Reception Length…worried about not having enough time

Our venue told us to plan for about 1.5 hours for a plated sit down dinner. Or 1 hour for a buffet. So 2 hours would be cutting it close to also include speeches, dances, cake cutting etc, plus you'd probably want to give your guests time to mingle and enjoy themselves beyond sitting at a table for the meal.

View Quoted Comment My thoughts exactly so now I’m trying to decide what WOULD be enough time! Cause like you said I want everyone to have the opportunity to mingle and for us to actually enjoy our guest since everyone is coming from OOT due to the fact that it’s a destination wedding

For eating, cake-cutting, socializing, and dancing, you need at least 3.5 - 4 hours. If renting the boat for that long would be way out of budget, I’d highly suggest looking into other venues for your reception. I’d recommend all-inclusive venues that will already have the tables, chairs, linens, maybe even food and drink as well in order to save money.

So many brides say their day goes by in a blur. Trying to fit all those events in 3 hours is going to be a struggle. Dinner alone is 2 hours, regardless if you have a buffet or plated. Toasts can be done while guests are eating or at the rehearsal dinner. Cake cutting doesn’t take that long but serving does because many don’t know how to cut slices properly. Dances are always tricky. Many djs online say don’t have more than 2 hours which defeats the purpose. Also you have to fit time in there to greet your guests if you didn’t after the ceremony. Guests who are not dancing won’t have time to mingle with those they may not have seen in awhile. Table visits, no matter how well intended, always cut into already short dancing time. So just with dinner and dancing alone, not counting other smaller events, is 4 hours. An all inclusive venue will add a cocktail hour to that, but it’s still a tight time crunch. So the 4 hours that is the industry standard is super short and not the best option, especially when you have guests traveling who haven’t seen each other for awhile and this is their opportunity to do so.


On the flip side, a 3 hour reception is feasible plenty of time if you skip dinner and dancing and just do cake and coffee with socializing.
If the 4+ hours is essential, keep looking for a similar venue you love without overtime charges. There are countless blank slate venues that have no time restrictions and are often more budget friendly.