Is my reception too short?

Heath404

Hey girls,So I started thinking about the timing of the wedding day and I am starting to think we may not have enough time to do all of the standard reception things that I don't want to cut out (intros, dances, toasts) as well as have a decent amount of time for dancing. For those of you who have already been married, does this timeframe look as if it is not enough time for the reception? Mind you, it is a Sunday wedding, so I didnt want the reception going very late out of consideration for our guests who may not be able to get the next day off from work... Just let me know what you think because I do have the option of adding another hour at a cost...(ceremony and reception are at the same place)Ceremony: 3:30-4PM Cocktail Hour: 4-5PMReception & Dinner- 5-9PMDo I need that extra hour for the reception?Thanks girls!

sprinkles2003

I think most weddings are 5 hours, including the cocktail hour.Mine's the same, except 5-10, with the cocktail hour being 5-6If 9 seems to early to end, maybe push everything up by one hour, so it ends at 10?

jkepros

I think that 4 hours, esp for a Sunday wedding is plenty of time.  Ours is a Saturday and will be cocktail hour 6-7pm and dinner/reception 7-11pm, also 4 hours.Maybe just have a plan for an afterparty at a bar or in a hotel room if people want to hang out later.

EKobrenski

I've been wondering the same thing...mine is: 5:30-6:00 Ceremony 6:00-7:00 Cocktail hour 7:00-11:00 Dinner and dancing

jenvalet

I think you're fine.  Here was ours:ceremony: 6-6:30Cocktails: 6:30-7:30reception & dinner: 7:30-11:30

sboston06

We have the same timing for a Sunday reception.  I think it's a good time to end the night, and like PP said, you can always have an after-party for those that want to continue the party.

LucyD1029

We did: Ceremony: 5:30-6:00 Cocktail hour: 6:00-7:00Dinner & Dancing: 7:00-10:30 (outdoor wedding, had to shut the music down early).Most people hung out for little while after the music stopped, but I think everyone was gone by 11:00.  I think your plan looks great for a Sunday wedding. 

desistol

Mine is the same as Jenvalet's:6-6:30 ceremony6:30-7:30 cocktail hour7:30-11:30 reception

cazzysmith

My timeline is exactly the same as yours.  I know it will fly by but I'm not adding time on.

citygirl17

My timeline is the exact same as yours, except my wedding is on a Saturday.  I am not adding any extra time on (though I do also have the option).  I am organizing an after-party for my guests to move on to after the reception if they want and I think that is plenty.

Heath404

Okay, I feel A LOT better! I had my friend's wedding rehearsal last night and her reception is an hour longer than mine, so I second guessed myself. Thank you girls for all of your input! You have officially put my mind at ease

mcononico

I worked as a reception coordinator for 5 years and your timeline is the average timeline I always found 99% of the time anything longer then a 5 hour event can feel too long for your guests.. especially if there is alcohol involved ... don't want anyone getting too sloppy. Also a good rule of thumb is to end on a high note.. leave your guests wanting more and they will all be talking about how much fun your wedding was afterward. 5 hours is usually pretty perfect!

bharnett

Ours was: Ceremony 5:00-5:45 Cocktails 6-7 Dinner 7-10 Cake cutting at 10:30. Rest of the night was just dancing. That ended around 1:30. I think you're fine.

eeyore4771

that was essentially the timeline for our wedding, except we had an extra half hour tacked on since I wanted to end at midnight (ceremony 6-6:30, cocktail hour 6:30-7:30, reception 7:30-midnight). It felt like it flew by, but I think any wedding will feel like that and we got to do all the stuff we wanted to in that amount of time.