How long does a wedding reception last?

So we are having a very small wedding. 30 guest max. Our formal reception as I call it will only be 2 hours. Its mainly going to be dinner and drinks. People are welcome to dance but we are basing our ceremony around that. After the formal reception we will have an after party. We are having a DW. To some it might feel rushed but we think it will be perfect. Pictures will be done before the reception. We will have our first dance as the only "activity". No garter toss, speeches, or bouquet toss. For 100 guest I think you might want 3-4 hours though.

@mmb I don't want to inconvience people is my issue I believe. Ive been to wedding where people did more sitting around waiting than anything else because of the flow of it all. Too long serving plated meals too long of a wait after the ceremony while the bridal party took 15000 pictures lol things like that. Even with the cocktail hour people were still complaining about the wait. I don't want the complaints. My question is in general from start of reception to end of reception what's the average. Most are saying 4 to 5 hours

That's a small gap for ceremony and reception. I'm not sure if that what the vendor intent was for the use of that time slot. I look like you are trying to fit it all in that window to budget. Most allow you 4 hours for ceremony which includes set up and breakdown. Then you get another 4-6 hours for set up and breakdown for reception cause it involves alot more. Unless you not having vendors i dont see time for nothing. Vendors use at least 2 hours min just to set up and breakdown.

Eta: I would just get a very good planner to ensure the flow of ceremony and cut down pics taken to ensure there is no delay.

I'm sorry y'all I'm at work and can't look up the abbreviations but what does eta mean?

Our venue is booked from 5:30 - 11:30pm

5:30 - venue opens for early guest arrival

6-6:20 - Ceremony

6:30 - 7:30 - cocktail hour

7:45 - toast from FOB / salad is served

7:45-8 - salad, toast from MOH and BM

8-8:30 - entrée is served

8:30-9 - cake cutting & first dances

9-11:30 - dancing, cigar roller woo!

** 11:15 bride and groom exit

ETA = edited to add

Eta = edited to add

In our area, the standard time for the entire thing is 6 hours. Out of that the ceremony takes 30 minutes and 30 minutes are guests filtering out. I would suggest 5 hours for a reception, but I like to party.

Our wedding starts at 5pm and ends at 11pm. 6 hours in total for ceremony, photos, dinner, dancing, drinking, toasts, cake cutting, etc....Our officiant says ceremonies usually last 15-30mins. 15 mins being short and sweet and 30 being the typical ceremony.

We are setting up at 1pm that the reception is from 2 to 8 then clean up from 8 to 9.

We have a lot of people helping so shouldn't take long.

Oh gosh, mine is so long - 6.5 hours. Cocktails start at 5:30, and probably wrapping up the whole thing at midnight (or later if my guests want to keep going!).

Just like a great concert, your wedding reception should end with people wanting more. (While at the same time not making you feel rushed) I would do a four hour reception. That should allow you 2 hours of "Open Dancing"

My venue has the reception time set for 4 hours, which I think is the norm.

We are having 4 hours reception. It is also buffet style, then we have toasts, cake cutting, photos, dancing...Initially we had 3 hours, but I know it will go so fast I didn't want to give myself more reason to rush. If it is not additional charge and you plan on having a DJ I would definitely say 4 hours.

Why do you say "people hang around after bride/groom leave"? do you plan to leave early ? I plan on enjoying every minute of our reception with my then Husband and loved ones! We might even go for an after party! But that's us, and that's how most weddings go on our families, so you kinda have to know your crowd too.

On average, a wedding reception lasts 4-5 hours! There's also typically a one hour cocktail hour before the reception kicks off. 🥂

This article has a great sample reception timeline at the bottom you can check out for an idea on how to schedule your reception: 9 Wedding Day Timeline Rules Every Couple Should Follow.