What is a good timeline for a micro wedding?

Short answer

A good micro wedding timeline runs from late morning to early evening: ceremony at 11am, drinks and photos for an hour, a relaxed lunch at 1pm, then cake, speeches, and dancing or a walk by 4pm, finishing by 6pm.

Because you have fewer guests, you can keep the day unhurried and still finish at a sensible time. Start with the legal ceremony, which usually takes 15 to 20 minutes. If you are at a register office, check their exact slots, as they often run at set times. After the ceremony, allow 45 to 60 minutes for drinks, photos, and a chance for guests to mingle. Then move to your meal, which could be a long lunch rather than a formal dinner. A two or three course meal with toasts takes about two hours. After that, cut the cake, if you have one, and give any short speeches. By mid afternoon, you could have a walk, a game, or a small dance floor. Many micro weddings end by 6pm, leaving you free for an evening with just the two of you. Remember to build in time for the legal bits: in England and Wales, you sign the marriage schedule on the day, and in Scotland and Northern Ireland, the paperwork is similar. If you have an outdoor element, check the weather and have a plan B. Keep buffer time between events, but do not over schedule. The beauty of a micro wedding is that you can be flexible.