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# A planning timeline that works backward

Working back from the ceremony time

-   Timeline
-   Planning

2 min read. Updated September 23, 2026.

 ![Engagement ring held against warm sunset light](/_astro/ring-in-sunset-light.C7Wdz8wT_18GWEK.jpg)

Start from the ceremony time and work back: when to book, when to confirm, and how to build the day itself.

## When should you book?

For a proposal, two to four weeks is usually enough. For an elopement, two to three months. For a wedding, as early as you can.

A proposal needs a date, a place and a setup, so ask us about your date even if it is close. An elopement needs an officiant, a marriage license and a place that allows a ceremony. A full wedding depends on the venue, and the best ones go early.

## What should be done a few months out?

Choose the place, the look and the photographer, and send any photos you love.

This is when to settle the big choices. Pick the place and the time of day. Pick the setup or the ceremony collection. Send us photos of what you like so the decor and the photos match.

## How do you build the timeline for the day?

Start at the ceremony and work backward, with a buffer before each step.

In Miami, start from sunset. Look up the sunset time for your date and place the ceremony about an hour before it. Then work back: portraits, getting ready, travel. Add fifteen minutes of slack before anything that involves a car.

-   Setup crew: two hours or more before the ceremony, depending on the decor
-   Getting ready finished: about an hour before
-   Guests in place: fifteen minutes before
-   Ceremony: fifteen to twenty minutes for an elopement
-   Portraits: straight after, while the light is good

## What do vendors need from each other?

Each vendor needs the timeline and the others’ contacts. That is what a coordinator handles.

The florist needs to know when the bouquet must arrive for photos. The photographer needs to know when the ceremony starts and where. When you book a Cloud Nine package, we handle this between our own team.

## What should you confirm the month before?

The final timeline, the guest count, the weather plan and every arrival time.

Confirm the marriage license if you are eloping, the final guest count, and any must-have photos, for example with a grandparent. Agree on what happens if it rains, and who makes the call.

Planning something like this? See [wedding planning and coordination](/plan), read the [Cloud Nine journal](/journal), or tell us the date and the place and we send you a price.

[Get an estimate](/estimate) [See all prices](/prices)

## Read next

[More in Planning](/wiki#planning)

-   [What an elopement in Miami costs Real numbers for a small ceremony in Miami BudgetElopements 2 min](/wiki/budget)
-   [Do you need a day-of coordinator? What a coordinator does, and when a friend will do PlanningVendors 2 min](/wiki/day-of-coordination)
-   [Wedding Backup Plan Guide Rain plans and spare parts, so nothing ends the day PlanningWeather 4 min](/wiki/backup-planning-guide)