A run sheet (or order of the day) is the plan everyone works from on your wedding day. Done well, it means your photographer knows when to slip away for golden-hour photos, your caterer knows when speeches end, and nobody needs to ask you where the power point is.
This guide covers what to include, gives you an example timeline to adapt, and explains how to share it with the people who need it.
What goes in a wedding run sheet
There are two parts: the timeline, and the practical details around it.
The timeline
- Time for each moment, from first arrivals to the last song.
- What’s happening, in plain words: “Ceremony begins”, “Speeches”, “Cake cutting”.
- Where, if the day moves between spaces or venues.
- Who’s involved or responsible, such as the MC, photographer or band.
The practical details
- Arrival and set-up times for each vendor, and when they need to be packed down.
- Parking and access: where to unload, any gate codes, the best entrance for gear.
- Power: where the outlets are, and what’s available outdoors.
- Day-of contacts: the venue manager, your MC and a trusted friend or whānau member who can answer questions, so they don’t all come to you.
- Wet-weather plan, if any part of the day is outside.
An example wedding day timeline
Here’s a sample order of the day for a 2pm ceremony with the reception at the same venue. Move the times to suit your own day; the order and the gaps between moments are the useful part.
| Time | Moment | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 9:00am | Hair and makeup begins | Allow time for everyone, finishing well before the photographer arrives |
| 11:00am | Florist and stylist set up | Venue access and unloading details on the run sheet |
| 12:00pm | Photographer arrives for getting-ready photos | Have rings, invitations and details ready to photograph |
| 1:00pm | Celebrant and ceremony musicians arrive | Sound check; confirm power if outdoors |
| 1:30pm | Guests arrive | Ushers or whānau welcome people in |
| 2:00pm | Ceremony begins | Licence ready for the celebrant |
| 2:30pm | Signing and congratulations | Two witnesses sign alongside you |
| 2:45pm | Drinks and canapés | Group photos during this time |
| 3:45pm | Couple photos | About 45 minutes away with your photographer |
| 5:00pm | Guests move into the reception | MC welcomes everyone; a karakia or grace before the meal, if you’d like one |
| 5:30pm | Entrée served | Dietary meals marked for the caterer |
| 6:15pm | Speeches | Keep them between courses so the kitchen can plan |
| 7:00pm | Main course | |
| 8:00pm | Golden-hour photos | Check sunset time for your date and location |
| 8:30pm | Cake cutting and first dance | Band or DJ ready |
| 8:45pm | Dancing | |
| 11:30pm | Last song and farewell | Transport booked for guests who need it |
| 12:00am | Pack-down | Who’s collecting gifts, cards and hired items |
A note on light: sunset times in Aotearoa vary a lot through the year and from north to south. Look up the sunset for your date and town, and ask your photographer when they’d like you for golden-hour photos.
Tips for a calm order of the day
- Build in buffers. Add 10 to 15 minutes around anything involving lots of people moving at once.
- Give someone else the clipboard. Your MC, a coordinator or a calm friend should own the timings on the day, so you don’t have to.
- Keep speeches together and timed. Ask speakers for about five minutes each, and let your caterer know when they fall.
- Honour your traditions. A mihi, a karakia, a tea ceremony or a family blessing each need time and the right people in place. Put them on the run sheet like any other moment.
- Plan the end of the night. Who’s taking the gifts home? Who returns the hire items? Small jobs like these are easy to forget at midnight.
Don’t forget the days leading up
The run sheet covers the day itself, but plenty happens in the days before: collecting outfits, dropping décor at the venue, the rehearsal, picking up whānau from the airport. Keep those on a short “leading up” list, and look at our wedding checklist for what to do in the final month and week.
Sharing your run sheet with vendors
Send your run sheet two to four weeks before the wedding, once numbers and timings are settled. Then confirm in the final week that nothing has changed. Make sure every vendor has the same version, along with your day-of contacts, and that your final guest numbers and dietary notes have reached your caterer. Our guest list and RSVP guide covers getting those in on time.
Common questions
What is a wedding run sheet?
A run sheet is the order of the day: what happens, when, where, and who’s responsible. It usually also includes vendor arrival times, contact numbers and practical notes like parking and power, so everyone working on the day is on the same page.
Who needs a copy of the wedding run sheet?
Your venue, caterer, photographer and videographer, band or DJ, florist or stylist, hair and makeup, transport, your celebrant, your MC and anyone in the wedding party with a job to do. Each person mostly needs their own times, but seeing the whole day helps them work together.
How much buffer should we build into a wedding day timeline?
Add 10 to 15 minutes around anything involving lots of people moving at once: getting ready, leaving for the ceremony, group photos and the move to the reception. Things almost always take longer than expected, and a little slack keeps the day relaxed.
When should we send the run sheet to vendors?
About two to four weeks before the wedding, once your final numbers and timings are settled. Then send a short note in the final week to confirm nothing has changed.
More planning guides
- Planning a wedding budget in New Zealand What NZ couples really spend, how to pick your number, a category-by-category budget template, and how to keep deposits and due dates under control.
- Your wedding planning checklist for New Zealand A month-by-month planning timeline, the NZ marriage licence explained, and what to do in the final week. Works for 18 months or six.
- Your wedding guest list and RSVPs, sorted A guest list template, how to handle plus-ones and kids, when to set your RSVP deadline, and collecting replies online for free.
How wed.kiwi helps
wed.kiwi is a free wedding-planning web app made in Aotearoa. Your schedule has a “Leading up” view for the days before and a “Day of” view for the wedding itself.
- Build your order of the day moment by moment, and choose which moments appear on the run sheet with an “on run sheet” toggle.
- Add arrival, parking and power notes, plus day-of contacts, so vendors have what they need.
- Share the run sheet as a read-only link. Vendors open it without logging in.
- Keep each vendor’s status, cost, contact details and notes in your vendors list.
- Invite your partner or whānau with a link, so the person holding the clipboard has the plan too.
The essentials are free. Start your run sheet in wed.kiwi or browse the other planning guides.