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Wow, you’re getting Married! Where do we begin? How long does each event take? We just show up at the church, have a ceremony, and then rush over to the reception hall, right?
Not exactly, a wedding day is an all day event, encompassing many smaller events. First of all, are the photographer & videographer. What roll do you want them to play? Do you want them to just take pictures at the church, and the reception? Or do you want them to chronicle the whole day, getting pictures of the bride when she first arrives at the church, Pictures of the family and guests? Pictures outside the church? Pictures at a scenic place between the church & the reception hall? Pictures of family members the bridal party in different poses and arrangements? These are all time considerations. A good photographer will have a firm grasp on the times these photo OP’s will take. I personally recommend allowing at least an hour and a half between the beginning of your ceremony and the time you reach your reception location for a 15 minute JP ceremony with a receiving line where the reception hall is fairly close to the ceremony location. Two hours for a full religious ceremony with a receiving line, but check with your photographer for best accuracy. If you want to socialize, relax, or get pictures taken, this is your time to do these things. Once you are at your reception, time for these things will be very limited.
Will there be a receiving line? How long will it take? An average receiving line takes about a half hour, but there are some questions you can ask yourself in order to get a more accurate picture of just how long your receiving line might take; Are your relatives talkers? Do you have a tough time keeping conversations short(I do)? Think of an approximate per guest time, take the guest whom you will most likely be talking to the longest, and cut that person’s time in half, then multiply by the # of people you expect to come through your receiving line (avg. is 50-75%). It’s better to overestimate than underestimate, the final consideration, is how long it will take to travel from the ceremony site to the reception site. This is the point at which most good DJ’s and coordinators take over. They should have ready an itinerary for you, so that you have a rough idea of what is happening when. A sample itinerary would be as follows:
All Times are approximate, your MC will let you know at least 5 minutes ahead of time when an event is going to take place, giving you plenty of time to run to the bathroom, check your hair/makeup, etc.
6pm arrive, MC gets everyone lined up and ready to enter (anywhere from ten minutes to a half hour, depending on the readiness of the bridal party. Knowing who will be announced in, and letting them know ahead of time help greatly in minimizing this time. I can’t tell you how many times I have had to pull a parent back into the foyer, so that they could be announced in, before I began sending the bride & Groom a typed list of the people being announced in, and asking that they make sure everyone is aware that they will be announced in.) MC announces the bridal party into the hall (No more than 7minutes)
Best Man’s Toast, (other toasts?)
Blessing ( If officiant is present)
Dinner (depending on how the meal is served; buffet, food stations, French served, or regular served, and how many courses. This can take anywhere from 45 minutes, to an hour and a half); the Bride & Groom finish their meal about 15-30 minutes before everyone else, then go around & greet any guests they may have missed during the receiving line, or, in the absence of a receiving line, this is when the Bride & Groom have a brief chance to greet and thank their guests.
Cut the Cake,(takes about 10 minutes), Bride cuts, then Groom cuts, Groom Feeds, Then Bride Feeds
First dances: (approximately three minutes each is the rule of thumb for the length of special dances)
· Father/Daughter
· Mother/Son
· Bride & Groom 1st Dance
· Bridal Party Dance
· First Dance set
· Dollar Dance
· 2nd dance set
· Garter & Bouquet
· Party on
From the announcement into the hall, to the bouquet & Garter is generally a minimum of two and a half hours, in a four hour wedding reception, this leaves you an hour & a half to let loose (two & a half for a five hour reception, some DJ companies run special pricing on the fifth hour for this very reason)
· Last Dance? At this point, you may be off to the airport or a nearby hotel in preparation for your honeymoon, enjoy, you’ve earned it!
Why is all of this important? Two reasons; First, so that you don’t feel like your being handled and directed without any clear view of what should happen & when & how, and second, so that you get the maximum value out of each of the wedding professionals you hire. I wish you all the best in your journey toward the perfect wedding. If I can be of further assistance, please do not hesitate to give me a call at 797-9289.
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