Reception start time vs. when the wedding party shows up. Also general timeline question

We are doing dinner at 5:30pm, we will aim to be there for 5pm and our guests will be able to arrive starting at 4:30pm.

Hey, I will try and message you my day of timeline Our coordinator was SO helpful in helping us with this. Our timelines look similar to yours.

Our reception timing went as:

6:00 cocktail hour
6:30 reception entrance with wedding party
6:35 mother/son dance
6:4o cake cutting
6:45 speeches
7:00 plated dinner served
8:00 dancing
11:00 late night buffet served
12:00 First dance

Consider 2 1/2 for guests rating buffet.

Thanks for all your responses Definitely helps out seeing some other peoples timelines !

Hi Jennifer, our reception timelines sound very similar so I'll let you know what I'm doing. I might change some stuff around within the year but this is what's shaping up:

Cocktail hour is at 5:30pm (invite time)
Grand entrance at 6 or 6:15pm
Dinner starting at 6:30pm
Thinking of doing the shoe game sometime during dinner, around 7:30pm
Speeches around 8:30pm
Cake cutting and first dance/parent dances at 8:45pm and 9pm respectively. After that, our photographer will leave and the dancefloor is open to everyone! The bar will also fully open at this time. There will be champagne for speeches and wine at dinner beforehand.
Late night snacks served at 10:30pm
Last call 12:30am
Everyone leave at 1am

Our ceremony and reception are at the same venue but different areas so we wont need to tear down and setup it will all be done ahead of time and our guests don't need to go anywhere, but our timeline still follows a typical timeline.

Cocktail Hour - 4:30pm
Guests called to be seated for dinner - 5:30pm
Grand entrance/first dance - 5:45pm
Dinner starts - 6pm
Dinner ends/cut the cake - 8pm

Speeches will take place during dinner, right after my parents (aka my dad) speaks, we will have our father-daughter dance, then my FH's mom will speak and right after will have their mother-son dance.

Hope this helps!

This is what were doing!
530 - Cocktail hour Starts
6pm - I'm hoping us and the wedding party arrives but depends how our photos go!
630 PM- people are seated
645-7pm - Grand entrance and first dance
730 - Dinner starts!
If our photos go on longer though I will have both sets of parents head to the venue first to mingle and we will just do the grand entrance and then mingle with guests thru the rest of the night!

Your timing for dinner is perfect IMO. The one hour is totally fine and you want everyone there for when you guys enter. As far as father and daughter dance as well as cake cutting, I have no idea! Haha. I’ve been to weddings where they cut the cake before the dance started. I’ve been to wedding where they cut the cake during the dance period. I think now people tend to do them close together so the photographer can leave at a decent time.