Timeline for "happily Ever After Party"

Welcome to the WeddingWire community Eve!!

Firstly, I would recommend making a list of all events that need to happen throughout the evening and determine what needs to happen immediately and what will happen later during the evening.

As it is a cocktail style evening, a cocktail hour will obviously happen so that guests can mingle with each other and congratulate you both on your marriage. Are you planning on doing a grand entrance?

Are you planning on serving the food as a late-night snack, since you are not serving ‘dinner’? If so, you should also decide when you want to have your cake cutting. Do you want your toasts to happen before this?

Hi Kelly and Sinead, thanks for your input!

I like the idea of a late-night snack bar for those hanging later into the evening to party. This is something I was considering so based on both of your feedback I'll build it into the plan.

The event is definitely more semi-formal and we will be announced to music so I suppose it's somewhat of a grand entrance. Based on your suggestion to outline what needs to happen I was thinking the following:

-Party starts at 8 : open bar and time for people to mix and mingle

8:20ish: Entrance and maybe right into a first dance from there and then father/daughter dance?

8:30/40: Apps come out and open dance, food, more mingling for an hour

9:30/40: toasts once everyone is warmed up and then right into us saying a thank you to all our guests and cutting the cake (is this too close to the food being out?)

More dancing and then karaoke - late night snacks for those hanging into the evening.

I'd like to have a lot of the "ceremonial" type events wrapped up by 10 for the older guests....although my grandma has been known to break it down on the dance floor. :p