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October 2020

How late is too late for a reception?

Matty, on April 11, 2018 at 5:39 PM Posted in Wedding Reception 0 7

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After some change of plans, my FW and I have found a reception venue we love. However, you can only rent it from either 12-4 or 7-11. They do allow you to pay $300 for an extra set up hour, but it doesn’t clarify if you can start the party earlier. That being said, I’m going to email them to ask but if they say no (which is what I expect), should we try and find another venue? My main concern is having the ceremony too late, as the sun sets at 5:45.
Also- the reception venue is about 20 minutes from the ceremony venue. I’d like to have a champagne toast at the church after the ceremony to eat up some of that time - but don’t know if that’s okay since people will be driving to the reception venue.

In an ideal world I imagine it like this:

4 or 4:30 ceremony
4:30/5-6: champagne toast, mingling, travel time
6-11 reception
any ideas on timelines? if the venue doesn’t allow the party to start until 7, should we look elsewhere?

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7 Comments

Latest activity by Melanie, on April 11, 2018 at 9:16 PM

October 2020
Matty · on April 11, 2018 at 5:41 PM
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Heres the reception venue - its beach front and has a wonderful view (that they blocked for some reason in this picture
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October 2020
Matty · on April 11, 2018 at 5:42 PM
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And heres the ceremony venue
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Master January 2021
AshleyR · on April 11, 2018 at 5:56 PM
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Ending at 11pm is fine, it's the norm in my area to end anywhere from 11pm-1am. However 7-11 seems really short and like things might be rushed. Are you planning cocktail hour in that time frame? That's cocktail hour from 7-8, dinner from 8-9, which leaves only 2 hours for dancing, cake cutting, and whatever other traditions you might be planning on. Also, if you start at 7pm that leaves an hour gap between your ceremony/champagne toast/travel time and cocktail hour which would be very rude to your guests. I think you have the right idea requesting a 6pm start time so your guests aren't waiting around for an hour, and you have more time for your reception. If they can't accommodate that I think you need to look for another location. You said you can pay for an extra hour for setup- does that mean they don't set up for you? If not you'll need a DOC at least to set up the reception space since you will not have the time to do so yourself- just another point to consider.
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Super May 2019
Kaylyn · on April 11, 2018 at 6:01 PM
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If I were you i would first asked about adding the extra hour so you have 6-11. If they deny your request I would start searching other venues. I think FW and I would feel rushed if we only had 7-11 to set up, have dinner, cut the cake, first dance, father daughter dance, and mother daughter dance. I don’t think it’s give our guests enough time to drink and enjoy themselves
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October 2020
Matty · on April 11, 2018 at 6:04 PM
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Let me clarify - just the party is 7-11, you have an hour before and after for set up/break down. we also won’t have first dances
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October 2020
Matty · on April 11, 2018 at 6:18 PM
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No they don’t set up but we are planning on a DOC! If we can only do 7 and we decide to stick with the venue, we’ll definitely push back the ceremony. I’d like to have cocktail hour at the church but don’t want guests driving after drinking.
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Devoted March 2018
Melanie · on April 11, 2018 at 9:16 PM
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My reception didn’t start until 7 and ended at 11. The ceremony was at 6. It worked perfectly!
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