The average wedding reception lasts about 4-5 hours, leaving plenty of time for cocktails, dinner, toasts, and dancing. According to experts and wedding planning resources, the ideal duration for dancing at a wedding typically falls between one-and-a-half to two-and-a-half hours. The wedding party dance ranks between third and fourth place depending on the couple. It is recommended to start two to three months before the big day.
There should be at least three square feet of dance floor space for every two guests. At the wedding reception, people are most times in pairs. To ensure a good balance between giving guests enough time to enjoy themselves on the dance floor while also ensuring they don’t get burnt out too quickly, it is essential to know your limits.
The anniversary dance, also known as the bouquet dance, is a sweet tradition that some couples choose to include in their wedding reception. A sample wedding reception timeline is based on a traditional cocktail hour and a 4-hour wedding reception, to give an hour-by-hour guide to all the post-ceremonial events. The average amount of time allotted for dancing at a wedding reception is 2-3 hours, but if you don’t have this amount of time at your venue, you can continue the party afterwards at a nearby bar or club, or even someone’s house.
In summary, the average wedding reception timeline should be adjusted to allow for more dancing, cocktails, dinner, toasts, and other important events. It is important to consider the needs of older guests and the overall length of the event when planning the wedding reception.
📹 13+ Wedding Reception Activities IDEAS that are NOT Dancing
Planning on having a wedding WITHOUT dancing? Is a wedding without dancing BORING?! It sure doesn’t have to be… Here are …
Is 3 hours of dancing too much at a wedding?
Your grand exit. You want a lot of people for your Grand Exit. If you have a dance party longer than 2 hours, the crowd could be a fraction of what it was by the time you leave. This could make your guests leave early or go to other parts of the venue, leaving your reception empty. Budget. DJs cost about $100 an hour, but you may have to pay other vendors too. Know your family and friends and be flexible. Not every wedding I’ve DJed has lasted more than two hours. Some groups are very active and love to dance. You never know how a group will party, so adding extra time is a gamble. Be flexible. You can add an extra hour, but if people leave early, you can do a “fake exit.” Take a big group picture at the end, and let those who want to stay come back later.
How many hours of dance is too much?
Some simple guidelines are as follows: • Children under 10: Recreational students should aim for 3-5 hours of dance per week. Serious students with the right physical abilities can do up to 8 hours per week. Students under 14 who do more than 10 hours of dance a week have a greater chance of getting injured. If a student wants to do more than 10 hours per week, I suggest adding yoga, Pilates, or stretching classes to make up the extra hours. Don’t increase the number of dance classes. Other sports had no effect on injury rates. (Ref. Hiller & Purnell, 2003) Girls over 14 can dance as much as they want. Focus on maintaining and improving technique and precision. Increase hours gradually. It’s better to be attentive and committed in fewer classes than to do lots of classes half-heartedly. If a student is always tired, she won’t learn as much as the student who has had a good night’s rest. She needs time to keep her grades up, because dance is hard and education is important for her future.
Is 3 hours too short for a wedding reception?
How long should wedding receptions last? 4-5 hours is a good length for a reception. The ceremony is not included. Just the reception and cocktail hour. Some people think less than 4-5 hours is perfect. I think 3-4 hours is plenty. Some people want a 6-hour reception. I have to say that’s too long. If your reception is more than 4 hours, you have to ask your venue to extend your time. That means more costs for you, plus the cost of your planner, photographer, and videographer staying until the end.
Also, more open bar hours could mean a more fun wedding party or a wild night that will show up in your wedding photos.
Do you dance at a wedding reception?
Wedding receptions often involve dancing, but many weddings also include special dances for honored guests. The first dance is when the couple dances for the first time as a married couple. The parents dance is when the couple dances with their parents. Many weddings also include lesser-known moments like the anniversary dance and the money dance. Overwhelmed by all the wedding dance options? You’re not alone. It’s normal to feel stressed about scheduling your dances. It can be hard to decide who to invite to the wedding. Should my partner and I do a dance at the reception? Don’t worry about planning these special moments. Let us help you plan a reception you and your guests will enjoy. Reba Browne is the assistant director at Ajna, a New York City-based dance company that specializes in South Asian dance and helps individuals prepare for their wedding dances.
Is 4 hours long enough for a wedding reception?
A wedding reception timeline is important. A wedding reception lasts about 4-5 hours, with plenty of time for cocktails, dinner, toasts, and dancing. This wedding reception timeline will ensure a smooth, fun-filled evening for you and your guests. We’ve created a wedding reception timeline based on a 4-hour reception. Make adjustments to suit your style, guests and venue. Best wishes for your wedding! Download the wedding reception timeline. 0:00 – Cocktail Hour. After the ceremony, guests will head to the reception and start mingling and enjoying drinks and appetizers. The bride and groom take photos with the bridal party and family. The bride and groom can greet guests as they arrive at the reception.
