Brunch Wedding Timeline

How long will your ceremony last? The average length is 30 minutes which means your guests might arrive at the reception by 11. Therefore, you should start the coffee hour sooner so that your guests will have something to eat and drink as they arrive.

Thank you. We expect it to last 30-45 minutes. Its in a garden, so it will take people about 10 minutes to get to their cars. We figured they would start arriving around 11:15-11:30 and we'd arrive at 12. We just aren't sure.

I’m having a similar question. My reception starts at 11:30. The pastor told us that we should start our ceremony at the church at 9:30. It’s also about a 30 minute drive between sites. He did mention a receiving line taking time.

View Quoted Comment What's a receiving line? What time is your reception ending?

View Quoted Comment

Hi Amanda, a receiving line is when you greet your guests after the ceremony. Usually at the back of the church with parents but you can do just you and spouse or whole wedding party. They can also be done at the reception but I want to keep that more casual and not have people have to wait in line to get to the food and drink. My reception ends at 3:30.

View Quoted Comment Oh I see. I was just going to greet people at their tables during the reception. I can see how receiving line would take some time. Are you having the reception at a different location?

View Quoted Comment

That’s a good idea to do it at the reception too. Our reception is about 20 minutes or so from the church. My question about not having a receiving line at the church is where do we go after the ceremony? We walk back down the aisle together and then what? I figure that’s when we “receive” the guests coming out of the church after us.

View Quoted Comment After the ceremony, we will simply go and take pictures...away from the guests. The guests will make their way to the reception site where they will be offered coffee, juice and muffins while they await our arrival. Its similar to a cocktail hour but without the cocktails.

We are placing programs at the ceremony so people will know what to do afterward.

My concern is that I timed it wrong. The plan was for people to arrive at 11:30 for coffee hour and we arrive at 12 for entrance, first dance, them brunch...but it looks like we may not get there until 12:30!

Since its a slightly shorter event than a traditional wedding, I'm worried there won't be enough time.