What time should the bride arrive at the venue?

I showed up an hour before to get some pictures beforehand, but the original plan was half an hour before with pictures outside at the getting ready place--but it was raining.

I would say be there by 1 pm and leave your house by 1230 in case theres traffic or longer depending how far you are. so make sure your make up and hair is done by 12 pm so maybe start at 9 am for MUA and hair

Assuming you don't want anyone to see you before the big moment down the aisle, you could either show up before any of your guests are arriving (and be stuck hiding somewhere for an hour or more) or after everyone arrives. The second option is risky because a lot of people tend to be late for wedding ceremonies (I've only attended one ceremony that started on time) and you could potentially run into people on your way in or be stuck in a car for an extended period of time.

Is the ceremony in the hall where your reception is? If so, I would plan to arrive earlier and hide assuming the bridal suite or whatever room they give you is comfy.

It all depends on your timeline.
My ceremony is at 4:30pm and I will be arriving at the venue for 4pm.

I will have my immediate family at the house in the morning while I am getting ready for pictures, that way my only thing when I arrive at the venue is to walk down the aisle, and of course more pictures afterwards lol

It all depends pn how you set the timeline to start preparing and time frame to get done to be at the walk down the aisle. Giving extra time for pictures will need consideration too.
The stylist coming to do their services will need time to set up too if they need to come earlier than scheduled. It should be arranged to know how long ot will take and if you mom is getting ready with you.

It would all depend on your plans before the ceremony like pictures and such. For my upcoming wedding I'm making sure I'm ready an hour and a half to 2 hours before the wedding so my family can take pictures with me and we're about 25 minutes away from my venue

Hi there, like others said, it depends on your timeline. Are you taking pictures before the ceremony or checking on set up before the ceremony starts? Does your venue have a bridal suite or somewhere you can stay before the ceremony starts? Do you want buffer time between when you arrive and when your guests arrive? I'm thinking of having first look photos and family photos done at the venue before guest arrival and then having a 30minute buffer time. I have not written out a formal timeline yet but I'm thinking of arriving 21/2hours before the ceremony. Also consider the time it will take to travel from the place you are getting ready to your ceremony site. If you're looking for just a little bit of extra time prior to the ceremony and don't have anything to check on, I would give yourself 45minutes. Just in case there is anything unexpected and you're running late

I don’t think there’s any universal answer! If you want some breathing room, time to inspect the ceremony and reception space, etc. then show up however early you’d like! If you go this route then, depending on the layout of the venue (ie whether you can slip in unnoticed), I would aim to arrive at least an hour to 45 minutes beforehand. Any later and your fiancé / guests may already be milling about. In other words, it could spoil the big reveal! At my dads wedding, we (the bridal party) arrived probably 15 minutes prior and were promptly whisked into a supply office to keep my stepmom out of sight until guests were seated 😂 it wasn’t exactly glamorous.


Alternatively, you could plan to arrive right at go time. Safe to say that things won’t be getting started without you! But I know this isn’t for everyone - personally I think I’d be too anxious about being late. Good luck!

It will all depend on what you plan on doing before the ceremony. For many church weddings I’ve been to, basically the bride rolled up and the ceremony started. If you have things you want to do first or want to check are ready, that will change your timeline.