Know your venue. Know your vendors. Know your vision.
You’ve booked the venue.
You’ve assembled your dream team of vendors.
You’ve got a pretty good idea of what you want your wedding day to look and feel like.
Now comes the fun part.
Trying to squeeze approximately 47 different things into one afternoon and evening without turning your wedding into a military operation.
Welcome to the wonderful world of wedding run sheets.
Now, if you’re wondering what the hell a run sheet actually is, it’s essentially the timeline for your wedding day.
When things happen, who’s responsible for making them happen, and how everything flows from one moment to the next.
Simple enough, right?
Well, yes.
And no.
Because while a run sheet might look like a straightforward list of times and activities, getting it right can make an enormous difference to how much you actually enjoy your wedding.
And after being involved in more weddings than I can count, I’ve developed a pretty simple philosophy.
Know your venue. Know your vendors. Know your vision.
Let’s break that down.
Know Your Venue
Before you start deciding what time you’ll cut the cake or hit the dance floor, you need to understand the place you’ve chosen to celebrate.
Every venue operates differently.
What time can you arrive?
When can you access the property for preparations or photographs?
What time can your ceremony begin?
When does the bar package start and finish?
What time does the music need to stop?
And importantly, what time do your guests need to be safely off the property?
These aren’t particularly glamorous questions, but they’re bloody important.
Because there’s not much point planning a midnight dance-floor finale if your venue requires everyone to be gone by 10:30 pm.
Your venue or wedding coordinator should be one of your first points of contact when planning your run sheet.
They know the property, the logistics, the staffing requirements and the practical limitations.
And in many cases, they’ll have an established run sheet template to help get things started.
Which is great.
But remember, a template is a starting point. It doesn’t necessarily have to be the finished product.
Some venues offer incredibly personalised planning, while others have a more structured approach.
Either way, don’t be afraid to ask questions.
You’re investing a considerable amount of time, energy and, let’s be honest, a shitload of money into this day.
Within reason, and I stress ‘within reason’, you should be able to shape it around what matters to you.
Know Your Vendors
Here’s another one that often gets overlooked.
Every vendor you’ve booked has a timeframe attached to their services.
Your photographer might be booked for nine hours.
Your videographer might have a different finishing time.
Your musicians, DJ, content creator and MC may all have their own contracted hours.
And those timeframes need to be considered when planning your formalities.
Let’s say your photographer is scheduled to finish at 8:30 pm.
But you’ve planned your first dance for 8:25 pm.
Technically, that fits.
But what happens when dinner runs ten minutes late?
Or one of your speeches goes a little longer than expected?
Suddenly, your photographer’s finishing time has arrived and you haven’t even made it to the dance floor.
My advice?
Build in a buffer.
If there’s a moment you absolutely want photographed, don’t schedule it five minutes before your photographer is due to finish.
Allow a little breathing room.
Twenty minutes might be appropriate in some circumstances, but the important thing is to work with your photographer to establish a realistic timeline.
And please, respect the hours you’ve booked your vendors for.
If you need them longer, have that conversation beforehand and discuss whether additional coverage is available.
As a celebrant and MC, I’ve deliberately structured my own reception packages around the hours I’m typically needed.
For example, I nominate an 8:30 pm finishing time for my MC services.
Why?
Because by that point, most of the formalities I’m responsible for have been completed.
The speeches are done.
The cake’s been cut.
The first dance has happened.
And everyone’s getting stuck into enjoying themselves.
There’s generally no benefit in me hanging around for another couple of hours simply to stand in the corner and watch everyone dance.
And I certainly don’t want to charge couples additional money for time they don’t actually need me.
That’s how I approach it, anyway.
The goal is to get the most value out of every vendor you’ve booked, while respecting the time you’ve engaged them for.
Know Your Vision
Now, this is the big one.
And it’s a question I regularly ask couples when we’re planning their reception.
What do you actually want your wedding night to feel like?
Not what you think a wedding reception is supposed to look like.
Not what your cousin did at their wedding.
Not what a venue’s standard run sheet suggests.
What do you want?
Are you the type of couple who can’t wait to get onto the dance floor, rip your jacket and tie off and party with your mates?
Or are you looking forward to sitting around a beautiful long table, enjoying some wine, good food and conversation with family and friends you haven’t seen in years?
Maybe you’ve got relatives flying in from overseas.
Maybe you haven’t seen your old school mates in a decade.
Maybe you’ve been dreaming about that moments since the day you got engaged.
All of those are perfectly good reasons to structure your reception differently.
Because here’s the thing.
Whatever you’re most looking forward to requires time.
And if you don’t deliberately protect that time, your formalities can chew through it before you even realise what’s happened.
Let’s say your venue requires the music to finish at 10:30 pm.
