After the wedding ceremony, you’ll whisk your guests away to the location of your wedding reception. This is where the festivities begin and you can celebrate being newlyweds. It typically starts just after midday and goes long into the night.
If you’re struggling to plan your wedding reception, here’s a basic template to follow that shows the best timeline of events:
Cocktail Hour – Approx 1 Hour
As your guests arrive at the venue, you should host a cocktail hour for around an hour, possibly more. It’s a chance for everyone to mingle, enjoy a few drinks and taste some little canapes. Your guests do this while you get all of your staged wedding photos taken. If it lasts for more than an hour it’s not a big deal, but going beyond two hours is pushing it.
Food Time – Approx 2 Hours
When the photos are done, it’s time to get your guests into the main room for some food. Everyone will sit at their designated spot and you all enjoy a lovely three-course meal. Make sure you take your wedding menu into consideration to provide options for guests to order before they arrive. This makes it easier for the catering staff to get food on plates ASAP.
Speeches – 1 Hour Max
Next, you have the speeches. This is where multiple people stand up and give speeches or toasts to the newly married couple. It’s worth reading a wedding speech guide to understand who should give speeches, so you don’t leave anyone out. This should never take longer than an hour and you can do it either after dessert or before – it’s up to you!
More Cocktails – 1 Hour
After dinner, the room needs to undergo a dramatic change to get ready for the rest of the evening’s entertainment. This is a chance for another cocktail hour, where guests mingle and enjoy something else to drink. It’s also an opportunity for people to change into less formal attire that’s more suitable for dancing!
The Cake & First Dance – 15 Mins
When the room is ready, everyone gathers around for the couple to make a big entrance. They enter the room again and it’s time to cut the wedding cake. Some couples choose to cut the cake after dinner before the room turnaround, but it’s entirely your choice.
Following this, they take to the dancefloor for their first dance. Soon after, this is followed by the parent dances before everyone else can join in.
Party Time – As Long As You Like!
After all the formalities are taken care of, it’s party time! Guests can dance, mingle, and party the night away. This can go on for as long as you like – it’s also wise to provide a few snacks at one point when people get peckish.
As the night draws to a close, the happy couple will make their dramatic exit. Everyone cheers and gives you well wishes as you head to your wedding car and depart.
And just like that, your wedding day is over! This is a pretty traditional timeline, so feel free to play around with things depending on your preferences. It will help you plan the structure of your day, so everything goes swimmingly.