Wedding ceremony length

20-30 is average

Yep, 25-30 minutes is typical for a ceremony not in a place of worship.

Ours is 20-25

Yup, 30 minutes tops

Thank you all! We were thinking that was a good time frame but we have to fill out our daily timeline and I don’t want to feel rushed!

Your officiant will be able to give you a better idea. Our ceremony was at a church so the minister gave a little sermon. Our ceremony lasted just under an hour.

Our venue gives us up to 30 minutes for the ceremony

That’s a perfect amount of time. Ours is about 30 minutes with a wine box ceremony!

That’s about what I have planned. 30 minutes would be plenty of time I think

I so need help with this question! My mom is suggesting a solid hour before the ceremony to allow people to mingle in the church before the ceremony, and thinks it'll take 45 minutes to empty 200 people out of the room, totaling 2 hours at the church. Reception hall planner is saying 35 minutes tops for ceremony from start to finish. Not a catholic wedding, just simple vows, no candle or sand ceremony, just us.

View Quoted Comment .....people can mingle at the reception. That's what the reception is for. If I got an invitation to be at a wedding an hour before it starts, I would be kind of annoyed. Also, unless every guest is elderly or infirm, it should not take 45 minutes for 200 people to leave a room. The average ceremony takes 20-30 minutes with everything all said and done. If a few people take a little longer to get to the reception area, that's fine. That's why you usually don't have things start immediately.

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Thank you so much! So, maybe a "doors open" at 3:00, ceremony from 3:30-4:00, allowing a 10 min drive to reception hall, doors open at reception at 4:30? I'm sorry to be so particular, but this is really causing trouble in my planning.

View Quoted Comment On the invitation, I wouldn't put the doors open time. Put the ceremony start time and people will arrive accordingly. As far as reception, if the venue is only a 10 minute drive, I would have the reception venue ready to receive guests at 4:10, maybe 4:15. Some people will get there quicker than others and you don't want them figuring out what to do for 20 minutes. Others may dawdle a little, and that's fine too. Are you doing a cocktail hour? On the invitation I would have "ceremony at 3:30pm. Reception to follow at such and such at address immediately following the ceremony." or something along those lines.

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Thank you so much! I think you have solved it all for me.