What time do most wedding receptions end?
A more conservative reception venue will end the party around 11 pm or midnight, depending on what they have booked the next day and how they plan their clean up. Wedding timelines can be tricky. When planning the wedding day timeline, you may have wondered: How long should a wedding reception be? This guide covers what’s traditionally accepted and what you should do in your own circumstances. There are many things to think about when making this decision. Find out what they are and how to plan your wedding reception below. How long should a wedding reception be? Four hours is usually enough for a wedding reception. But the truth is that it may not be up to you, and reception length can vary. Many wedding reception venues have a set time limit in the contract.
Is 4 hours long enough for a party?
Birthday parties. A typical birthday party lasts about four hours. There are many variables. If you’re planning a birthday party at home or a venue, plan for cake, gifts, and catching up (birthdays are usually less formal). If you have an open bar, lots of games, or dancing, the event might last longer than four hours.
Corporate events. Corporate events are different. There are different types of corporate events, like team-building events, seminars, and company hospitality. When planning a corporate event, consider the size when determining the length. If you have a conference of over 500 people, the event might be all day. If your event is for 50 employees, plan for about 4 hours.
Cocktail parties. Cocktail parties usually happen before another event. They should be about two hours to avoid making the whole event too long.
What is the 30 5 minute rule for weddings?
So what is the 30/5 rule?. Its the rule that accounts for things that typically take 5 minutes in real life that will take 30 minutes on a wedding day. It also means that 30 minutes on a wedding day will feel like 5 minutes. You may have heard people say over and over that your wedding day will fly by. Well this rule proves that it really does! *I have attended more weddings than the average person! I can say with certainty that typical 5 minutes tasks can derail your entire wedding day if not given proper time. Whether its getting into your dress, pinning on a boutonniere, or adding in extra toasts, little things that may not seem like a big deal can actually end up taking much more time than youd ever expect. Thus the 30/5 rule! *There is an easy way to combat this though, and it just takes some prep!. The best way to make the 30/5 rule work for you and not against you, is to have a solid wedding day timeline and a plan to follow it. This is where I come in! I am able to work with you to create a custom wedding day timeline that allows for wiggle room when those sneaky 5 minute tasks turn into 30 minutes.
Is 5 hours enough time for a wedding?
Wedding Day Timeline #2. Now, let’s look at a five-hour wedding. This wedding is in the late spring or early summer and starts at 5 p.m. With a five-hour reception, there’s enough time for the main events, but it can be tight. Delays can affect the timeline.
- 10:00am—Bride and bridesmaids arrive at KP for hair and makeup
- Wedding Planner arrives and makes sure everything is perfect
- Lots of things are happening in this time frame
- 5:00pm—Ceremony starts
- 5:25pm—Ceremony concludes
- 5:30pm—Cocktail hour on the porch begins for guests/family photos
- 6:15pm—Guests are invited inside to take seats. Bride and Groom line up for introductions at 6:30 pm. First dance, welcome speech, or dinner
- 6:35pm—Dinner
- 7:25pm—Toast and cake
- 7:45pm—Father-daughter dance, mother-son dance
- 8:00pm—Dance
- 9:45pm—Last dance
- 10:00pm—Big sendoff with sparklers!
Wedding Day Timeline Example #3. Here’s another six-hour wedding reception timeline. This wedding is in summer. The ceremony can start later because there is more daylight.
How long for wedding reception dancing?
Dancing lasts about an hour and a half. The dance floor will be busy for the rest of the night, but an hour is too short. Anything over two hours is too long. Make your reception last longer. There will be some interruptions for fun traditions like cake cutting and the bouquet toss. The wedding coordinator will announce these events with your MC or DJ, so there’s no need to worry about timing. The cake cutting and bouquet toss usually happen about an hour into dancing.
The After-Party. Many wedding venues have a 10 p.m. curfew. Most couples don’t want the party to end at 10 p.m. Many wedding venues now have an after-party.
📹 How To Film Incredible Dancing Footage In Your Wedding Films!
In this video I cover: How to interact with the couple, wedding coordinator, and DJ when preparing to film the dancing at the …
Thanks so much for perusal! Please feel free to like, subscribe, and grow your facial hair. Here’s a article timeline: 00:00 – Intro! 01:10 – Tip 1: How to interact with the couple, wedding coordinator, and DJ when preparing to film the dancing at the reception. 02:57 – Tip 2: A way to light the dance floor and make it look incredible, even when there is awful venue lighting. 06:23 – Tip 3: My go-to technique to get more energetic dancing shots that show how much fun the wedding guests were having. 08:09 – Tip 4: The exact way I shoot to make editing dancing footage super easy in post (it’s almost editing itself!) Thanks!
