Order of Wedding Activities??

This was our rough timeline. We live in the northeast U.S. Almost every wedding we've attended in our region has open dancing, between courses. Our social circle tends to offer a substantial amount of cocktail hour food (passed hors d'oeuvres, stations, buffet), so an eating break and dancing, to burn-off the calories is the norm.

5:00 musical prelude, while parents greet guests 5:30-6:00 ceremony (Small ballroom)

6:00 - 7:00 cocktail hour (2 rooms adjacent to large ballroom)

7:00 guests enter reception (large ballroom) - some start dancing, some go right to their seats

7:15 bridal party entrance, bride and groom 1st dance, bride and father, groom and mother

7:30 open dancing - all guests

7:45 father of the bride welcomes guests and gives toast 1st course - soup served

open dancing 2nd course (don't remember the exact time) - salad open dancing

entrée course - best man and maid of honor speech given at end of entrée course break

bride and groom cut the cake open dancing

4th course - dessert served open dancing

dessert bar (including wedding cake) available in room where cocktail hour food was served

11:30 end of reception

I've been to 2 weddings out of our area, but still in the U.S. and 1 in Europe. Things were very different, in other regions/social circles. At the U.S. weddings they offered very little cocktail hour food, and buffets with 4 hot items, roll and salad. For the European wedding, a member of the family was a professional chef. We left at 2:00 AM and the party was still going strong: they had around 10 served courses.

Edit: We had a "first look" hours before the ceremony. Then 1. Bride and groom photos 2. Bridal party photos 3. Photos with immediate family. We didn't miss any of our cocktail hour or reception, to take photos.

Ceremony then a cocktail hour while you take pics then dinner then the reception first dance cake cutting etc

At my wedding we are having our ceremony 1st (I haven't been to one where it's not 1st) then while we are doing our pictures we will be letting the guests go ahead and eat and then when we are done taking pictures we will join the guest and have something to eat and start the reception. But it is pretty much up to you on how you want to do it I guess. Hope it helps!

Here is what we are doing for our brunch wedding:

- first look/bridal party pics before the ceremony

- preceremony mimosa pass

- ceremony

- family pics & cocktail hour happening simultaneously

- guests to their seats

- bride & groom introduced

- lunch

- toasts

- cake cutting

- first dance

- open dance floor for guests

The great thing is, is that your wedding is in 2020 which gives you plenty of time to plan! That is such an amazing advantage. Have you considered hiring a wedding planner or are you doing all the planning yourself?

For us it was pretty easy to figure out our wedding schedule because our venue gave us somewhat of a guideline. Pretty much figure out what time you want the ceremony to start and go from there. Our ceremony starts at 3pm. Usually ceremonies only last 30 min., however if you are having a religious ceremony (as we are), it will last 45 min. to 1 hour MAX! Then follows the cocktail hour, - ours is from 4-5pm, and finally the reception (ours is 5pm - 8:30pm). You can always discuss the ceremony details with your officiant, and all of the reception details with your venue/planner.