What each vendor actually needs from the run of show

A run of show is not read. It is scanned, by each vendor, for the two or three lines that concern them — and then put down. That is not laziness; it is what a working document is for.

So the test of a good timeline is not whether it is complete. It is whether each of the twelve people can find their own lines in under thirty seconds, and whether those lines say enough to act on.

By trade

Photographer

Ceremony start, first look yes or no, the family formals block and its length, sunset, and the time coverage ends. Will call about: whether there is a first look, because the whole morning depends on it.

Videographer

The same, plus where they can stand during the ceremony and whether there is a second shooter to coordinate with. Will call about: microphone placement on the officiant.

Planner or coordinator

All of it — this is the only trade that reads the whole document. Will call about: whichever line has no name attached to it.

Venue

Vendor access, guest arrival, music-off, and out. Will call about: an end time that does not match their licence.

Caterer

Kitchen access, cocktail hour start, dinner service time, speeches (because plates go cold during them), cake, and vendor meals. Will call about: whether toasts are before or during dinner.

Band or DJ

Load-in and sound-check window, ceremony music cues, entrance, first dance, parent dances, cake, last dance, and music-off. Will call about: how long they are expected to play, in sets.

Florist

Access time, when the ceremony space has to be finished, and — on a two-venue day — when arrangements move and who moves them. Will call about: whether anything needs relocating during cocktail hour.

Rentals

Delivery window, who receives it, where it goes, and collection. Will call about: the collection time, which is usually the next morning and usually unconfirmed.

Hair and makeup

The finish time, working backwards. They need the time the last face has to be done, not the time they should arrive. Will call about: how many people are actually in the party.

Officiant

Ceremony start, length, order of service, and rehearsal. Will call about: whether the licence signing happens before or after, and who the witnesses are.

Transport

Pick-up points and times, and the time the music stops rather than the time the event ends. Will call about: exactly that difference.

Cake

Delivery window, who receives it, where it is set up, and cutting time. Will call about: whether the cake is being served as dessert, which changes everything for the kitchen.

The two lines everybody needs

Every trade on that list needs the same two things regardless of their own work: what time the ceremony starts, and what time the music stops. Those two anchor everything else, and they are the two most likely to change late.

Which is the argument for one timeline rather than twelve. When the ceremony moves by fifteen minutes, twelve businesses need to know — and the difference between a wedding that absorbs that and one that does not is entirely whether they find out at the same time.