Bar closing for an hour during speeches and toasts?

A lot of venues close the bar for dinner so that the bartenders can have their legal breaks as well. If you are having a cocktail hour everyone should have drinks and closed times should not be a issue.

This is quite common. As Felicia said, wine on the table and an announcement should be sufficient.

Its not an hour of speeches - here is her exact wording "When guests head upstairs at 4:40pm we are going to shut the bar down until 5:40pm. Guests have time to find thier seats, settle in, we will have the bridal party introductions, then have Matron of honor speeches and Best Man speeches, then prayer for your meal and then buffet and bar will open at 5:40pm"

So its not uncommon to have the bar close?

Are you still handing out champagne to every guest for the toasts? I am confused why the bar would be closed during speeches and toasts when that is specifically a time guests will want a drink in hand. Closing it to move location during dinner would be much more understandable.

The bubbly would be poured at the table already

Every wedding I have ever attended has been done this way. The bar closes down during dinner, speeches, toasts, etc. They use it as a way to keep people in their seats. This is how our reception will be.

An hour does seem like a long time... I'm not saying that I'm going to do this, but even I schedule the first, mom & son, dad & daughter dance before dinner, this seems like too much time?

15 min to find seats,

5 minute introduction

15 dances (4 minute first dance, 4 min father daughter dance, 4 min mom son dance)

15 min (3 5 min toasts)

5 minute prayer

Open buffet

Being REAL generous for time, that's 55 minutes.. I'm not saying that I wnana do that.. i'm just thinking its too much time to not do this

Our venue was closing the bar during dinner hour to give the bartenders a break. We could have paid for an extra hour of open bar and it just wouldn't have closed. Instead, we paid for servers to offer wine at the dinner tables so that no one's alcohol supply was actually cut off. So basically, 15 minutes before the end of cocktail hour, the doors to the main reception area were opened up so guests could start moving that direction and they were advised it would be a great time to visit the bar to get a fresh drink, then they went and found their seats. We did our entrance, did toasts (champagne was already waiting at the tables), and immediately following that, servers started bringing out the first course and started asking guests if they'd like a glass of white or red wine. By the time we finished eating, the bar had opened up again.

Here is the whole timeline... doesn't seem like a lot of dancing time... 1/3 of my guests will be heading out by 9 since this is a Sunday destination wedding (2/3 have hotel reservations)

4:40 PM 1st call to dinner * Bar closes*

5:05 PM Guests seated for dinner

5:15 PM Introduction of Bridal Party

5:20 PM Speeches- Best man and Maid of honor

5:30 AM Prayer/ Blessing of meal

5:40 AM Buffet opens * Bar re-opens at 5:40pm*

6:45 AM First Dance/Mother/Son; Father Daughter Dance

7:00 AM Dancing

8:20 AM Cake cutting/Dessert Bar open

9:30 PM Bar closes

9:50 PM send off

10:00 PM Guests Out

ETA: if its a buffet, is a full hour too long? should we open the dance floor earlier?

Holy cow - seeing this timeline has jacked up my anxiety level... its feeling so real right now!