how much time to set-up/clean-up?

If you are organized and can recruit friends and relatives to help, give yourself two hours to decorate and two for cleaning up. Cleaning up is where you are really going to have to make sure you have designated volunteers. Everyone will be exhausted from celebrating and want to go home rather than straighten up the area.

It took me & 3 other girls 2 1/2 hours to decorate a gazebo set up unity candle table, put bows on the chairs for the ceremony & set up the centerpieces & favors & a few other things, cake & gift tables. And we were moving too. But we didn't have to clean up I think it may take longer to clean up. The venue did the clean up & already had the linens & tables totally set up minus the centerpieces & favors. I don't know if this helps at all but definately recruit friends to help, if for nothing else to ease your stress, if you get enough friends maybe you could just be the "foreman" & give instructions LOL

Ask the person in charge of the venue if there is a wedding on the day before yours if not ask if it's possible to set things up the night before. Venue's usually give you time to decorate without charging you and it's there responsibility to clean up everything except for what you brought in. Ever think of a Day of Coordinator to handle all this for you? We are good at negotiating things like this. Good luck!

I second on the idea of getting a whole bunch of friends/family to help out. It's better to have too much time than too little!

I think it would be totally fun to decorate and be a part of getting your wedding set up and all the little details (I am planning on doing as much DIY stuff as I can before hand just so I can be a part of it all)... I would probably plan (unless you have alot of your stuff pre-made and ready to go) 2-3 hours to get it all set up and depending on whether or not you have people to help clean up afterward about an hour and a half... I would try and recruit people ASAP to help you with these things... and make sure they are going to help with what they said they would... good luck!!!