The problem
After each final details meeting, the coordinator types up the day: arrivals, ceremony, drinks reception, photos, wedding breakfast, speeches, first dance, evening food and carriages, then sends it to the couple, kitchen, bar and suppliers. If 5 weddings a month each take 75 minutes to write up, that's 375 minutes, about 6.3 hours a month.
What the AI does
Paste your meeting notes, without the couple's or guests' names, into ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini with your standard timings, and ask for a timeline table with times, what happens and which team is responsible, flagging any clashes. The coordinator checks every time against the booking, the registrar or celebrant's confirmed time and your premises license hours, then adds names and sends it. Dietary and allergen lists never go through an assistant; they come from the caterer's records as a separate sheet.
A worked example
A wedding venue in Somerset holds about 5 weddings a month. The coordinator takes notes at each final details meeting and drafts the timeline the same day.
Before
75 minutes per timeline: 5 x 75 = 375 minutes, about 6.3 hours a month
After
About 30 minutes per timeline to draft, check and send: 150 minutes, 2.5 hours a month
What it's worth
About $100£75€89A$144C$141 a month saved, at an assumed $27£20€24A$38C$38 an hour for 3.75 hours (375 minus 150 = 225 minutes). The free plans of ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini can do this; a paid plan is up to about $27£20€24A$38C$38 a month for one person if you hit usage limits.
How to set it up
- Write down your standard timings once: how long drinks, photos, the breakfast and the turnaround take at your venue.
- Paste the meeting notes, without names, and your standard timings into ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini and ask for a timeline table that flags clashes.
- Check every time against the booking, the registrar or celebrant's confirmed time and your license hours, and delete anything added.
- Add names yourself, and attach the caterer's dietary sheet separately, never retyped.
- Send it to the couple to approve, then to the kitchen, bar and suppliers.
What goes wrong
- An assistant can shift a time or invent a step, such as a second photo session. A wrong timeline confuses every supplier, so check each line.
- Ceremony times are set with the registrar or celebrant, and music or bar times by your premises license; the assistant doesn't know either.
- Don't paste couples' names, guest lists, dietary needs or phone numbers into consumer AI plans.
- Free plans have usage limits; several timelines in one sitting may hit them.