Wedding reception order of events, hour by hour
The usual running order of a reception from the entrance to the last dance, where the speeches go in the US and the UK, and how long each part takes.
The short version
- A common US order: cocktail hour, entrance, first dance, welcome, dinner, toasts, parent dances, cake, open dancing, last dance.
- In the UK the speeches traditionally come after the meal, and the first dance opens the evening party.
- Keep formalities in two blocks, so the dance floor is not interrupted every twenty minutes.
- Share the timeline with every vendor and the master of ceremonies a week ahead.
A wedding reception usually runs: drinks while photos are taken, the couple's entrance, dinner with toasts, the first dance and parent dances, the cake, and then open dancing until the last song. The order of the middle part varies more than people think, and the most useful decision is not the exact sequence but grouping the formal moments so the evening has a rhythm.
A typical US reception order
- Cocktail hour (about an hour, while the couple and family take photos)
- Guests are seated; the wedding party and the couple are announced
- First dance, often straight after the entrance
- Welcome from the hosts and a blessing or toast
- Dinner
- Toasts: maid of honor, best man, sometimes the couple
- Parent dances
- Cake cutting
- Open dancing, with the bouquet toss if you keep that tradition
- Last dance and send-off
How is it different in the UK?
At a traditional British wedding, the drinks reception is followed by the wedding breakfast (the meal), and the speeches come after it: father of the bride, the groom, then the best man, with more couples now adding the maid of honor or a joint speech. The cake is cut after the speeches, and the first dance opens the evening party, often when evening guests arrive. In Australia and New Zealand the order sits somewhere between the two.
Where should the speeches go?
Either before the meal (speakers relax and can eat, guests are fresh) or after it (the traditional British slot, and the room is warm). The only bad place is scattered: one speech before the starter, one between courses, one before dessert. Put them in one block of no more than twenty to thirty minutes in total.
How long does each part take?
- Entrance and first dance: about 10 minutes
- Dinner: 60 to 90 minutes for a plated meal, longer for a buffet with a big crowd
- Speeches: 3 to 5 minutes each, 20 to 30 minutes for the block
- Parent dances and cake: about 15 minutes
- Dancing: everything left, usually two to three hours
How do you keep it running on time?
Write a run sheet with times, who does what and who cues it, and give it to the venue, the caterer, the photographer and the master of ceremonies a week ahead. Build in one gap that is not for anything, because something always overruns. And give guests the short version on the invitation: when dinner is, roughly when the dancing starts, and when the evening ends.
Group the formalities, then get out of the way. A reception goes wrong when it keeps stopping.
Common questions
What is the order of events at a wedding reception?
A common order is cocktail hour, the couple's entrance, the first dance, a welcome, dinner, toasts, parent dances, cake cutting, open dancing and the last dance. In the UK the speeches traditionally come after the meal and the first dance opens the evening party.
When do speeches happen at a wedding reception?
Either before the meal or after it. In the US they are often during or just after dinner; in the UK they traditionally follow the meal. Group them in one block of 20 to 30 minutes rather than spreading them out.
How long is a wedding reception?
Usually four to five hours, including about an hour for drinks, one to one and a half hours for dinner, and two to three hours of dancing.
Plan it all in one place
A seating chart, a budget and a checklist that follow your guests' replies, alongside your invitation.
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