Wedding Run Sheet Template: What to Include, Who Gets It and When

What is a wedding run sheet, and how is it different from a timeline?

A timeline lists the main moments of the day. A run sheet adds who does each job, where it happens, how long it takes and how to reach them, so suppliers can work from it without asking.

Couples often say timeline, run sheet and wedding day schedule as if they mean the same thing. They overlap, but they do different jobs. The timeline goes to guests and family. The run sheet goes to your suppliers, your MC and your coordinator, and it covers the whole day from the first delivery truck to the venue being locked.

If you want to see a full day laid out first, start with my sample wedding day timeline. This guide turns that kind of timeline into a working run sheet.

What columns should a wedding run sheet have?

Seven: time, duration, what's happening, location, who's responsible, supplier contact and notes or cues. Each row should make sense to someone reading it for the first time.

The duration column is the one people skip. Without it you can't see that a 25 minute speech block and a 5 minute entrance can't both start at 6:15pm. The notes column is where music cues live. If your music is a Spotify playlist, put the playlist name and the exact track for each moment in this column, and give your DJ or musician the same list.

How do you build a wedding run sheet from scratch?

Fix the times that can't move first, then work backwards and forwards from them. Supplier details go in last, once each supplier has confirmed.

1. Write down the fixed points. Ceremony time, venue access time, noise curfew and sunset for your date.
2. Work back from the ceremony. Hair and makeup, getting dressed, transport and guest arrival.
3. Work forward from the ceremony. Photos, canapés, entrances, meals, speeches, cake, first dance and farewell.
4. Add bump-in and pack-down. Ask each supplier when they arrive, how long setup takes and when they leave.
5. Add durations and buffers. Check that nothing overlaps and that each move has 5 to 15 minutes spare.
6. Fill in the cues. Music tracks, who gives the signal, and items needed at each moment.
7. Send it for checking. Each supplier confirms their rows in writing, then you lock the final version.

Sunset is worth checking early. In Sydney it ranges from about 4:52pm in mid June to about 8:09pm in early January, according to sunrise-sunset.org (checked October 2026). That changes when portraits and golden hour photos can happen, so look up the time for your date.

What goes in each section of the run sheet?

Split the day into six sections: supplier bump-in, getting ready, ceremony, photos and canapés, reception, and pack-down. Here is the template content for a 3pm ceremony with the reception at the same venue.

Supplier bump-in

Many of the couples who contact me are setting up their own décor, so bump-in is often the busiest part of the day. If you're at a DIY or dry-hire venue or a backyard marquee, list every delivery and who signs for it.

Getting ready

Ceremony

Photos and canapés

Moving florals from the ceremony to the reception comes up in a lot of my enquiries. Give it its own row, a time and a person, or it falls to whoever happens to be standing nearby.

Reception

Your MC should have this section on its own page. My wedding MC guide covers what else they need, and the seating chart guide covers getting everyone to their tables on time.

Pack-down

What goes on the supplier contact sheet?

One line per supplier with the business, a contact name, a mobile number, their arrival time and their pack-down time. Keep it to one page and print it.

The pack-down column matters as much as arrival. It tells you who is still on site at the end of the night and who can help if a box needs to go to the car. A printed copy also belongs in your wedding day emergency kit, in case a phone dies.

Who gets a copy of the run sheet, and when?

Suppliers, the venue, the MC and the bridal party all get a copy 1 to 2 weeks before the wedding. Everyone gets the final, dated version a week out. Each group gets the version that fits their job.

When I coordinate a wedding, the run sheet and supplier confirmations start 4 to 6 weeks before the day. I walk the venue 2 to 4 weeks out and adjust the times to what I see there. Then the shared version goes out, and the final one follows a week before. Put a version number and date at the top so nobody works from an old draft.

How does a coordinator use the run sheet on the day?

As the plan everyone checks against. The coordinator meets each supplier at their listed time, cues each moment and moves the later rows when something runs over.

• Bump-in: I arrive 2 to 3 hours before the ceremony and tick off each supplier as they arrive. A missing arrival gets a call straight away.
• Ceremony: I line up the bridal party in the order on the sheet and give the musician or DJ the signal for each track.
• Photos: I call each group from the list so the photographer can keep shooting.
• Reception: I keep the MC to time, tell the kitchen if speeches run long, and make sure the next person is ready before each moment.
• Pack-down: I hand the pack-down list and labelled boxes to the named person before I leave.

Helping the MC run to time is one of the most common requests I get. A clear reception section with durations makes that easy, because everyone can see what has to move if one speech goes long.

What are the most common wedding run sheet mistakes?

No buffers, missing supplier arrival times, no wet weather plan and no pack-down section. These are also the gaps people point out when couples share their DIY schedules online.

• No buffers. Every move takes longer than you think. Allow 5 to 15 minutes between moments.
• No transition time between speeches and dances. Someone has to hand back the microphone, dim the lights and find the couple.
• A long gap between ceremony and reception. If guests wait two hours with nothing to do, they drift. Fill it with canapés, drinks or lawn games.
• No time for MC housekeeping. Give the MC 5 minutes after guests sit down for toilets, the bar and the order of the night.
• Missing supplier arrival times. If you don't know when the florist arrives, you can't plan who lets them in.
• No wet weather plan. Write both plans, and agree who makes the call and by when. The template has a tab for this.
• No pack-down section. Gifts, cards and your own décor need a named person, or they get left behind.

The run sheet is also only as good as the bookings behind it. If you're still confirming suppliers, my guide on when to book wedding vendors has the order to do it in.

Frequently asked questions

How we researched this

Written by Sara Ward from the run sheet structure she uses for weddings across Sydney and regional NSW, drawing on 8+ years in events and 25+ weddings. The common mistakes reflect Hello Love enquiries and the issues people raise when couples share DIY wedding schedules on public forums. The sample day is illustrative. Prices are Hello Love's published packages as of October 2026. Sunset times and Google Sheets and Numbers compatibility were checked in October 2026.

1. Sunrise and sunset times in Sydney · sunrise-sunset.org · checked 7 Oct 2026
2. Import data sets & spreadsheets · Google Docs Editors Help · checked 7 Oct 2026
3. Import an Excel or text file into Numbers on Mac · Apple Support · checked 7 Oct 2026