Is 5 hours enough?

It depends on the group. In the US, it is very rare to see venues and vendors offer services beyond 4-5 hours. They do exist but you have to seek them out and make arrangements to stay longer. I have read on the forum many many posts where brides recapping the wedding day say it went by in a blur and if they could go back they said they wish it lasted much longer than the 4-5 hours max that is industry standard. But venues and vendors don’t offer that option unless you locate your own vendors and look outside the box beyond all inclusive venues. Do what works for you. If that means an offbeat venue with no curfew or a dj who will play all night then do that.



With our crowd, we expect to go all night into the next morning as well and a 4 hour maximum party would not fly.

View Quoted Comment Our venue is ok to extend 90 minutes more if we pay … my fiancé told me that usually the party move to an other place such as karaoke ( he is korean) we are expecting 150 guest mostly elders but our venue is not close enough to go somewhere else after the party, my BFF just got maried in Switzerland and her dinner alone with games was 4h 😅 they open the ball at midnight wich I can say was a little late … but even though I think the 90 min might be necessary

View Quoted Comment Some people do extend the party at another location but it’s easier to have one venue that allows 8-12 hours of event time and is not difficult to locate. Because they only have to drive once instead of twice to a second or third location especially if they have been drinking and don’t need to be driving but that’s the only way to get to whichever bar is rented out.


90mins is nice but it’s not long enough to register for many guests and it will still feel rushed as if there was no extension. Take a look at peerspace.com and events give.com which have a bigger selection of options and tell you what the curfew is, if any. Keep looking until you locate one that has no curfew or a 4am.

5 hours does seem short I would be afraid of being rushed like Michelle said you can have a extended party at another location if you aren't done partying, maybe like a bar

I extended my night by an hour and I’m really glad that I did.

Salut ! :-)

I live in France, too - but I'm not French. Well.. if you have French guests, they'll surely be surprised by a short party... We're exchanging on mariages.net - a party that ends before 4-5 in the morning is not a party . You can maybe join us in the French communauté and ask people what they think...?

My wedding was 6 hours, and even though it was longer than average I still think it was too short! The evening flew by! My ceremony was at 7 PM and the venue let us end at 1:00 AM

Extend it if that’s what feels right!! It’ll be worth it as long as you know your guests will party rock the whole time. Also I love your wedding date (it’s my bday!) ❤️

I was wondering the same thing! All the venues I've visited expect us to arrive, set up, get ready, and then complete the ceremony and reception in just 5 hours! I feel like I'd need 5 hours just for set-up, never mind the event itself!

View Quoted Comment Oh that is short !! Are you sure you can’t set up before ? My venue let us arrive when we want , we have 5h for ceremony, cocktail hour and dinner but I can use the bridal suite for as long as I want and we can do the pictures when we want

Five hours seems an appropriate length for a reception, but not sufficient for the entire day of wedding festivities. If you add in getting ready, the ceremony, and maybe some after party events, most weddings are at least 8 hours, if not closer to 10 hours for the couple from start to finish.

Our ceremony started at 4pm and our reception ended at 10pm. I think that's pretty typical for our area (New England, USA).