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Just Said Yes October 2020

Ceremony/cocktail Hour Gap

Christina , on June 14, 2019 at 1:22 PM Posted in Planning 0 7

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Hey all! Need some help...
Our ceremony and cocktail hour/reception are going to be held at two separate locations that are about 15-25 minutes apart from each other (depending how lucky you are with the traffic lights). How long between the end of the ceremony and the start of cocktail hour should we plan for? Keeping in mind we are hoping to do family photos at the ceremony and perhaps some at the reception venue before officially being introduced for the reception?

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7 Comments

Latest activity by Clíodhna, on July 30, 2019 at 10:55 AM

Master September 2019
Sarah · on June 14, 2019 at 1:26 PM
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I would start cocktail hour 30 minutes after your ceremony ends.
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Legend November 2019
Caytlyn · on June 14, 2019 at 1:38 PM
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I would leave a 30 minute gap between ceremony and cocktail hour for travel time.
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Super October 2019
Sara · on June 14, 2019 at 2:15 PM
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Agreed with PPs - 30 minutes sounds like a good buffer. If people get there a little early, they should be able to mill around and talk.
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Super May 2020
Michaela · on June 14, 2019 at 2:39 PM
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I have a similar situation. I'm leaving an hour between. About a half an hour for receiving line, pictures, saying hi to guests at the church and then the half an hour for the actual travel time.
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VIP October 2018
Melissa · on June 14, 2019 at 3:34 PM
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About 30 minutes should be fine. You could do a little bit more if you really wanted to. We had a large gap (purposely). Friday ceremony ended at about 4, venues about 20 minutes apart in traffic, cocktail hour officially started at 6 (but the venue bar and restaurant were open) and we purposely left a larger gap so those who couldn't attend the ceremony because of work had more time to get to the reception venue. It worked fine for us.
My point: 30 minutes should be fine, but adjust it based on your needs, obviously.
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Legend July 2019
MrsD · on June 17, 2019 at 1:22 PM
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I'd plan for 30 minutes.
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WeddingWire Administrator January 2030
Clíodhna · on July 30, 2019 at 10:55 AM
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Hi Christina! Have you decided when to start the cocktail hour after your wedding ceremony?
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