you through every step including the timings of the day. Why not book an appointment now to begin to discuss how your dream day might look. You can do this via our online appointment booking system.
Happy planning! 💍✨