And you want at least two solid hours of dancing.
Beautiful.
That means we need to aim to have your formalities wrapped up by 8:30 pm.
Now we’ve got something meaningful to work towards.
We can structure dinner, speeches, cake cutting and the first dance around that goal.
Rather than reaching 9:45 pm, finally opening the dance floor and wondering where the bloody night went.
Plan your run sheet around what you want to experience, not simply what you want to include.
Work Backwards From Golden Hour
One of the first major timing decisions you’ll make is when to hold your ceremony.
And this is where your photographer, venue and coordinator become particularly important.
You’ve probably heard photographers talk about golden hour.
It’s that beautiful period of soft, warm light around sunset that can produce some absolutely kick-ass wedding portraits.
And for many couples, those photographs are a priority.
So rather than randomly choosing a ceremony time, your photographer and planning team can work backwards from the ideal portrait window.
How long will you need for your ceremony?
Will there be family photographs afterwards?
How much time do you want to spend enjoying cocktail hour with your guests?
Do you need to travel to another location for portraits?
And how does all of that fit with the venue’s schedule?
Suddenly, your ceremony time starts to make a lot more sense.
Of course, golden-hour portraits aren’t compulsory.
Some couples prioritise spending more time with their guests, while others are happy to disappear for a little while to capture those beautiful photographs.
Again, it’s about knowing what matters to you.
And making sure your photographer, venue and other relevant vendors are involved in those decisions.
Never F*ck With the Kitchen
Now, if there’s one piece of advice I’d love every couple to remember, it’s this.
Never f*ck with the kitchen.
Seriously.
Wedding kitchens are incredibly well-organised operations.
They’re preparing and serving meals for potentially 50, 100, 150 or more people, often across multiple courses.
And once those meal-service times have been agreed upon, they’re there for a reason.
The last thing anyone needs is an MC deciding to squeeze in another three speeches just as 100 perfectly cooked steaks are ready to leave the kitchen.
It’s a cardinal sin.
Your venue and catering team will generally establish the meal timings, and the rest of your reception formalities should be planned around them.
With enough breathing room to accommodate the occasional delay.
Because weddings rarely run to the exact minute.
Someone takes a little longer with their speech.
The couple gets caught up chatting to guests.
A family photograph takes longer than expected.
It happens.
A good run sheet has structure, but it also has flexibility.
And a good MC knows how to work alongside the venue team to keep things moving without compromising the service your guests are about to enjoy.
Stop Interrupting Your Bloody Guests
Now, this is something I feel pretty strongly about.
Picture yourself as a wedding guest.
You’ve just sat down.
You’ve got a drink.
You’re enjoying a beautiful meal.
You’ve finally started catching up with an old friend you haven’t seen in years.
And just as the conversation gets interesting…
Some dickhead gets on the microphone.
Yep.
Your MC.
Again.
Everyone stops talking, turns around and prepares for another formality.
Five minutes later, you’re free to continue your conversation.
Until another ten minutes pass.
And guess what?
That dickhead MC is back.
Trust me, as the person holding that microphone, I hate doing it too.
Which is why I always encourage couples to group their formalities wherever possible.
Instead of interrupting your guests six separate times, can we combine those moments into two or three?
For example:
Grand entrance → cake cutting → first two speeches.
Your bridal party enters.
You make your grand entrance as newlyweds.
The energy is high.
Everyone’s cheering.
Why not head straight over and cut the cake?
Because let’s be honest, cutting a cake as a standalone formality can be a little awkward.
Everyone gathers around.
You cut the cake.
You look at your MC as if to say, What do we do now?
And your MC looks back at you.
Nothing. You just did it.
So why not connect it to something else?
Or perhaps later in the evening:
Couple’s thank-you speech → cake cutting → first dance.
Three formalities.
One interruption.
Everyone’s attention is already on you, the transitions feel natural, and before you know it, you’re on the dance floor.
Beautiful.
Of course, the exact combinations depend on your meal service, venue layout and what you want to include.
But the principle remains the same.
Minimise the interruptions. Maximise the enjoyment.
Your guests will thank you for it.
And so will your MC.
Whatever You Do, Don’t Open the Floor for Speeches
Righto.
This one deserves its own section.
Because if there’s one thing I strongly discourage as a professional MC, it’s an open microphone for wedding speeches.
And there are two very good reasons.
Timing and content.
Let’s start with timing.
The moment you announce that anyone who wants to say a few words is welcome to come forward, you’ve effectively surrendered control of your run sheet.
How many people are going to speak?
Two?
Five?
Twelve?
How long will they talk?
Nobody knows.
And once someone gets hold of that microphone, it’s bloody awkward to take it away from them.
What was supposed to be a ten-minute window can quickly turn into half an hour.
