4pm wedding timeline?

[Wedding2024]

Does this timeline sound about right ? The reception is around 20 minutes away from the ceremony. Having around 80 guests. Not sure if the night will be to long with a 6pm start and 12 pm closure or if guests will get hungry later on with food 🤷‍♀️

Ceremony 4pm at church
Finished by 4.45
Photographs and chatting till 5.15 ish
Make way to wedding reception/Park up and welcome drinks 6pm
Food 6.30pm ( buffet )
7pm photobook and dj start
12pm bar closes

Anyone else's similar wedding start / timeline they would be happy to share appreciated

Thank you 😊

We're doing a 5pm wedding ceremony
Drinks and canapes (separate venue) 7 - 8.30
Cake cutting & first dance 8.30
Sliders and chips 10:30
Dancing until 2!

Ours started at 3pm and worked well, not too much waiting around. Later weddings are loads better for everyone. I've been to a 5.30pm wedding before that worked as it was very relaxed.

The worst are those that start anytime before 2pm, way too much hanging about. Am ordeal for the guests.

I'd just push the buffet to be a bit later (7/7:30) everything else looks great! Love an afternoon/evening wedding!

We having a 4 pm wedding but at the same place as reception
4pm wedding
4.30 canapés and drinks
6.30 sit down wedding breakfast
8pm speeches / cake
9.30 first dance
10.30 sparklers cheese and port
12.00 bed x

Are you having the DJ and dancing in the same room as the buffet ? If so, may i suggest you push back the DJ start time. They're so loud you often can't hear yourself think, let alone speak!

This sounds perfect!

So not proper food until 10.30pm??!! That's a long time from lunch, especially if people are drinking. I'd have to pop out and get some food before 10.30pm, that's a bit bonkers.

No proper food at all really, it's just a party and will be presented as such.
We're doing 8 canapes per person so nobody should be fainting away.

Most people won't be at the ceremony so will be arriving at 7

It will take 80 people at least 30 minutes to get their food from a buffet, never mind eat it.

Ive re done my wedding timeline with everyone's recommendations does this now look more realistic? I've added more food too. Thanks 😊

Ceremony starts 3.30pm

Ceremony till 4.15/4.30 clock

Photographs and chit chat till 5.15/5.30

Arrive at reception venue, welcome drinks and canapees 5.45/6pm 

Buffer Food served 7.30 pm ish ?
Disco and photo booth open 9pm

Pudding table and cheese and biscuits maybe? 10pm

Party till 12

Buffet '

Are you going to have all the guests hanging about whilst you get photos done? An hour is a long time! My gran for example couldn’t stand about. I’d get family photos done then let everyone leave and go back to the reception for drinks & canapés whilst you finish photos.

7.30 is really late to eat?

7.30 is not late to eat. The wedding doesn't start until 3:30 so people will have had a proper lunch.
Just put a timeline on the invitations so people can make their own adjustments.

A 3.30pm ceremony and no refreshments until 5.45/6pm isn’t great tbh. No one really wants to stand milling around at the ceremony venue for an hour if they’re not the ones posing for photos. Guests who are older, pregnant, or have limited mobility will struggle. If people are driving themselves and you’re not putting on transport then I think there’s a very high chance they’ll jump the gun and turn up to the reception an hour early because usually you do the confetti, group photo, and then everyone moves on.

If the ceremony will finish at 4.15, and it’s a half hour journey, then I would plan for guests to arrive at the reception venue and start the welcome drinks at 5. Everyone can ‘chit chat’ there. Bridal party to follow after photos. Then I’d do the food at 6.30pm, stick to the conventional and serve the cheese and desert afterwards not at 10pm, then start the party with the DJ at 8!

I’d serve the buffet earlier: 7.30 is fine if you’re top table, you’ll be eating by 7.40. If you’re the last of 80 people to go up you’ll be chewing the tablecloth.

I’d never last from lunch till 7.30 but everyone is different!

I've put down canape reception do you think that's not enough till 7.30? If someone could re do my timeline would be much more helpful then what's wrong with it again , I'd really appreciate it 😂 thank you 😆

Mine was really similar to your latest timings including cheese and cake later on. It worked well.

Ceremony starts 3.30pm

Ceremony ends 4.15 - don’t drag it out!

Arrive at reception venue for photographs, welcome drinks and chit chat 4.45

Canapés begin 5.30pm

Buffet opens 6.30pm

Disco and photo booth open 7.45

Pudding table and cheese and biscuits maybe 10pm

Party till 12

Are you doing cake and speeches? Maybe push back the disco to 8pm. But no later: you want people on their feet dancing, if you hang around til 9 they’ll all have buffet seconds and fall asleep!

Thank you!

I think the issue is there is 3 hours in between the end of the ceremony and buffet being served, potentially 3.5 hours or more if you are at the end of the queue. That’s a lot of hanging about! Are the canapés substantial?

I had 4pm ceremony (half hour).
20 mins photos (all guests) & extra half hour me and dh
5pm - 6.15pm canapés & drinks
6.30pm-7pm food served

I’d do something like…

3.30-4.15 - Ceremony
4.30 - Guests depart for reception venue (bridal party to follow on after photos)
5 - Welcome drinks, canapés, chit chat
6.30 - Buffet dinner (with pudding?)
8.30 - DJ, photobooth, party time
12 - Carriages

I also definitely think you want people on the dancefloor at 10, not sitting down for some brie and crackers. But if you’re a cheese fiend who’ll need a pick me up then I totally respect that!

@Wedding2024 this is pretty much the exact timeline of my wedding and it was great.
I've been to far too many morning weddings with all the hanging around starving until the evening type stuff, so went for 4pm kick off.