Does your venue for the reception offer any suggestions? From my personal experience a lot of venues have particular schedules that they keep to for welcome drinks, meals, and evening dos - knowing that information will help you to schedule your photographer and order your day. Your photographer should also be able to provide a suggested timeline for the services you've paid for.
Without knowing any particulars here's an example schedule:
11-1PM: “Getting Ready” Pictures (pictures of dress, shoes, etc) [you'll be getting ready before the actual pictures start]
1-2PM: Ceremony
2-2:30PM: Church Pictures
2:30-2:45PM: Church to Reception Travel Time
2:45-4:00PM: Bridal Pictures at Venue
4:00PM: Arrive at reception

Definately speak to your reception venue about their schedule. Once you have this you can give this to your photographer and they should be able to help you create a schedule for the day.

Yeh speak to your photographer they will have an idea... I would go roughly by these tho if its a 1pm wedding, if 12 just bring them forward an hr or spread the evening bit out further

1pm - service
1.45 - 3.15 - photos and travel to venue, photos at venue
3.15-5.45- meal
5.45-6.15 speeches
7pm-7.30 evening reception begins
8pm cutting of cake
8.30 first dance
9pm food?

Xx

Thank you all so very much! your advise is greatly appreciated and I'll certainly be asking both the Reception venue and the photographer and make a decision based on that. I just don't want to harass everyone as I suppose it's so far in advance?

My wedding is at 12.30, the photographer is coming to the house around 11 to take preparation pictures although I think I want to push this back to 10.30. The person who was most knowledgeable about schedules and timing was my reception manager, she does weddings every week of the year so knows how long photographers take to be artistic! so definitely speak to your reception. And harass away, I email my reception venue manager all the time, I went and met her last weekend to ask her some questions and she never minds at all. She was able to give me time scales for the entire day and I was really grateful for it.

Our timeline was worked out by the wedding coordinator at our venue
12.00 photographer arrives
2 - 2.30 ceremony
2.45 - 4.00 Photos
4.00 - 4.30 get drinks and be seated
4.30 - 6.30 meal and speeches
6.30 - room turned around for evening/ photobooth arrives
7 - 7.30 evening reception starts.
9pm evening buffett opens
not sure how realistic this is going to be, but she assures me most weddings usually run like this

Thank you again all! It's really so good of you to help! I'm just so excited and want everything to run smoothly... as I'm sure you all are too! Ha ha!

Thanks Katherine! I didn't even think of asking the vicar! What a good idea!

Ours is a 12pm ceremony and the basic timeline they have given us is:

11-12pm-interviews/getting ready etc
12pm- Wedding Ceremony
12.30 - 2pm - Reception, drinks, canapes and photographs
2-4.30pm - speeches, drinks, wedding breakfast
4.30 - 6.30pm - check in at hotel, evening guests start to arrive
6.30-00.00- evening recption

xx

Bookmarked this post for future reading! very useful!

I finally have my timetable worked out - mostly guided by the venue:
2.30 ceremony
3- 4 photos at registry office grounds
4.00 - 4.30 travel to evening venue
4.30 welcome drinks/ few more photos
5.30 receiving line for wedding breakfast
5.45 sit down meal
7.15 speeches
7.45 evening guests arrive
8- 9 evening singer performs
8ish first dance
9.oo cutting cake
9.10 evening buffet / cake served
00.30 bar closes

I haven't got long to go so here's a rough list. 7am get up if not earlier, 7.15 shower, sort daughter out, 7.30 breakfast if I can eat anything, 8.00 hair app, 8.30 bms hair, 9.00 daughter other bms hair, 10.30 makeup, 11.00 get dresses ready get dressed, 11.40 car picks us up, 12.00 getting married, 1.00 photos, 1.45 food, speeches, 6.00 evening guests turn up then party time x