wedding reception too short or just right?

IF you don't plan on your reception being a party, or a lot of entertainment on top of the normal hoopla, then that should be fine. But if you can spare yourself by buying the hour, do it. You seem to already be on the fence. Better safe than sorry!

I would pay for the extra hour. If you factor in about an hour for everyone to get through the buffet and eat, that barely leaves an hour for socializing/dancing. Also, in my experience sparkler exits are always way more trouble than they are worth. I've seen several where the photographer made the couple go back and forth a bunch of times to get a good shot, people's sparklers are going out, guests get cold and frustrated, and often the B+G just come back in anyway since they weren't actually leaving. I would skip this part.

Also, I would totally side-eye a bride and groom being served in their seat while the rest of us go to a buffet. There's nothing wrong with a buffet at all, but if it's good enough for your guests, it should be good enough for you.

@enchanted. It is 4.5 hours including the ceremony- just start rounding people up for an exit at 4 hours. My concern is will people stay till 11:30 though? I'm scared to pay for an hour that no one is around for anyways. My mom is adamant that family won't stay past 9- 9:30 since we aren't late night people.

Thanks Nicole. I think the served thing is weird too. They were concerned we would get stopped to chat to much in a buffet line, but I'd rather go through the buffet line. It is several different stations, not just one line. I'll consider no sparkler exit too. The venue was pretty insistent that they round people up to leave about 30 minutes before the contract end time regardless of exit type so it wouldn't help the timeline.

@Sarah- yes I don't care if people still go through the buffet line then. I don't need everyone "staring" for our first dance. And the dance floor isn't in the direction of the buffet line.

How much is the extra hour? Is it something that will make or break your budget?

Even if you aren't late night people, are there a lot of family/friends who haven't seen each other in a while? This might make the evening feel too short if a lot of people haven't seen each other. I'm early to bed folk at home, but I can party with the best of them at a wedding!

The extra hour would be $800-$1000, which I could do (but wouldn't be happy if I only had 5-10 people stay for the last hour), but seems a lot (have to pay band extra and venue).

From my side, all the family sees each other regularly (and I can't remember any event even at a house keeping my family past 9:30), but from FH side they don't see each other often, but also aren't on great terms with each other. I really think it'd be more our friends, and I don't know how many of them would stay if there aren't many of them invited to the wedding either. I haven't stayed at a wedding past 10:30

Good point, Sarah. I hadn't thought about guests wanting to see that.

That seems right. My placed was booked from 6 to 1 am. Ir was long but the Best Day Ever