Ours was 4.5 hours and we also had a cocktail hour before it. I felt like that was fine. Four hours is pretty standard/average. I think you'll be fine.
Ours is 5 hours (7-12). What type of meal are you serving? I think as long as you have a couple of hours for drinking and dancing you should be fine. Will it be possible to have a casual afterparty nearby? We're planning on joining any interested guests for drinks at the hotel lounge following our reception.
Mine was 4 hours and worked out well. I wouldn't have minded an extra hour, but we caught up with folks at the hotel bar 'til late in the evening anyway.
Ours was 4 hours - we actually included the cocktail "hour" in it, so was actually closer to 3 hours for the reception part. I thought it was a little too short, but a lot of guests did leave before the official "end time," so I guess it was just right.
Our caterer offers a sit-down dinner, and buffet. I think we may go the sit-down dinner route and have it begin at 6:30pm. Our reception is set to start at 6pm, so I thought that guests could do some mingling and drinking for that first half hour, then we will eat.
1st wedding: 5 hours total (1 hour cocktail hour and 4 hours dinner/dancing). That's the norm in my area and the way most of the packages were structured. 2nd wedding: Intimate ceremony and luncheon at a restaurant for 13 people so shorter (no dancing). Cocktail hour followed by ceremony followed by lunch: about 4 hours total.
We are having a DW and not a full blown reception. Just a cocktail hour and a 2 hour buffet dinner with music in the background. Ceremony starts at 6:30, dinner ends at 10.
Hmm maybe I should start dinner at 7pm and end the reception at 11pm instead. So from 6-7 could serve as a cocktail hour and some h'ordeurves.Honestly I think this would be ideal. I didn't have any choice with my venue but to have a 4 hour reception. It was fine, but the extra hour would have been awesome (none of my guests had left yet when the DJ played the last song).
Mine will probably be close to 6 or 7 hours. I think 4 hours is really short but it depends on your guests. Are you going to have a lot of young people to want to dance all night?
Re: How long..
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