Wedding Reception Forum

Is a three-hour reception long enough for a brunch wedding?

We have the venue reserved from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The ceremony starts at 11:30 a.m., cocktail hour starts at noon, and the reception goes from 1:00-4:00 because the last hour has to be reserved for cleanup.  Is that too short?

Re: Is a three-hour reception long enough for a brunch wedding?

  • We have the venue reserved from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The ceremony starts at 11:30 a.m., cocktail hour starts at noon, and the reception goes from 1:00-4:00 because the last hour has to be reserved for cleanup.  Is that too short?
    I think that sounds lovely for a brunch reception. And really, you'll actually have four hours if you include the cocktail hour. Additionally, any later and you're running close to dinner time.
  • We have the venue reserved from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The ceremony starts at 11:30 a.m., cocktail hour starts at noon, and the reception goes from 1:00-4:00 because the last hour has to be reserved for cleanup.  Is that too short?
    This seems perfect for a brunch wedding to me. I'd only be worried if you were trying to fit a lot in besides brunch (cake cutting AND multiple spotlight dances AND bouquet toss AND garter toss AND Hora AND....) but as long as you keep it simple, it sounds fine.
  • Thanks!  We are planning on having a cake cutting and a few dances.  I don't really want to do a bouquet or garter toss, but a few people are trying to convince me to do it.  My venue coordinator suggested having us exit at like 3:30-3:45 so that people will naturally start leaving at the right time, but that started sounding a little short to me when I realized I'd only be at my reception for 2.5 hours.
  • Ro041 said:
    Please don't do it if you don't want to.  They are kind of tacky traditions anyway, IMO.
    I completely agree.  The problem is that it's my mom and FH who want to do it, so I might be outnumbered on that one.
  • We have the venue reserved from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The ceremony starts at 11:30 a.m., cocktail hour starts at noon, and the reception goes from 1:00-4:00 because the last hour has to be reserved for cleanup.  Is that too short?

    This was pretty much our exact timeline (we also had a brunch wedding), and it worked out really well.  Personally, I don't feel that it's too short at all, especially given the time of day.  And if you have guests who are traveling, it gives them a chance to be on their way at a very reasonable hour.

    Ro041 said:
    Please don't do it if you don't want to.  They are kind of tacky traditions anyway, IMO.
    I completely agree.  The problem is that it's my mom and FH who want to do it, so I might be outnumbered on that one.

    Yeesh, my sympathies.  I also think they're tacky and have become outdated.  (I remember seeing them at my older cousins' weddings in the late 1980s/early 1990s, but not recently.)  TBH, if my then-FI had felt strongly about it, I don't know if it would have been my hill to die on.  Do you know why he wants them?  Does he genuinely enjoy them, or does he just think they're supposed to be included?  

    Is your mom contributing toward the wedding?  If not, you can always tell her "FI and I have discussed it and decided we'd rather not."  (Assuming he eventually agrees with you.) 
  • Your timing sounds fine!  Enjoy :)
  • Your timeline sounds fine.  We didn't do a grand exit at our reception though.  We stayed until the end and the DJ just announced the final number at 4:45.  Then we took about 15 minutes to wish the people that stayed the whole time a good evening and were the last one out.  For the record our ceremony was at 11:30 and our reception ended at 5, so it isn't all that different from what you're doing!
Sign In or Register to comment.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards