How to Plan a Wedding Timeline: Ceremony-to-Reception Flow, Speeches & Plated Dinners | WDP Ep 61

🎧Listen to learn:

• How to build a smooth wedding day timeline and ceremony-to-reception flow
• Why a 90-minute cocktail hour can be the perfect sweet spot
• Plated dinner tips for a larger guest count
• How many speeches to include to keep reception energy high
• Why taking a day or two before your honeymoon can be a game-changer
• Hair and makeup scheduling tips for a large bridal party

In this episode of the Wedding Day Podcast, host Sonja Babich, CEO of Iron Diamond Media, sits down with Ava and Devan, a real couple featured in Minnesota Bride’s Spring/Summer 2025 issue. The newlyweds share an honest look at the behind-the-scenes planning decisions that made their celebration feel seamless, fun and guest-focused from start to finish.

Ava and Devan reveal what drew them to The Whim as their wedding venue, including its blank-canvas layout, intimate feel and bridal suite, plus how the space perfectly complemented their bold bright-pink color palette and greenery-filled floral vision. They also share what it was like having Devan’s mom and her team at Hot House Studio design their wedding flowers—and why fully committing to color helped their day feel personal and elevated.

From entertainment to timeline flow, the couple offers practical wedding planning advice couples can actually use. They break down why they chose Rock With You for a DJ-plus-live-instruments fusion, how they kept cocktail hour moving while the venue flipped the space, and why plated dinners were the right fit for their guest count. They also share their approach to speeches, dessert (including tres leches cake from Café Latte), and the decision to take a short pause before heading to Playa Mujeres, Mexico for a relaxing beach honeymoon.