Wedding day timeline HELP?

Question

I made my own invitations and realized that I put 5:30 for the time of the ceremony instead of 5 (we were originally thinking 5:30 and I forgot to change it). we cant be to the church until 4,which is fine since I was only planning on an hour there beforehand anyway. my photos will be taken at a park beforehand for the most part. but here is the dilema: I want to eat dinner at 7pm. cant be late either since the caterer is very particular about serving dinner. the ceremony and reception are only like 5 minutes away. my ceremony will be about 20 minutes, maybe 30. then the dance will start at 8pm which is also on the invitations, since we have a seperate invitation for some people that are only coming to the dance like co workers, etc. dont give my gripe about not feeding everyone. anyway. is this timeline ok? the caterer said only an hour is needed from the time dinner is served til the time everything is cleared since its a small plated dinner.

Additional Details

I can always reprint the invitations if need be but really dont want to.

obviously if I leave it at 5:30 on the invitations I will start the ceremony at 5:30

not much of a cocktail hour anyway, no food ordered for that. I think I should be ok.

the guests will be able to get into the reception hall and there will be a bar available for them.

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

If the caterer says dinner will only take an hour, I would believe them. I work for a reception hall, and we tell couples dinner takes an hour to an hour and a half, depending on the number of courses, but we do that to cover our buts if something happens in the kitchen, and dinner service runs a little long...typically dinner service where I work takes 45 minutes to an hour.

My only comment would be that you won't have much of a cocktail hour, probably not more than 30 minutes, so if you've ordered a bunch of hors d'oeuvres to be served before dinner, you might want to cut back on those, as there might not be enough time to serve them all before dinner begins. It will just be wasted money.

Asker's Rating:

Asker's Comment:

I am changing the time to 5 just because I will be doing a few photos and having a recieving line, which might take up more time than usual (I come from a very social family).

Answer 2

If people think the ceremony starts at 5:50 instead of at 5, how do you know everyone will show up on time? You don't. Reprint the invitations. You might not want to, but it'll make everything go a lot smoother. Other than that, I think your timeline is fine.

Answer 3

just call people and explain what happend tell them to pass the word to certain people that way you dont have to re print or call all on your own or better yet...send a mass email to all of them ...way quicker

Answer 4

I think you're fine! If anything, it may be a little too much time between the ceremony and dinner, in which case you can take more pictures and have a mini cocktail hour before the caterer is ready to go. Most people will go straight where the food is sooner than you think, so you could even make time to have a reception line or greet your guests. When I got married we had the ceremony and reception in the same hotel and took pictures after the ceremony, and by the time we were done it had been 30 minutes and the crudite/cheese platters had been destroyed. This is almost exactly what we did and it worked fine!

Answer 5

Your ceremony starts at 5:30 and it will be 20 minutes long. That means it will be over at 5:50. The guests will travel 5 minutes to get to the reception

That give the guests one hour and 5 minutes to stand around before dinner will be served.

Even if your ceremony is 30 minutes, there will still be a lot of time between your ceremony and the reception. Will the guests be able to get into the reception area? Will there be a hosted or no-host bar? Where will the guests stay for that hour if it is poor weather? What are they expected to do for that hour?

Answer 6

Actually I think 5:30 is better because it will end at 6 at the latest and you shouldnt let guests wait more than an hour for the reception to start. So youre good.

Answer 7

Its great! Leave the wedding at 5:30 and you tell the church your not doing it till then. That way you have 30min for the ceremony puts you at 6:00 then pictures not 30min but let it be 30min puts you at 6:30 then 10min to get there be announced so then 6:40 and you will be setted and waiting for dinner at 7:00! Thats a great timeline! good job. 5:30 is best when serving at 7:00.

This also leaves room for error. Late groomsmen, late bride, late guests, late whatever the case might be. Not saying there will be error just plan ahead 5min either way for things.

Answer 8

In all of the weddings I've been to...the ceremony itself lasts only 20 minutes. What adds to that time are the elements of the ceremony (readings, prayers, songs, rituals, how many bridesmaids have to walk down the aisle). If your ceremony is basic without the added elements, your cocktail hour will be perfectly timed. The photographer will only take approximately 30-40 minutes for portraits. You may freshen up and wait to be announced at your reception site. Then let everyone eat. Fabulous! The second best alternative is to make adjustments with your caterer. Sending out second invitations or calling to adjust the time is not in the best taste.

Answer 9

I would leave it at 5:30 pm. Most weddings start on the half hour anyway. I'm a little concerned about your caterer claiming one hour is enough to serve everyone have them eat and clean up. We had our dinner last two hours and that was just enough time for everyone to eat and clear away the dishes. You may want to renegotiate that part.