You are awesome Matt, lol, you sumarized brilliantly in 10 min what took for me years, dealing with the venues lights plus DJs lights, I dont do wedding often, that I want to, but I have been hired very often since 9 years ago to shooting quinceañera´s parties, and is a lot to deal with the dancefloor… Thanks dude for all this instructional articles, highly appreciated…I m trying to see many of them….
Also, I recommend shooting with an ultra-wide lens (11-16mm) and a mono-pod up high when filming a crowded dance floor, especially when they do line dances. It’s a cool shot to see the entire dance floor doing the same dance. I would also film close-up dance b-roll at 120 frames for dramatic slow-mo.
Another great vid! Lots of amazing tips. What are your thoughts on if the couple is very resistant to the idea of lighting? I’ve had a few that feel it ‘spoils the mood’ even after showing them the different between no lighting versus having a lighting. I’ve explained that my camera cannot see in the dark, so to speak.
Matt…. Thanks so much for your articles, they are fantastic. After 12yrs of wanting to do this, Im finally making the jump into starting my own business and buying proper gear to film weddings. Ill be trying out some of my new gear by filming some at my own wedding here in two weeks. lol. Two questions: Have you moved to LED lights yet? Are you looking at other units or putting an LED light in the ARRI?Also, If you put two lights on the dance floor, where do you usually place them? 180 degrees from another, 90, 45? Ok, that was more like 4 questions.
Hi Matt! Filming a wedding next month and am considering my lighting options for the reception. I am considering spending the $100 on the Lowel Pro light, however I may stick with the cheaper light I already own. It is a 100W fluorescent bulb from a cheap Westcott kit. I already have the dimmer you recommended. Do you think this can get the job done for the time being?
Hey Matt. Great article. I shoot around 40 weddings a year, and lighting during the reception has always been a battle. Even if the bride and groom are cool with it, the coordinator, or the venue, or the DJ want to turn all the lights off. Someone is always freaking out about me even slightly having lighting and they convince the bride during the event to make it almost pitch black. How do you deal with stuff like this, all the different vendors having an opinion?
Do you have any advice on focusing techniques during a wedding with the sony a7sii? I’m confident in my focus game during the day, but its the low light focusing im worried about. Especially the dancing and other moments when things are happening quickly that I do not want to miss but dont have time to rack focus. I’ll be shooting at f1.4 which is super bright at the cost of being crazy shallow. This makes focusing in important low light moments treacherous. AHHH! Thank you so much! (again)
My question is where is the best place to place the light so it is out of the way and still effective? Also is one light enough for let’s say an average size venue? One more let’s say were filming at a church that is decently dark. Do you ever use a mountable light? I know most churches have some sort of restrictions from photo/video but I’m just curious.
So funny perusal this, and now you have a near $1k light and love it to death :P. I use 3 cheap Yongnuo’s, fully battery powered and also look great for article. They come with barn doors, are 3200k and work great. Downside is I don’t have remote control or colour control. For the price though, they’re only $79.
Hi Matt, Abraham here from Cinema Jubilee…was wondering if you put any diffusion on your Arri? Or do you just let it alone since you’re placing it decently far from the dance floor and want it to act as a hard light anyway? How about color temp of camera…3200 K to match Arri output, or no? Thanks!!
Hi Matt. I know you are probably slammed with wedding work right now. I know I am for sure. If you have a spare min, I have a question about a weakness that I have. I showed up at Bride prep. The Bride had her grown and bridesmaids dresses already hung in a window. I had exposure issues due to the light from the window. Is it okay to adjust my shutter to compensate? I normally leave my shutter alone at twice my frame rate.
Matt I desperately need your help!! What do you do when the dancing just SUCKS? I’m talking few people are dancing, and when they are it’s either to the cha cha slide or the cupid shuffle or (god help me) the chicken dance??? I looove editing reception dancing especially when it’s lively! I’ve discovered my ratio is: 1 good DJ that keeps the party jumping all night per 4 sucky DJs that pretty much play off iTunes. Please help Matt
Good tips, I am hesitant to buy a big spot light because I used to be a wedding photographer. Trust me, if you add too much light to the dance floor, a good photographer will not want to work with you again. I say good photographer because a photographer with out good gear will actually appreciate the extra light to help out their bad gear. But a good photographer will use a slow shutter speed and then use flash to freeze action and they can’t if their subject is lit up. If you are trying to be a wedding articlegrapher, you really need photographers to like you because they will refer you business more than anybody. And of course, the dj is trying to set a mood so you got to consider that. I have an A7sII for that very reason and use lower key light with remotes so I can turn them off when I don’t need them. I agree that your footage looks good but at what cost. If you blast a light on the dance floor all night you will have a new photographer telling clients not to use you.