Wedding Day Timelines

Your venue hire times

Exclusive use of the estate for the whole celebration. The access either side of the day depends on your package year.

2027 weddings

As set out in your package

The day before: From 2:00pmWith pre-wedding accommodation, an optional extra
Wedding day: From 8:00am for hair, makeup and stylingFor day hire, where no accommodation is booked
Celebration: 1:00pm to 11:00pm
Music off: 11:00pm9:30pm with the Vignette package
Guests depart: 11:30pmOff site by 10:00pm with the Vignette package
The morning after: Until 10:00amWith wedding-night accommodation, an optional extra

2028 weddings

As set out in your package

The day before: 3:00pm to 7:00pmDrop off, set up and settle in; your vendors can bump in too
Wedding day: From 6:00am for hair, makeup and styling
Celebration: 1:00pm to 11:00pm
Music off: 11:00pm9:30pm with the Vignette package
Guests depart: 11:30pmOff site by 10:00pm with the Vignette package
The morning after: 6:00am to 9:00amCollect your belongings and hired items

Sunset at Maroon Hill

Most couples plan the day backwards from sunset, so portraits land in golden hour over Mount Maroon. Times are for the middle of each month. Queensland has no daylight saving, so they hold steady year to year.

Jan6:50pm

Feb6:35pm

Mar6:07pm

Apr5:32pm

May5:07pm

Jun5:00pm

Jul5:10pm

Aug5:26pm

Sep5:41pm

Oct5:56pm

Nov6:19pm

Dec6:41pm

The sun sets behind the ranges to the west, so the light can fade a little before the official time. Check the exact sunset for your date when you build your timeline.

How the day often flows

Two examples drawn from real weddings at the estate, one in spring and one in winter. Swap, stretch or skip any part of them: plenty of couples dine outside, serve canapés instead of a sit-down meal, or hold the ceremony and reception on different days.

Spring

An October wedding, sunset 5:56pm

Morning: Hair and makeup; florist and stylist arrive to set up
12:00pm: Our venue manager arrives and puts the umbrellas up
1:30pm: Caterer, bar and music arrive in time to set up for their first service
2:30pm: Guests arrive, with welcome drinks
3:00pm: Ceremony, about 30 minutes
3:30pm: Group and family photos, while cocktail hour begins with drinks and canapés
4:15pm: Bridal party photos
5:00pm: Portraits of the two of you in golden hour
5:56pm: Sunset
6:10pm: Guests seated; MC welcome and entrances
6:25pm: Entrée, then the first speeches
7:00pm: Main course, then the rest of the speeches
7:45pm: Cake cutting and first dance
8:00pm: Dance floor opens
10:30pm: Last drinks
11:00pm: Music off; send-off
11:30pm: Guests and vendors off site

Winter

A July wedding, sunset 5:10pm

Morning: Hair and makeup; florist and stylist arrive to set up
12:00pm: Our venue manager arrives and puts the umbrellas up
1:00pm: Caterer, bar and music arrive in time to set up for their first service
2:00pm: Guests arrive, with welcome drinks
2:30pm: Ceremony, about 30 minutes
3:00pm: Group and family photos, then drinks, canapés and the firepit
3:45pm: Bridal party photos
4:30pm: Portraits of the two of you in golden hour
5:10pm: Sunset
5:30pm: Guests seated; MC welcome and entrances
5:45pm: Dinner, with speeches between courses
7:30pm: Cake cutting and first dance
7:45pm: Dance floor opens
10:30pm: Last drinks
11:00pm: Music off; send-off
11:30pm: Guests and vendors off site

With the Vignette package, the same shape fits into a shorter evening: music off at 9:30pm and everyone off site by 10:00pm.

Typical timings

Rules of thumb from weddings here, to help you fill in your own.

The day itself

How long each part usually takes

Guests arrive: 30 minutes before the ceremony
Ceremony: About 30 minutes, including the signing
Group & family photos: 15 to 30 minutes straight after the ceremonyA written list of groups, and someone to call them, keeps it short
Cocktail hour: Often closer to two hours, running through golden hour
Couple portraits: 30 to 60 minutes before sunset
Guests seated: Just after sunset
Speeches: 5 to 8 minutes each, often spread between courses
Last drinks: About 30 minutes before music off

When vendors arrive

Confirm the exact times with each of them

Hair & makeup: From your morning access time
Florist & stylist: Mid-morning, or the day before where your package includes access
Our venue manager: About two hours before your guests arrive
Caterer: Depends on what they’re serving and whenRoving canapés after the ceremony means arriving early; pizzas cooked for dinner can mean arriving later. Ask your caterer how long they need to prep before their first service
Bar: Depends on when drinks service startsSome couples serve beer and wine as guests arrive; others start after the ceremony. Ask how long they need to set up before the first drink
Music: Depends on when the music startsLive music for the ceremony or cocktail hour can mean arriving before your guests; a DJ for the dance floor may arrive about an hour before it opens. Ask how long they need to set up and sound check
Celebrant: 30 to 60 minutes before the ceremony
Photographer: From getting ready, wherever that is

Jobs that need a name

The things that most often fall between the cracks. Write a name beside each one on your timeline: a vendor, your coordinator or a willing friend.

Before and during

Your team

Cold room: Turn it on when drinks and the cake arrive
Ceremony chairs: Our white chairs are left indoors; someone sets them out on the day
Moving décor: Ceremony flowers, signs and the signing table, from the ceremony to the reception
Reception: Lighting candles and fairy lights before guests come in
Cake: Out of the cold room and set up in time for cutting
Photo groups: A list, and someone who knows the families to call each group
Guest transport: A bus captain who makes sure everyone gets on

At the end of the night

Your team

Furniture: Any of our chairs and the signing table used outside come back inside
Your things: Décor, gifts, the wishing well and leftover drinks packed up
Rubbish: Into the bins provided
Cold room: Emptied and turned off
Hired items: Collected by your departure time, or the morning after where your package includes it

Our venue manager looks after the estate on the day: the umbrellas, the festoon lights, the firepit if you’ve added it, power for your vendors, and safe parking for buses.

A couple on the open lawn with Mount Maroon rising behind them

Building your own timeline

A few things that make the day run on time.

Start from sunset and work back. Ask your photographer how long they want for portraits, then set your ceremony time from there.
Leave room between moments. Moving guests from the ceremony to drinks to the reception always takes longer than it looks on paper.
Give your vendors their times. Every arrival and pack-down has to fit inside your access times, so share them early. Hired items can be collected the morning after only where your package includes it.
Plan the wet-weather version too. If rain moves things inside, the order of the day usually stays the same.
Know who’s writing it. Coordinators differ: some build the timeline with you, others run the day from the one you give them, so ask early. With our 2027 planning and coordination, we build it with you. Our 2028 on-the-day coordination is about running the day itself, so plan to write your timeline using this page. If you bring your own coordinator, check what they include; our vendors list has planners and stylists.

Planning an outdoor reception?

Dinner on the lawn under festoon lights changes the timeline a little: tables, lighting and a wet-weather plan all need a place in it. Our outdoor weddings guide covers what we provide and who does what on the day.

Booked with us already? Share this page with your coordinator and vendors, and keep it beside your Terms & Conditions as you plan.