Weddingbee boards

I need some helping sorting out what time to have the wedding! It's just something that isn't computing in my brain...

We're having an outdoor backyard wedding followed by a tented reception. We want to do photos after the wedding of the bride and groom, families and wedding party so we need good light. And, we don't want to strand our guests between the wedding and reception for too long because literally everyone is travelling to get there.

I think sunset should occur sometime around 7 p.m. on the day of our wedding. Oh, and there are only 50 guests and we're going to do a buffet style meal so I don't think dinner will take forever -- and although I don't really want to do a formal recieving line I can see one happening because I think we'll be doing the family portraits in the yard post-wedding.

With all that in mind, does this schedule make sense?

• Ceremony at 4 p.m., lasting to about 4:30 p.m.

• Photos/cocktail hour from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., with an extra half hour built in just in case we are slow getting away from the ceremony, accidentally get stuck in a receiving line, or the photos take longer than expected
• Dinner from 6 p.m. to around 7:00 or 7:30 p.m.
• Dancing until 10 p.m. or so? It’s an outdoor reception and I don’t really want noise complaints… cake cutting/special dances/bouquet toss, etc., will be in this time period, too... or maybe till 11?
• optional afterparty somewhere if we still feel like celebrating!

Our photographer said the best light is 2 hours before sunset. So if sunset is at 7 I'd aim for your pictures to be around 5 or so.

I think my timeline should work, then! I'm most worried about the family photos taking forever, or getting caught in an endless recieving line and losing the light, but I think I'll go over this tentative plan with my FI and see what he thinks.