Reception

Ask your DJ as well, and your venue. They've done this a million times and can give you a pretty good idea of timelines and what works best. They will also tell you where the bottlenecks are for time! Our DJ helped with ours. We have lots of time but it give us a great starting point! Careful with some of the timelines you find online too! If they are American, timelines end around 11pm. Not 1am like most of our weddings here!

Hi Jessica! I'm so happy to see you already got such great ideas from these amazing ladies! You can also get some inspiration from this chart:

At what time will your ceremony and reception start?

It depends on what time your reception starts, what you want, etc. Some couples go right into their first dance after their grand entrance and after that, everyone is seated for dinner. We did ours after dinner. We did our speeches during the entree course so that people could still be eating and the speeches didn't cut into our dancing time. I've been to a couple weddings where the bride and groom gave a speech when they did the cake cutting but you could also do it after the other speeches or after your grand entrance. Here was our reception timeline:

Found my venues suggested timeline!

Speech Outline

MC/DJ - Introductions of Wedding Party and Bride and Groom
- Quick Greeting
- House Rules
- Grace (if you’re doing one)

Salad - (after plates are collected)
- Maid of Honour

Pasta - (after plates are collected)
- Best Man

Main Course - (after plates are collected)
- All parents
- Anyone else wishing to say a few words

Dessert - after everyone has been threw buffet and received coffee/tea.
MC makes 2-3 minute call for B&G

Bride & Groom - cut cake (if haven’t already)
- dancing begins!!

Purpose of this guideline is so all guests will be able to listen to speeches because the room will be clear of servers and no extra noise will be happening. People have worked hard on creating a great speech and are nervous so they deserve everyone’s attention!

Our venue gave us a timeline of events. I'm not sure what kind of meal you're having (buffet or plated), but my venue recommended having speeches between courses, so that they were broken up and didn't feel too long and helped fill the lull. I'm not a fan of making speeches, but yes the bride and groom absolutely need to make one. It doesn't need to be a typical one (often brides and grooms say things to eachother... but over the microphone... to everyone... seems really weird to me), but you do need to thank your guests and anyone that contributed to the wedding (whether financially or with their time).

But all other speeches are optional. My MOH asked "do I HAVE to do a speech?" I said "NOPE!". FH doesn't have a best man (didn't want to pick one above the others lol). My parents hate speaking in front of people... they likely won't do one. Letting FMIL would just be asking for problem! So the only POSSIBLE speech I forsee is my FFIL. Which is fine by me!!!

I can send you the timeline my venue gave me for reference

Hello.
Depending on where you booked why not talk to the coordinator and see if she or he has any past wedding suggestions to help make the flow easier. My cousin did first dance with FH and parents as soon as she was introduced then we sar for dinner and the the speeches were made during dessert and she selected who said something as well and did a touching speech to her self to thank everyone.
For me im going more untraditional and doing no speeches other than my finace and I thanking everyone for making it out to celebrate the day and us. We will do this right after dinner before we cut the cake. We will be doing the first dance as a couple as soon as we come in after the ceremony to make way for the dinner announcement as that is what i have been suggested my venue coordinator.
One other wedding i went to they did their first dance after dinner to open the dance floor so it all depends on the bride i guess and how you see your day going.
I hope this helps you in some way.