How long wedding reception last

Be mindful of your guests and, even more so, your bridal party. No one wants to stand in uncomfortable heels or buttoned up in a suit out in the sun for sixty minutes or more.

Cocktail hours should never last more than the proclaimed hour and if you can go less — do it! Take just enough time out of the celebration to snag some must-have shots of the newlyweds and your bridal party. In the meantime, make sure your playlist is packed with great background tunes for your guests to enjoy while they snack and sip.

Decide whether you want to slow things down or end with an upbeat, fun tune. If you plan to make a grand exit, arrange for your wedding coordinator to usher guests to the area where the sendoff will happen. Consider providing sparklers or bubbles for guests to add a fun element to your exit. These details also make for an incredible photo shoot! And just like that, the day you've been planning for months and dreaming for years is over.

Treasure every moment and trust that all your hard preparations will pay off for a stress-free day. We are sure they will! Wedding Reception Timeline Guide. Stacked and Swirled Napkin Shop Now. Line Frame Match Shop Now. Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. The key to a wedding day timeline that runs smoothly is planning ahead.

Breaking down your entire wedding day into an organized timeline helps to keep everything on track when the big day finally arrives. The more detailed you can make the plan, the better. As a rule of thumb, wedding ceremonies typically last 30 minutes to an hour—although short and sweet wedding programs are okay, too—and most wedding receptions typically last four to five hours. Expert wedding planner Tessa Lyn Brand of Tessa Lyn Events helped us create a sample modern wedding reception timeline based on a wedding starting at p.

Adjust timing as necessary to work with your ceremony start time. Meet the Expert. She has planned over weddings. Note that this wedding timeline also assumes the ceremony and reception are being held at the same venue, which means guests won't need to travel to a separate party location before cocktail hour can begin. If you're having your wedding reception at a different site, make sure to add travel time, accounting for the time it will take for the guests to make their way to the post-ceremony festivities.

Use the below as a guide to create your own wedding day timeline. The wedding photographer should arrive 30 minutes before the bride is ready. During this time, the photographer s can get shots of the dress, rings, invitation, etc.

And all of those details directly affect your reception! And will there be enough time? That includes time for the ceremony, reception, photos, and any special activities. Usually, the ceremony lasts about an hour, and the remaining 4 to 5 hours are saved for the reception.

On the other hand, if guests have to travel for your wedding reception, that affects your timeline! You might not shorten the ceremony to accommodate the drive, but guests will certainly have less time to celebrate at the wedding reception. Initially, five hours might seem like a lot of time to fill—especially when guests just spent an hour watching the ceremony! Below are some of the traditional elements of a wedding reception:.

Of course, you can skip some—or all! But guests will still socialize in between the dances and speeches, and at their tables.