The run sheet is the single document that holds the wedding day together. Most couples build theirs in the final fortnight, and most build it from scratch because nobody handed them a template. This one is yours. Strip out what does not apply. Add what does.
A run sheet is not an itinerary, and it is not a vendor brief. It is a single document, ideally on one or two pages, that says in plain language what is happening, where, and at what time, with a phone number to call if it does not. Everyone working the day gets a copy. Everyone close to the couple gets a copy. The bride gets one too, taped inside her clutch.
Why a separate document matters
You have already told individual vendors their parts. The MUA knows what time to start. The photographer knows the morning programme. The chauffeur knows the pickup point. None of them know the full sequence, because none of them needed to. The run sheet is the only place where the whole day is visible to anyone who picks it up.
When something goes wrong on the day, and something always does, the run sheet is what people reach for. A late MUA, a flat tyre, a sudden downpour, a misplaced bouquet. The fix usually requires more than one person, and those people need a single source of truth.
What goes on it
The simplest workable version captures six pieces of information for every event of the day.
- Time. In fifteen-minute increments through the morning, half-hour increments through the afternoon, fifteen-minute again through the banquet.
- What is happening. One short line. "Gate crash begins." "Convoy departs for groom's home." "First march-in."
- Where. Full address for the first time it appears. Just the venue name afterwards.
- Who is involved. Bride, groom, immediate family, bridal party, specific vendors.
- The lead person. One name per row. The person responsible for making this happen on time.
- A phone number. Of the lead person. Mobile, not the office line.
That is the entire document. No design effort, no logo, no colour-coded vendor categories. Plain text, large font, printable on one side of A4.
Sections to include
A working run sheet breaks the day into five sections, in this order.
- Pre-dawn to MUA arrival. Wake, breakfast, pre-arrival prep at the bride's home.
- Morning at the bride's home. Hair and makeup, bridesmaids' arrival, getting dressed, photographer briefing.
- Gate crash and tea ceremonies. Groom's arrival, gate crash, first look, tea ceremony at the bride's home, group photos, convoy departure.
- Midday handover. Travel to the groom's home or next venue, second tea ceremony if applicable, lunch, afternoon rest.
- Evening at the banquet. Travel to the hotel, holding room, cocktail reception, first march-in, dinner, second march-in, speeches, send-off.
If your wedding has a church solemnisation or an outdoor ROM, add a sixth section between midday and evening.
A starter template you can copy
The simplest version. Adjust times to your day. Each row of your run sheet should read in roughly this shape.
- 06:00 — MUA arrives. Bride's home, unit XX-XX. With the bride and the chief bridesmaid. Lead: chief bridesmaid, 9XXXXXXX.
- 07:00 — Bridesmaids arrive. Bride's home. Full bridal party assembling. Lead: chief bridesmaid, 9XXXXXXX.
- 08:00 — Groom's convoy arrives. Void deck of the bride's block. Groom and brothers. Lead: best man, 9XXXXXXX.
- 08:05 — Gate crash begins. Void deck and lift lobby. Groom, brothers, bridesmaids. Lead: chief bridesmaid, 9XXXXXXX.
- 08:45 — Tea ceremony at bride's home. Bride's home. Couple, parents, elders. Lead: bride's mother, 9XXXXXXX.
- 09:30 — Convoy departs for groom's home. Void deck. Couple, bridal party, photographer. Lead: chauffeur, 9XXXXXXX.
The format is plain on purpose. The run sheet is read in a hurry by people moving between things. Decorative formatting works against the document.
We are listed on the run sheet too
When you book with us, we appear on the run sheet alongside every other vendor, with our phone number and the timings we are responsible for. We treat it as our brief for the day.
Get in touchWho gets a copy
Three groups of people need the run sheet, each in a slightly different format.
- The bride and groom. Printed, one copy each, folded into the morning bag. A photo of it on the phone as backup.
- The lead-named people on the sheet itself. Chief bridesmaid, best man, parents who are running sections, the photographer, the chauffeur, the wedding planner if you have one. Sent as a PDF the night before, printed copy handed out at the morning briefing.
- The hotel banquet coordinator. Sent a copy of the evening section only, two days before the wedding. They will brief their team in turn.
Resist the urge to share the full run sheet with every vendor. Each vendor only needs the part that touches their work. Sharing everything dilutes attention and creates more questions than it answers.
What to leave off
A few things that often creep onto run sheets and should not.
- Wedding favours and decoration notes. These belong on a separate styling sheet for the planner or the venue.
- Guest information. The dietary restrictions, the seating chart, the bilingual emcee briefing. Separate documents, separate audiences.
- Backup plans. A run sheet is what is happening. The contingencies live in a brief separate note for the lead-named people.
- Sentimental notes. Leave the gratitude messages for the speeches. The run sheet is operational.
The discipline of keeping it short is what makes it useful. A two-page sheet that names everyone and times everything is read. A six-page sheet with vendor bios and seating arrangements is ignored.
Closing
A wedding day is too long and too detailed to hold entirely in anyone's head. The run sheet is the one document that lets the day think for itself, freeing the couple to be present in the moments that matter. Build it in the final fortnight, share it the day before, keep a folded copy near the bouquet. By the second march-in, you will have forgotten you wrote it. By the next morning, you will have realised it ran the day.
