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Just Said Yes August 2021

How long should i expect a 3 course dinner at reception to take?

Lauren, on February 19, 2021 at 2:39 PM Posted in Wedding Reception 0 4

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Hi all!

We've selected the three course meal option from our caterer, and our reception venue is providing a 4-5 hr window of time for us. We are definitely party people though and can't wait to get on the dance floor. What kind of time should a three course dinner take, including toasts etc? We're expecting around 75 guests and I'm hoping it doesn't go over the first hour and a half. Is this unreasonable? Should I tell the caterer two courses instead? Thanks for any insight you have!

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4 Comments

Latest activity by Shirley, on February 19, 2021 at 9:50 PM

Champion December 2022
Michelle · on February 19, 2021 at 2:44 PM
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Ask your caterer. It depends on how many guests, how fast they are served, how long it takes to eat. I would assume, based on info from others, it will be roughly 2 hrs. You can always open the dance floor before dinner.
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VIP May 2022
Ava · on February 19, 2021 at 2:52 PM
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We are doing a three course plated meal for our reception, and we were told it should take about an hour and a half. Our caterer said it shouldn’t matter how many people are at your reception, because the caterer should have enough chefs and servers to properly accommodate the size. The only factor that should change the timeline is how quickly your guests eat. But even then, he said it rarely changes the timeline more than 30 minutes.
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Expert September 2021
Marianne · on February 19, 2021 at 3:29 PM
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Definitely ask your caterer, but we're planning on 45 minutes for technically a 2-course plated meal by having the first course (salad) set before people sit down (wouldn't take long to serve or eat anyways) and skipping the seated dessert course by serving the cake after we cut it, which will be after dancing has already begun.
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Expert November 2020
Shirley · on February 19, 2021 at 9:50 PM
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I have been to long plated dinners, but closer to 3 hours than 4 or 5. One thing my friend did was open the dance floor after dinner but before cake and then annouce cake midway through dancing. The people who wanted cake took a break to sit and eat. It went really smoothly
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