Ceremony and Reception Start Time

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That is a good idea! I'll keep that in mind

My friend had put 6:00 for the start time and had the officiant announce that the doors opened at 5:30. I think it worked well because some people like to go straight to the reception venue and do all the guest book signing before anyone else arrives, and some people like to stay at the ceremony venue a little longer.

THANK YOU ALL FOR REPLYING!

This is exactly what I was thinking (5:30pm start time), but I just needed to know that this was going to be the right thing to do. Now time to order my invitations!

The time for 5:30pm is fine due to guests arriving and talking during the time of you arriving and making your entrance as planned.

Cocktail hour in order should be noted for 5pm so that it gives your guests a heads up. That way the doors will open for them to seat in 15 minutes before you two entering.

I would go for 5:30, simply because the music will start then, you’ll most likely having people come in early anyways, but they wont come in expecting the party to be starting just yet, when people come in at 5 expecting the party starting they might wonder when the DJ starts. It’ll just save you questions.

I would say reception at 5:30pm. Many guests will get there early and that is okay, and they will not expect music yet necessarily, but then they aren't rushing to get there for 5!

I'd go for 5:30 as well, but I also think that the timelines for a reception start don't need to be super rigid. I'm being very forgiving with myself as I plan the day out. I'm anticipating a lot of last-minute changes.

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I agree with this! Our ceremony is at 3pm, half an hour roughly, and our official cocktail hour is at 5:30 (We might be starting it earlier but that's TBD. Our dinner will start at 6:30 so we're going to put both times down.

We're hoping to finish up with photography at 5:30, we're staying on site so no need to allow for travel time, so we have an hour to mingle with guests at cocktail hour before being seated for dinner.

I agree with everyone else about saying 5:30pm.. also if you are worried about people rushing or being late you can also add what time dinner is served.. People expect to mingle, say hi to the couple, get a drink and chat before dinner so as long as there is still that break you should be fine.

Not sure when your dinner is but for argument sake let's say 6:30pm - you can put on the invitation: reception begins at 5:30pm and dinner to be served at 6:30pm.. then people know they don't need to fly there necessarily and they won't be late if they aren't there right when the reception starts but it also doesn't leave it open so that you DO end up with guests being late for dinner. An hour to an hour and a half is more than enough time but once you're moving locations people can get distracted; go home let the dogs out, change their outfits, go get gas, cigarettes, snacks etc... ya never know. At least that way you're telling them when to be there but also telling them when they absolutely have to be there.

I agree with the others - ten minutes is pretty rushed to end the ceremony and run to the other venue. People will want to mingle and congratulate then leisurely find their way over and park and stuff. And it would be nice to have the music ready to go when the guests arrived.

I agree, I would change the start time to 5:30. Many people are going to want to hug you/chat with you after the ceremony, and depending on how many guests you have, that may take 30-60 minutes!

I honestly do not think most people will notice if everything doesn't start right on time. I personally put ours earlier, because there are some family members that are not exactly punctual people.

Our ceremony and reception is at the same location, I have 5pm ceremony start time (30 min ceremony) and then reception starting at 6 on our invites.

I say to go with the reception start time saying 5:30 just in case people do try and rush for 5 you wouldn't want them to get there and there be no music. Besides, as a guest you wouldn't want to think you have to rush to the reception right away any way.

I think people expect weddings times to vary, but I would change your reception start time to 5:30 to allow for buffer time.

I'm all for punctuality but I would think that in the joyous commotion after the ceremony you may want to have more time to get into the next phase of the celebration.

Where music is concerned - consider creating a quick Spotify playlist to have music playing until the dj gets set up and starts. For me it would be important to have music playing as much as possible, even if it's just jazz, or some other instrumental.