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i think 9:30 it just too late to start dinner. and it's unlikely to run exactly like clockwork. if people are sitting down at even 9:45, the fork won't be in the mouth with a main course until -- maybe after 10?
i was going to say add an hour at the end but the read your last comment. I say, yes that's a bit short, especially for NYE. I'd add the extra hour and make it 7-1. Also, while I know that most people don't eat dinner that late normally, i think when going to weddings, most people have an idea when they will eat so they plan their other meals/snacks accordingly. people can't really get too picky when they are being fed for free, kwim?
Would you be able to have "snacks" or hors d'euvres instead of a dinner. It might be late for some people & if it's not included, it may save you some money. It would save some time to, since you wouldn't necessarily need an hour to eat snacks.
Other than that, I think 5 hours would be fine. Some guests (older ones) may not want to stay out that late. You could always move the party somewhere else if it was really an issue.
So I said 8-1 if snacks would allow for more party time.
I vote add another hour. I'll probably be adding an hour (to the end) of ours, because our venue rental (for ceremony and reception) is from 3:30 - 9:30 w/ the ceremony at 5:00. 9:30 just seems so early to end the party!
start early....at every wedding i go to, people get pooped by 11pm! they might leave early
Thanks everyone. Your thoughts are really helping. Keep the opinions coming! :)
Also, does your venue include setup time in your contract time, or do they build it in on their end? (Only thinking of this b/c with ours, the contract time must include setup and cleanup too---which adds another 3-4 hours on top of how long we want our ceremony/reception to actually last.)
I'd start an hour earlier, but even with that you might want a cocktail-style reception with no seated dinner---saves time and would probably work pretty well on NYE, too. That way the food would start flowing right away and continue through the evening. (Also, while on any other night you might lost people earlier than midnight, on NYE you're likely to keep people at least until 12:01 to toast with you---though some may take off at that point.)
I think starting the ceremony earlier would be more convenient for your guests because they might not want to stay out so late. I vote for it ending at either 11pm or Midnight.
You definitely need the extra time. We are doing NYE 201@ and we are going 8-2. Dinner won't be served exactly after cocktails. If you are doing intros, toasts, etc, that will take time and you are pushing closer to 10 before the entree.
I definitely think you should start an hour earlier. I think it might be a bit too late to start dinner at 930.
I agree with starting earlier, so that everyone can eat earlier. Hungry people = unhappy people! haha
Okay I think we have decided to have the wedding be from 7 to 1. :) Thanks for all of the help!
Wow. That is...not enought time. : (
I'm young and I would hate having dinner at 9:30pm. I probably would have eaten dinner before coming to the wedding if it was at 8:00pm! I think your timeline would work better with a dessert reception.
Adding the extra hour at the beginning would help a lot, I think.
So the majority responses agree an extra hour would be worth it... Does anyone think I need more than 6 hours for a ceremony and reception?
yes you should purchase add'l hours. older people will not be happy to eat dinner that late.
oh- by the way, since you are doing it for new years -
my catering manager said there are couples who hosts "midnight snacks" for guests who stay and party, so you can rent popcorn maker machine, candy bar, etc to feed the late-night guests
I would suggest, as others have, snacks for the guests and an earlier dinner. Old people, and young people who get cranky when hungry [read: me], would appreciate it :o)
I would start early because you can give yourself time for photos after the ceremony. People will eat by 8 pm. You may not need to serve dinner because your wedding is after dinner time (you may want heavy hor derves or a light meal with a lot of "midnight snacks").
We were really crunched with an afternoon reception. We had 5 hours, and we didn't even have dancing! I would add the extra hour, you'll need it. Also, I'd recommend taking all your pictures beforehand! Then you can shorten your cocktail hour to 30 minutes, and serve dinner earlier. Your new timeline would be more like:
7pm-Ceremony
7:30pm-Cocktails
8pm-Dinner
9pm-Cake
9:15pm-Let the dancing and tomfoolery begin!
I forgot to mention that because it gets dark earlier, many older guests may not want/like to go out so late (that is what my wedding planner told me because my wedding is on New Years Day). So the extra hour would be helpful!
if you can add an additional hour easily, it could be worth it, but your timing is a lot like mine will be-- ours is 7:30pm-12:30am, with the ceremony starting at 7:30 (this was the earliest our rabbi would start because of religious restrictions on having a Jewish wedding on the sabbath), cocktails and hors d'oevres at 8:30, and dinner starting at 9:15. yeah, it's late, but our guests know what they're getting into--we wrote "as dinner will be served relatively late, please eat a late lunch!" on our website. i'm surprised so many posters are advocating for an earlier dinner--i really don't think it's a big deal, people can eat a snack before they come, plus, it's new years eve! definitely fine, imo, to be late!
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So my wedding venue has a standard contract for 5 hours of time. This is supposed to include the ceremony and reception. Our wedding is going to be on New Years Eve (Not this new years eve) so we are planning on going from 8pm until 1am. Do you think this is enough time? It doesn't seem long enough to me. Here would be the time frame (I assume) with an 8-1 event. (If I am wrong on time lengths please let me know! I don't really know how long each aspect should take.)
8 pm Ceremony
8:30 Cocktails
9:30 Dinner (too late? it is New Years Eve and my friends and I are young but our older guests might not be too happy)
10:30-1 Dancing
Should we extend out time to be from 7pm till 1am? I worry that since it is New Years Eve people will want to have more time for actual dancing and partying. Also our bars must close by 12:40 due to our venue's restrictions. It is additional money but not too extravagant that we can not afford it. Oh and by the way while adding an additional hour in the beginning is possible at the end is not. Help please!!