How important is reception length to YOU and YOUR PARTNER?

[ucfjennifer]

We are getting married while on a cruise so a little different. We've chosen to have the ceremony and a 2 hour cocktail/hors d'ouvres reception at a beach club in Cozumel. We will then head back to the ship in time for our dining time and then finish the night at a bar or club. I decided to have a shorter reception rather than paying for a full dinner in Cozumel when we could eat for free on the ship.

[AnaSteele58]

We decided to keep it at the three hours included in the package. We just can't justify spending the additional money to extend it when (as mentioned by Mufin) we can grab drinks anywhere on the property and continue the party. On that same note we are skipping the cocktail hour too! Since we are being nontraditional by having a DW...some things we can cut out. We are using the $900 we are saving for our honeymoon. One thing though- We are informing our guest prior to the trip and what to do during "cocktail hour" so they won't feel lost. We feel as though it will it will eliminate anxiety and stress if the guest know beforehand.

[brownsugarbride]

Well...on one hand, my friends and family know that I am quick to fall asleep early in the evening.  However, I am hoping to keep the party going for at least 5 hours---I'm only planning to do this once! My fiancé is primarily concerned about that bottom line, so it's going to all depend on whether I can pull of an off-resort event (which will have far more flexibility).

[Backy]

mine is only about  2 hours, hopefully we will hit a bar and continue to drink there after.

[SammyAnna]

Mine is only 2 hours as well. It's a bummer, but at $500/hr rental fee, we can choose to keep the party going down at the beach, that way the older guests don't feel obligated to stay late & kids can get to bed

[Xarocas]

That was quite an important thing for my fiance and I. We finally decided on a venue that has no restriction on time to finish, so we can go all night long if the guests are up for it!

[SkyHighT100]

Our reception is more of a dinner get together then a traditional reception. The length isn't set or important and we have no time limit, we just want quality time with our close family and friends. If it's winding down after two  hours then we will leave, if it's 4 hours later so be it, we are winging it, lol. Afterwards, we will head to the hotel and either go to "bed" or hang out by the pool with the friends and family who are also staying at the hotel. Our wedding is on a Tuesday so many people are treating it as a vacation getaway weekend and oh ya, they have a wedding to attend, lol.

[sharmer]

ours is 3 hours and then we figure for dancing we will just go to the night club!

[GingerJ228]

Our wedding reception is 3 hours long and since we are 5 months away I think I am going to see how big of a turnout we are going o have as we get closer then possibly extend the party an extra hour.  

[Priti]

private reception for 4 hours in a restaurant