Time between ceremony & reception

Cocktail hour for our venue is an hour and a half. We are doing ceremony and reception at the same venue.

Our ceremony is at 5:30 cocktail hour starts at 6:45

@ryan when are you doing pictures?

Trying to keep it to an hour to an hour and 15 min.

@Ryan - it seems like you have a gap between your cermony and your cocktail time (a gap for the gap time), or is your ceremony that long?

Same venue for both. Probably max 1.5 hrs in between as cocktail hour.

I think it's rude to the guests for cocktail hour to be longer than an hour. IMO, do some formal groups before the ceremony or don't do so many, it frees up time to capture the more organic moments you can't stage...you aren't making guests wait and the couple isn't missing dinner.

My ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception are all in the same venue, just different rooms. My cocktail hour is about an hour and a half but the room is a large lounge with both standing tables, plenty of regular sitting tables and booths. There is a large bar right in the lounge and there will be both a table of appetizers and appetizers being carried around by servers. Obviously, I feel bad about it being so long so I hired a band to play live music for the cocktail hour and am trying to cook up clever ways to keep them entertained for that time. I just went to a wedding that had an hour and a half long cocktail hour and I don't think I would have minded so much if there had been somewhere to sit.

My cocktail hour is going to a hour then into reception

My ceremony & reception are at the same location. Ceremony is half an hour, cocktail hour is one hour after. We are doing a first look to avoid the long wait before the reception.

This is something that's been in my mind since I went to a friends wedding. So I'm following for ideas, but some have suggested to me to get some pictures done before the ceremony (I really don't want fh to see me until I'm walking down the aisle) and then do the together pics after ceremony. I'm having everything at the same venue so that helps me out quite a bit... I think.

10 minutes.

I had no gap.

I went to a wedding in January at a Catholic church; the ceremony took at least an hour and then we drove right over to the venue for cocktail hour. It lasted a full hour but the bridal party didn't make any of it because they were taking pictures. They did the pictures on the grounds of the reception venue, though.

My church ceremony (Catholic mass) is at 3, cocktail hour from 5 to 6, reception (dinner) at 6. These are the times set by the church and the reception venue. We are doing photos after the ceremony because FH doesn't want a "first look". By the time mass is over (it usually takes at least an hour) and people get in their cars and drive to the reception hotel, it will be just about time for cocktail hour.

I went to a wedding (on Valentines Day!). The ceremony was at 12pm and went for about 20 minutes. The Reception didn't start until 6:30pm... We went home in between and FH mowed our lawns. It was ridiculous!

Our ceremony starts at 3:30pm, Cocktail hour at 4:15pm, Reception at 5:30. All at the same venue, just different areas of the resort.

Zero. Our cocktail hour is before the ceremony, so it's cocktail hour, ceremony, reception and all are at the same venue. That's the norm where I live and I love it it makes it so easy and flows well.

Our ceremony ends at half 2, and it's about half an hour to the reception venue. Drinks and canapes will start at half 3, to give time for travel and group photos, and will last an hour and a half - ending at 5, so that my FH and I can go get our private photos and hopefully arrive back in time for it to end!

@smat we plan on doing pictures while the guests are at the cocktail hour. The problem with time was the church we attend only did weddings before 10am or 1-2 pm. He made an exception and agreed to 5:30 and our priest will have us out by 6:00. Venue is only about 15 min away. We wanted a Saturday June evening wedding reception and the venue is either any 5 hour block ending no later than 5pm or at 6:30 ending at 11:30. Our venue is were we want a lot of the pictures. The grounds are beautiful with ocean/harbor views. This church and priest are important to us got me through the illness and passing of my dad and he was the only priest who would baptize our son before we were married and marry us in a Catholic Church

My ceremony and reception are at the same place (ceremony outside, reception inside)...our ceremony is 5-6pm, cocktail hour 6-7pm (we'll also take pictures during this time) and then reception 7-10pm, but people will be able to be in the reception space starting at 6, and the bar is outside on the patio area where the cocktail hour is.

Ceremony and reception is in the same location, with a 30 min gap between for pictures. BP is us, 2 flowergirls, best man, and MOH. Any that can be done without me and FH together is being done before the ceremony.

Ask your photographer how much time they will need, also account for travel time for your guest to get from venue to venue.

The church we're getting married in and the reception venue is 20 minutes apart from each other. So our cocktail time is going to be 1 1/2 hours plus travel time