2 hour reception timeline

To me that seems like that would be a hard one to do

How many people are you having?

I think you're trying to do too much. Maybe cut the plated dinner and make it a "desert and toast" reception.

That seems like it be damn near impossible but I could be wrong. I hate being rushed and I would personally be irritated if I had to swallow my whole meal. Maybe the other ladies have some suggestions.

Cut out the plated meal and do heavy appetizers at stations. People can mingle, dance, and eat! Any reason for the rush?? If it's a budget thing maybe wait a bit longer if possible?

No, that is way too short. You need at least twice that long.

I agree woth the others. Do appetizers at stations and that way they cab eat when the want and party the rest and you wont feel rushed

I'm liking the heavy appetizer idea. The guests can make their way through the line to grab food, mingle and enjoy at their own pace while the music plays. Making it an appetizer reception and adding a third hour might actually be more budget friendly than the two hour plated dinner.

That's really tight. Really, really tight. A plated meal, at a reception, usually takes about an hour (if not more). You can have your intros and a few spotlight dances, but then you need to get right to dinner.

I don't see where there will be any time for dancing, so I'd advise you to keep this reception framed as a dinner and drinks reception. Save your money and don't hire a DJ -- just have soft, background music playing. Don't spend your money on a photobooth because nobody is going to have the time to enjoy it.

If you really want to try and have a highlights only conventional reception (and I think a cocktail reception would be preferable), I'd suggest you start you reception with your introductions (I wouldn't hire a DJ to make those introductions), then have the meal served after the spotlight dances (and keep them to first dance, father/daughter, mother/son). Keep that portion of the wedding to 30 minutes MAX (even if you have to fade out the songs before they end. Time is your enemy, so you really have to watch the clock). As the last dance is finishing, the servers should begin serving dinner. Forty five minutes could do it, and then they can start clearing the tables. You've got 45 minutes left. No speeches, or have one or two while your guests are eating -- but keep them really short -- as in three minutes. The two of you should have a tiny cake that you cut, but another cake, already cut and prepped, should be ready to be served, and it should be served right after you ceremoniously cut your small cake. Are you sweating yet?

BUT....let's be honest. This is entirely too rushed, and any one screw up could mess up the entire reception. So this is what I'd advise -- change the whole thing and have a cocktail party type of reception. That means lots of filling apps and drinks, no formal plated meal, but this format erases filling that big chunk of time -- the plated meal. People can eat and drink during your dances, but I'd still forget hiring a DJ. There's just no time -- they'll socialize instead. This would probably be your best bet, and after an hour and a half of eating and drinking, you can cut the cake (the small one) and serve the already cut cake from the venue's kitchen. I think this is your best option, other than cake/punch route, which is fine for two hours.

Thank you so much Rachel!

Too short!

I feel like with that time frame you can't do everything. So you need to pick and choose. Do only 1 toast instead of 2. Do only a first dance vs dances with parents.

One of the venues we looked at was like that. And I didn't go with them. They wanted like $10,000 for 2 hours...that just seemed insane to me.

That's not enough time for dinner AND dancing. I would recommend adding on additional hours. Most venues let you pay a rate per hour to extend your time.

That's just scraping by with barely enough time for the highlights you mentioned. Dinner will be very tight, getting everyone served and having a comfortable amount of time to eat. With only two hours, I would expect not much time to party it up and dance. I'd recommend talking with your venue about adding more time.

It is so weird to me that the package is only two hours. I don't think that is not enough time. I would do 4 hours.

Have you already booked this venue?

You can make it happen but it's going to be tight!!

Have dinner served like right away, and try to have dinner finished within 1 hour. Do all of your toasts and special dances throughout dinner while your guests are eating so that you're knocking out two things at once! We fit in 4 toasts, the father daughter dance, and singing happy birthday to a friend during the 1.5 hours of dinner service. Then you can have 1 hour of dancing!

Or - you can switch to a cocktail style reception with heavy apps and action station, and keep the whole reception open to dancing and mingling!

Maybe allow 30 minutes to eat and do the toasts during dinner, then 30 minutes for cake cutting and eating, then 15 minutes for special dances, and 45 minutes of open dance floor? If you could even extend it until 8pm that'd be better.

But my suggestion doesn't give any time for people to find their seats, so I don't know. Even 2.5 hours woild be better

2 hours sounds to me like a longer cocktail reception with appetizers and piped music. I'm sure you could squeeze in a cake cutting, but that's about it. Unless you can extend the time, I would just mingle with guests as that time will fly by.