Ceremony Reception Timeline?

What time to start depends on what type of reception you want. Do you want an evening event with dancing? I've found the easiest way to make a timeline can be to start from when you need out of the venue. So, if you need out by 11 pm and you or your DOC needs to do clean up, you need to end by 10:30. Want to dance for 3 hours, dancing needs to begin at 7:30. Dinner would need to start at 6:30, entrance, dance toasts at 6:15, cocktail hour at 5:00. Thirty minute ceremony? Start at 4:30.

I'd take as many photos as possible before the ceremony, but I love cocktail hour and would want to take part in as much of it as possible. As for the bar, open it for cocktail hour. Your guests will be disappointed with only a punch during the cocktail hour.

My ceremony/reception are in the same venue. My ceremony is at 4:30pm.... first look/individual/family pics are before so very few pics after. I'm doing as much as possible prior to the ceremony as I love cocktail hour and need the time to socialize with guests! Cocktail hour is from 5-6:30pm... dinner at 6:45pm. toasts, special dances, cake cutting, etc around 7:45pm. Late night snack at 10:45pm. DJ plays until midnight. My venue does not allow me to bring in punch or other alcohol so I never contemplated that. I will have an open bar during the cocktail hour (and after).

You and your FH need to decide on a ceremony time based on what time you want your event to end/how long your have your reception space/ the type of event it is ETC. That;s a conversation to have between you, him, the venue coordinator ETC.

You absolutely need to have open bar at cocktail hour. People will expect to be able to get that drink and have food served while they wait for the reception space to open up/the couple to arrive

If you want to get some pictures out of the way before hand that's totally up to you. We agreed we wanted to do a first look since we have a lot of OOT guests and want to be able to join them as soon as possible!

The timeline of your day will need to be determined by the hours you have available with your venue(s). Many people also have certain schedules they like to maintain, like I prefer to eat early in the evening and we will have several older guests, so I intend to schedule my ceremony for late afternoon so the reception begins in early evening. If you have younger guests, you may want to have a later ceremony and reception.
I've observed from other posts from brides and wedding articles that photos before the ceremony help to make for a smoother transition between the ceremony and the reception if you plan to have a first look, but I encourage you to take all the time you need to make your day- and your photos- perfect.
If you are planning to save costs, a wine and beer cocktail hour with an open bar at reception is a great compromise for your guests desires and your budget! I hope your day follows a plan to ensure everything is exactly as you envision. Happy planning!

It all depends what you want. My ceremony is starting at 4:00 but I will be taking pictures starting at 1:00 so I can enjoy some of my cocktail hour which is at 4:45 and then reception is 5:45

1. My ceremony is 5:00-5:30, cocktail hour 5:30-6:30, and reception 6:30-11:00 PM. Guests will start boarding the buses around 10:30 PM. I prefer weddings that go later, but I've been to ones that ran 3 PM - 8 PM too.

2. It depends if you want to do a first look, if you do, then yes for pictures before! It also lets you attend cocktail hour if you want! If you don't want to do a first look, then no obviously. I'm planning on being ready by 4 PM, and taking pictures with just my bridesmaids at 4 PM, then my groom & his party will take some pictures of just them for 15 minutes, then we will take pictures together after the wedding.

3. We are having an open bar (beer, wine, signature cocktail) for cocktail hour then just beer & wine for the reception. But we will have liquor for purchase throughout the night. Most venues don't allow you to bring your own liquor in, if they also provide it. Because it's their servers and companies liable the whole time. So I'd ask the venue before considering this!

Most venues dictate the timeline or at least give you a few options. If you are just renting a space and have more leeway with time, you should plan on about 6 hours: 30 minutes for ceremony (this is from the time people start getting seated until the end). 1 hour for cocktail hour, 4 1/2 hours for reception which includes the meal.

For example, mine was 3pm arrival, 3:15 - 3:45 ceremony, 3:45pm - 5pm cocktail hour, 5pm - 6pm dinner, 6pm - 9pm dessert and dancing.

We took most of our formal portraits alone and with some family at the hotel. My photographer also got a lot of great shots of us walking the venue (about 5 blocks from the venue). He got the rest of the formal portraits right after the ceremony so it only cut into the cocktail hour for the first 10 minutes.

I would recommend an open bar cocktail hour. You aren't going to want to make anything on your wedding day.