Meanwhile, the kitchen is ready to serve dinner, the photographer is watching the clock and your guests are wondering when they’ll get back to enjoying themselves.
Then there’s the content.
Your mate Jonno might be an absolute legend.
But after six beers, four spicy margs and three red wines, handing him an unsupervised microphone might not be the greatest idea you’ve ever had.
Especially when he decides to share a story from a boys’ weekend that absolutely nobody needed to hear.
Suddenly, we’ve got an uncomfortable bride, a furious mother-in-law and a room full of people wishing Jonno would sit the f*ck down.
And poor old Jonno probably won’t even remember it tomorrow.
My advice? Know exactly who’s speaking before the wedding day.
Who Should Give a Wedding Speech?
This is another area where couples often ask me what’s considered normal.
Traditionally, you might hear from the father of the bride, father of the groom, maid of honour, best man and the couple themselves.
But that’s just a loose guide.
And honestly, who gives a shit what’s considered normal?
Maybe Mum wants to speak instead of Dad.
Maybe both parents want to say a few words together.
Maybe your brother wants to give a speech.
Maybe your best friend is absolutely terrified of public speaking.
Maybe your family circumstances mean certain people aren’t involved.
All perfectly fine.
You choose who you’d like to hear from.
And if you’re not sure whether someone wants to speak, ask them.
Something as simple as:
“Hey Dad, we’d really love it if you said a few words at our wedding. Would you be comfortable doing that?”
That gives them an opportunity to accept.
Or politely decline.
Because some people would be absolutely honoured to speak but would never dream of putting themselves forward.
Others would rather wrestle a crocodile than stand in front of 100 people holding a microphone.
Either way, you’ve given them the choice.
And once you’ve confirmed your speakers, there’s one more important conversation to have.
Give Your Speakers a Time Limit
Yep.
An actual time limit.
And don’t feel awkward about it.
You’re not telling someone they have five minutes because you’re worried they’re going to bore everyone senseless.
Although, let’s be honest, sometimes that might be a consideration.
You’re giving them a timeframe because there’s an entire wedding reception happening around their speech.
There are meals to serve.
Other people waiting to speak.
Formalities to complete.
And guests who’d quite like to enjoy the rest of their evening.
So explain that.
Let your speakers know that the run sheet has allocated a certain amount of time for speeches and ask them to work within it.
Most people will completely understand.
And while we’re on the subject, encourage them to think about their audience.
A funny personal story can be brilliant.
But a ten-minute collection of private jokes that only the speaker and the couple, or worse still… only one of them, understand?
Not so much.
The best speeches are heartfelt, entertaining and considerate of the people listening.
They don’t need to be long to be memorable.
And remember, if you’ve got five speakers allocated five minutes each, that’s already 25 minutes of speeches before you’ve factored in introductions and transitions.
Those minutes add up.
Which is exactly why planning matters.
Your Run Sheet Should Work for You, Not the Other Way Around
Here’s something I want couples to understand.
When I’m booked as your celebrant, my primary focus is making sure your ceremony is everything you want it to be.
But when I’m also booked as your MC, my involvement naturally extends much further into your wedding day.
We’ve built a relationship.
I’ve got to know you.
I understand your personalities, your priorities and what you’re hoping to achieve.
And that means I can be another resource when you’re planning your reception.
Not to take over from your venue or coordinator.
Not to tell your photographer how to do their job.
And certainly not to dictate what your wedding should look like.
But to offer advice, share experience, ask questions and help make sure the different parts of your day work together.
Because between your venue, coordinator, photographer, videographer, caterers, musicians, MC and everyone else involved, there’s an enormous amount of collective wedding experience available to you.
Use it.
Ask questions.
Listen to recommendations.
Understand why certain timings are suggested.
And don’t be afraid to challenge something if it doesn’t align with what you want.
A good team of wedding vendors should be working towards the same outcome.
Helping you have the best possible day.
So, How the Hell Do You Plan Your Wedding Day?
Start with three things.
Know your venue. Understand its timings, restrictions and requirements.
Know your vendors. Understand their availability, responsibilities and contracted hours.
Know your vision. Decide what matters most to you and protect the time needed to enjoy it.
From there, work with your team to establish the ceremony timing, meal service, formalities and everything in between.
Group your formalities where possible.
Don’t mess with the kitchen.
Keep your speeches intentional and your speakers informed.
Build in some breathing room.
And most importantly, remember why you’re doing all of this in the first place.
You’re not getting married so you can spend the day checking your watch and feel rushed.
You’re getting married to celebrate with the people you love.
So whether your dream reception involves three hours of dancing, a long evening of wine and conversation, or a bit of both…
Build your run sheet around the wedding you actually want to have.
Not the one you think you’re supposed to have.
Happy planning.
Ryan.
