3 hour max ceremony and reception?

IMO, that seems really short. What type of meal are you serving? Will you be having traditional dances and toasts?

Ceremony = 30 minutes, so sure you could have 3 hours total if that's what you want. I would skip dancing, I guess. When will you take photos if you are skipping cocktail hour?

ETA: I would not be excited to fly somewhere for a family member's 3 hour, middle of the day wedding :-/

We had the venue open starting 1 hour prior so that guests arriving weren't waiting in their cars.

Our ceremony was about 30 mins.

Then we have a receiving line which was 30 mins (I know it tends to be old fashioned but it was the easiest way to make sure we greeted everyone. We had ceremony and reception in same venue just different rooms. After we exited ceremony, we stood at entrance to reception and greeted everyone as they went in)

We had cocktail hour, but you are skipping that, so after the receiving line, have the seating chart or escort cards so people can find their seat. I would put wine on the table so that people can have something to drink with lunch/dinner. Dinner might be about 60-90 mins with speeches.

I would skip a dance then and just end it. 3 hours should be enough to open venue 1/2 hour prior to ceremony, fit everything in and have a 1/2 hour buffer at the end.

It can be done if you take all the photos prior to the ceremony and have no dancing. Why don't you want to use the entire 4 hours?

Hmm okay thanks everyone! It seems like, just in case, 4 hours may actually be better just to give some wiggle room. I definitely don't want to leave out the dances. Ending at 4pm wouldn't be so bad right?

@BeachDreams we are doing a buffet brunch-like meal

@FutureMrsB we'll be spending the whole weekend with our guests so the wedding is simply an ending to a fun weekend. Also, we won't be leaving the venue to take photos really. Just keeping everything really simple

If i had to fly into your wedding..... I would probably find it "not worth it" for a 3 hour party.

Why so short? are there pre-wedding festivities?

ETA.... i think its funny that you're treating your wedding like "simply the ending of a fun weekend" instead of the main event. Double check that your venue is four hours max WITH the ceremony or without it..

4 pm wouldn't be bad, but that means you are opening your venue right at 12. So people will be waiting in their cars. I would have ceremony at 12:30 then so people have time to get seated and such

Yep there are pre-wedding festivities! The whole weekend really.

I think it's kind of rushed. Ceremony, including seating and transition to the reception, is going to be at least a 1/2 hour if not a little more, and that is assuming you start exactly on time.

It just doesn't seem like enough for everything.

Because you said there is a whole weekend planned out I don't think it would be too bad but the added hour is definitely better. It won't have so much of a party atmosphere but at lunch time there is normally less of that anyway. Are you having dance time for everyone? If so I would say leave the buffet out longer so that people could dance and then eat at their will. However if it is mostly a dinner thing then you are all good I think.

I just don't see how it is feasible with eating and dancing and 85 guests. We have our venue for 3 hours, but it is 25 guests, all immediate family and like 4 friends, and it starts at 4pm, with dinner and drinks out at a restaurant afterwards. 3 hours just isn't enough time to squeeze everything in, especially if folks are flying in. I would feel a bit cheated if I spent several hundred dollars (if not more) to attend and the whole event was 3 hours.

Take the full 4 hours.

If anyone needs to leave earlier to catch a flight, fine.

Thanks for the advice! 4 hours it is.

To short.

We went 5-9 (we were done by 10 for sure)- I had a very small event- but lush- and it felt full and lively- there is no way we would have been done in 3 hours. We were about half way through dinner really by 8 PM.

You know what everyone? I'm going to see if the venue can extend the time jussssttt a little bit. Definitely don't want to rush everything.

You know this would be so much easier if I had actually been to a wedding before lol I feel like im walking through the dark and blindfolded!