How long is too long?

Wait so your ceremony is at 1pm and your reception is at 4?I am confused sorry.My ceremony starts at 1,cocktail hour 1:30-2:30,reception 2:30-6:30

Yes. I'm getting married in my catholic churn and the later wedding time slot that day was already taken. We had to have it at 1pm. It'll be almost an hour long then the guests are free to go back to the hotel for an hour before they catch the shuttle to the reception at 3:30

I think having it booked until 10 is a good idea. Your guests will leave when they feel ready to leave. I don't plan on even telling my guests an end time (we have our venue the whole night because it's a bed & breakfast). Here's my very basic timeline:

4pm Ceremony

4:30-5:30 Cocktail Hour

5:30 Dinner

We are thinking that we will have the bar open from 4:30 to 9:30 so I guess you could say that's when our reception ends. Though guests are welcome to stay longer.

Future Mrs. Mathews, what are you doing for dinner after your reception ends? Will the reception have dancing?

Oh okay sorry I just didn't understand Here is my day of timeline

Wedding Day Timeline:

9:00am- Chelsea Hair/ Makeup

10:00am- set up (sam/brenda/DOC)

12:00pm- Get dressed

12:30pm- Photographer arrives/First Look- Notes and Gifts

1:00pm- Ceremony starts

1:30-2:30pm pictures/cocktail hour

2:30pm- bride and groom entrance followed by first dance.

2:40pm- Toasts

2:50pm- Dancing

4:30pm-Cake cutting/Dinner (cut cake before dinner and then serve right after dinner as dessert)

5:00pm- Dancing(whenever guests are done eating)

6:30pm Sparkler exit

8:30pm- Be done with clean up

Ours is still a way out, but here's kind of what our timeline sort of looks like

5:00 ceremony (ending at 5:30)

6:00 reception/cocktails hours (reception is a 30 minute drive from ceremony location)

7:00 bridal party entrance/dinner is served

8:00 dancing, probably ending the night around 10:30/11ish

I don't think it's too long, but I am concerned that you have a gap of several hours between your ceremony and reception. You will be busy with pictures and whatnot, obviously, but what about your guests - especially the out of town ones? What will they be doing for those few hours while they wait for cocktail hour to start?

4pm ceremony 4:45ish Cocktail Hour 6pm dinner. I really hope everything is wrapped up by 11:30 but it could go later if people keep on rocking (though i will be asleep lol).

Having a gap is what you should have been concerned about first, but since it is already set, no need for me to go on about how it is completely rude to host your guests that way. As for the reception being too long, since you are already requiring your guests devote the whole day to your wedding I would be prepared for many to leave early.

I'm having an evening wedding, but the timeline is: 5:00-5:20 Ceremony, 5:30-6:30 Cocktail hour/pictures, 6:30-7:30 Dinner then 8-whenever dances, cake cutting party etc we have the venue until 12. My group is rather rowdy so I expect a long night of shenanigans

Yes yes I've been a wedding guest and no one likes a gap between the ceremony and reception. but wedding guests need to realize that the bride and groom don't like it for their guests either and only did it because they have no choice! and my question was about end time of reception, not about time gaps.

Nonetheless, thank you all for posting your timelines! I see that although my reecption ends slightly earlier than others, many of yours will also last for 6 hours start to end just like mine. I am calmer :-)

Here is what I think I will go with (I'm meeting with DJ tonight to hopefully finalize and not think about this again):

• 4pm Guests begin arriving, (reception line and cocktail hour)

• 5pm Bride and groom, upon introduction, perform first dance

• 5:15 prayer and first course

• 5:30 Main course

• 6:15pm toasts/speeches

• 6:30 parent dances

• Open dancing

• 8pm cake cutting, then dessert is served.

• Open dancing

• 9:15 last dance for couple

• 9:20 bouquet

• 9:30 bride and groom send-off

• Open dancing

• 9:50 last song & announce last shuttle & after-party at hotel bar

• 10pm music off, last shuttle ride

Ok, I just need to say this. The bride & groom always have a choice. Sorry, but it is very true. For example OP could have picked a different day where the second time slot was available. Alternatively, she could have given up the dream of having an evening wedding. Both are much better options than being an inconsiderate host. Right, right it's "your special day" but c'mon, enough of this "we didn't have a choice" Sorry. Rant over.

It's definitely not too long! Where I'm from we don't usually have end-times to weddings! My dinner starts at 6 p.m. and I don't expect it to start winding down until at least 1 a.m.!