Wedding Reception Timeline?

mamameech · February 2012

Does anyone have their reception timeline eked out? I'm trying to figure out how much time there should be between the meal and the late night food, and when to do the "cake cutting". We aren't doing any tossings so that is not on the agenda. We don't have access to our reception venue until 5:30, so cocktail hour and dinner is later than "normal".
I'd love to see how you ladies have planned out your evenings for reference

This is what I have so far...
Wedding Reception Timeline:

6:00 - 7:00 PM Cocktail Hour(6:45 - 7:00 - Seating)7:05 - 7:10 PM Entrance 7:10 - 7:15 PM First Dance & Choreographed Dance7:15 - 7:20 PM Blessing (Grace)7:20 PM Dinner begins8:00 - 8:15 PM Speeches 8:15 PM Father/Daughter Dance8:20 PM Mother/Son Dance8:25 PM Mother/Son Dance (my son & I) 8:30 PM Dancing / Entertainment10:00 - 10:20 PM Cake Cutting / Bride & Groom Speech10:20 PM Late Night Food 12:30 PM Last Dance12:35 PM - 1:00 AM Goodbyes

volleygurl0306 · February 2012

This isn't set in stone but a rough idea. Also, to help explain some of why it is how it is...we are not having a DJ and will have a friend MC or do it ourselves so we tried to lump together the things that required announcements and people's attention. Also, we have a 4 hour bar and we can close it when we want to pause the "meter" so that it'll last longer into the night. We have a lot of budgetary constraints that make this how we have to do it.

5-6 Cocktail hour (1 hour of open bar)
6-6:05 WP and our entrance (bar closes)
6:05-6:20 First Dance, Father/Daughter, Mother/Son
6:20-6:30 Toasts by MOH and BMen (champagne provided)
6:30-6:35 Blessing by FOG
6:35-7:35 Dinner (wine service provided so bar stays closed)
7:35-9:00 Dancing (bar open)
9:00-9:20 Garter and Bouquet toss then Cake cutting/Bride and Groom thank you
9:20-11:30 dancing
11:30 Goodbyes and
11:35 Race to the suite with FI!

We may pause the bar during the tosses and actual cake cutting (once they start to pass out it will reopen). If not the bar will close around 10:30. We need to have everyone out of the room my midnight so I think this leaves enough time for people to stay a little after the bar closes but then get out by midnight. Also, even though our bar closes at 10:30, the hotel bar that is down the hall will be open until 11 so people can go grab something if they want.

kellycatalo · February 2012

wow, i'm not near as far as figuring out the timeline. here's a rough guess:

6:00-7:00 cocktails
6:45-7:15 walk over to reception hall, take seats (cocktails are in a different room)
7:15-7:30 WP entrance, cake cutting, (first dance, f/d dance?)
7:30-8:30 dinner (toasts)
8:00 photobooth starts
8:30 dancing starts (first dance, f/d dance?) bouquet toss sometime in here
11:00 photobooth ends (could go til 12)
11:30 bar closes
12:00 end

how common is it to have the first dances before dinner? i was thinking it would make more sense after dinner, but i'm not sure what's normal.

celticmyss · February 2012

Ours is pretty non-traditional since we're not doing any dancing or anything. It's also mid-afternoon and we only have about 25 guests.

12:30 - ceremony

12:45 - Group photo (we'll be framing this with a signed matte that works as our guest book)

1:00 - cocktail "hour"

1:45 - toasts and such (BM and MoH)

2:00 - buffet opens

2:45 - buffet closes and more toasts (us and any parents that want to)

3:15ish - cake

4:00 - everyone out!

We're also having an unofficial afterparty that evening that will probably start around 7pm.

volleygurl0306 · February 2012

I don't know what is common or not. I just know the most recent wedding I went to, they did it after dinner. This ended up being agonizing under the circumstances because the couple took a very long time to go around to all the guests. So we finished eating and just sat. The bar was closed. We couldn't dance. We were the last table they came to just by chance. So we just sat and drank water. Even those they already had visited sat and waited. I wish they had done their first dance so people could have started dancing after they said hello. It would have go the party going. We are doing our first dance at the beginning and toward the end of the dinner hour, the music is going to get more upbeat so hopefully people will start to move around. We know if people get up to dance we may miss a few people at the tables but I think that's preferred to people bored. We are also going to try to group the tables so that we visit the people who will get out and dance first. We'll tell them to get out there and get the party going when we are leaving their table.

