is 4 hours too short for ceremony and reception?

BethG26

Hi all. First post! I am planning on getting married next June at an awesome manor house. We are looking at going from 11am to 3 pm, having the ceremony on the lawn outside and then going inside for the reception. Thats just 4 hours to get everything done. Is this too short? I am trying to think of how long everything will take and don't want to feel rushed or get kicked out (like at another wedding I went to). If we bump the time up an hour to 10am, we can add another hour to make it 5, but 10am seems really early and leaves no time to get ready.

ExpatPumpkin

Lunch receptions are generally shorter affairs than dinner receptions because people don't drink and dance as much. I think that's fine Just really start on time so that people aren't still eating at 2:30...

TurtlesAllTheWayDown

For a daytime reception, 4 hours is plenty. That sounds lovely, actually. And I agree that 10 might be too early - you'll probably be up by 5am anyway to get ready.If you want to keep it short, consider offering a limited bar or brunch selections. Maybe do mimosas or bloody marys. People probably won't be into drinking a ton of heavy cocktails or dancing at that time.If you are inserting reception cards into your invitations, put down the end time of the reception. Word it like: "Please join us for a brunch reception, immediately following the ceremony, until 3pm." Or plan an after party starting at 3 so people know to leave? Or leave yourselves at 2:45?

gottahavashorti

Most places we looked at booked 4 hour time slots, including ceremony if on-site.  That's not particularly long, but unless you're doing a ton of dances and other organized events it should be okay.  To prevent from having to kick people out, cut the cake after lunch, close the bar shortly before the reception ends, then have the DJ announce the last dance.

phoeny_moonstar

My ceremony and reception together are 3 hours. So, I think it can be done. But then again we aren't having a lot of dancing.

danieliza1127

For a daytime ceremony and reception, 4 hours should be plenty.  Figure your ceremony will only take about 20 minutes so that leaves you with a little more than 3 hours for lunch and cake.  Be sure to factor in time before the ceremony or after the reception to do all of your pictures, so that you aren't taking pictures during that short time that your guests are there.

BethG26

Thanks for the reassurance everyone. I am going to book the time today and was freaking out that I was going to commit to a bad plan.

rands09

I'm probably too late with my input, but I faced the same decision...the first venue we were leaning towards allowed 30 mins for ceremony and 4 hours for reception, including cocktail hour. Even though we were going to start at 3, I felt that the timeline was a little too rushed for my taste. At that venue we could have purchased more time ( at $400 per hour), or have an event that went something like this (confirmed by that site's coordinator):Ceremony - 4:00-4:30pmCocktail hour - 4:30-5:30pmIntros/Blessing/Toasts/Dinner - 5:30-7pmDancing/Festivities -7:00-8:30pmOnly and hour and a half for dancing, et al???  And that was assuming what was an already tight schedule went off as planned, with no runover...Even though I was told that that was fairly standard, with my family and friends, the party was to be a big part of the fun, and that was not enough time for me. So, primarily due to this (there were a couple more logistical items), we opted not to go with that venue.The venue that we did choose, provides us with an extra hour (at no additional cost!). So now, the schedule above now has the dancing festivities running from 7-9:30pm, with the option for an additional half hour if we need it, to go to 10.I have heard people say the only danced for an hour or so, but it depends on your crowd. For mine, an hour would be a warm up! So, there you are...but I'm sure whatever you chose will be perfect for you...and welcome to the knot community! These ladies have really been great for me thus far in my planning...good luck!!

Justin's Love

My FI's sister had her wedding from 11-2. This was just enough time for the ceremony and lunch reception, with no dancing. So, as pp said, if you think 1 1/2 hours is fine for dancing, then go for it.