EDIT: Sorry re-read and it sounded harsh. This is a personal preference and I think it can be fine as long as it is done right. Just keep in mind how long it'll take you to go around to tables and such and if you can keep the bar open that would be helpful. You just don't want guests to be bored that early on.

mamameech · February 2012

It is very common to have the first dance as soon as the bride/groom arrive. For us it's necessary because of our choreographed dance. If we want my son to cooperate, we need to do it earlier in the evening! lol

romamor4 · February 2012

I've seen where if a couple does a reception line at the ceremony, they then don't necessarily need to get around to every table at dinner. Has anyone else seen this?

volleygurl0306 · February 2012

I have seen it and if you have a big wedding it is going to take a long time to say hello to everyone inevitably. So it's just a preference if you'd rather do it right after the ceremony (if runs over though could cut into picture time though) or at dinner. If you have older guests though, you want to make sure they have somewhere to sit while they wait in the receiving line. Actually, on an episode of Four Weddings I just saw, at the end of the ceremony when the bride and groom went to walk down the aisle, they stopped at each row and hugged the people right then and there and then have people in row 1 walk out while then went to row 2 and so forth. It was really well executed and unique. I've been thinking of suggesting it to FI. There were only a few people in each row at most though. It would also get everyone out before you if you are doing a rice toss/bubbles for your exit out of the ceremony. However, it takes away from a grand exit if you wanted that,

mamameech · February 2012

I think I'd like to do that at the ceremony actually... then cover those I missed later in the evening. Not sure if I'll remember who I saw tho! LOL

romamor4 · February 2012

I'm pretty sure we'll be doing a reception line, just not sure where yet. We're taking pictures before the reception, so no worries there either.

rbwashington2012 · February 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-club-boards_september-2012-weddings_wedding-reception-timeline?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding Club BoardsForum:a464c18c-2e4d-469b-8eae-3865079cb9cfDiscussion:d23cf7f7-16e4-4dbb-b13f-2f373df65c5dPost:3a7bf63b-fb83-49a2-8be4-33ff85139a35">Re: Wedding Reception Timeline?</a>:
[QUOTE]Ours is pretty non-traditional since we're not doing any dancing or anything. It's also mid-afternoon and we only have about 25 guests. 12:30 - ceremony 12:45 - Group photo (we'll be framing this with a signed matte that works as our guest book) 1:00 - cocktail "hour" 1:45 - toasts and such (BM and MoH) 2:00 - buffet opens 2:45 - buffet closes and more toasts (us and any parents that want to) 3:15ish - cake 4:00 - everyone out! We're also having an unofficial afterparty that evening that will probably start around 7pm.
Posted by celticmyss[/QUOTE]

Celticmyss your timeline is almost the same as mine. We are working out the details now since there is no cocktail hour. The wedding is starting at 12noon, the doors for the wedding will open at 11:15 at the earliest to get everyone in and sitted before I get there around 11:45. The plan FI and myself are doing that all the traditional formal wedding photos will be done at a different location. These are more candid types done at the reception.

bridalmomma · February 2012

Tenative timeline for the wedding day. We have to be out of the venue by midnight, so need to end by 11:30

Time Line of Wedding Day
This has been edited for a 4:30 pm wedding start time.
Wake Up and Start Crying!
7:45 am Get up! Take a shower gorgeous! It’s the big day!
8:15 AM Make sure you have everything you need for the night.
8:45 AM Eat breakfast!
10:30 am Get hair and make-up done.
12:30 pm Get some lunch and finish getting ready.
2:00 pm Get ready for pictures.
2:15 pm – 3:00 pm Photos: Bride and bridesmaids All other pics w/out groom!
3:00 pm – 3:15 pm Photos: Groom and groomsmen All other pics w/out bride!
4:10 pm – 4:25 pm Prelude/Guests arrive
4:30 pm – 4:50 pm Wedding Ceremony
5:00 pm – 6:15 pm Photos: Bride & Groom Pics alone & with WP & with families
5:00 pm - 6:10 pm Cocktail Hour/ Bride, Groom and Bridal Party announced
6:15 pm- 6:30 Cake Cutting
6:35 pm – 7:30 pm Buffet Dinner /Toasts and Thank You’s to families/ First Dance while Buffet Dinner served

7:30 pm – 10:30 pm Father Daughter Dance/Mother Son Dance/ Open Dancing/Mingling

10:30 pm Last Call for Alcohol (we want safe driving!)
11:30 pm Reception ends

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