Planning an Indian wedding reception is an exciting but complex task. Setting a timeline for the reception is important to ensure that the event runs smoothly and on time. In this blog post, we will explore how to set a timeline for your Indian wedding reception.
Creating Your Reception Timeline
Let’s break down the key elements you need to consider when planning your reception timeline.
Reception Start Time
When deciding on the start time for your reception start consider what time the religious ceremony in the morning (if are having a ceremony in the morning) will end. You will need time for attire change, hair and make-up touch up for the bride and time for the couple and guests to travel to the reception venue (again, if it is taking place at another venue). You may also wish to consider the sunset time, weather conditions, and the duration of any other planned activities. A usual start time is between 4 to 6pm.
Cocktail Hour/ Welcome Drinks (1 hour)
Most couples will start their reception party with welcome drinks and canapés rather than a sit down meal in the reception hall. This allows the guests to mingle giving you time to change your attire or to take pictures. This should last roughly 1 hour.
Entrance (5 -10 minutes)
Once cocktail hour concludes, guests can be seated in the reception hall. At this time, you can either serve the starters to give yourself further time if you need longer to get ready and take pictures, or you can make your entrance. Allocate roughly 5 to 10 minutes to make your entrance.
Cake-cutting (5 – 10 minutes)
You can either do this straight after your entrance, or you can do this after dinner. In our experience, it is best for the night to follow in the order we have set out as it can be disruptive to the dancing if the cake is cut after dinner. You will find that people will take themselves to the dance floor and you do not want to wait to cut the cake before dessert is served.
Once you have cut the cake, you can take your seats.
Speeches (15 – 20 minutes)
Once you are seated, you can start on speeches. Our recommendation would be for the speeches to be split if there are anymore than 3 as you will likely lose the attention of your guests. You can start with some speeches now and conclude them after dinner.
If you have any performances arranged, it may be best for those to take place after the speeches.
First Dance (3 minutes)
Start the first dance after the speeches. Give yourself roughly 3 minutes for this and encourage the DJ to bring your guests onto the dance floor to begin the dancing for the evening.
Dinner and Dessert (1 hour)
This can either be a sit-down dinner or a buffet followed by dessert.
Last Dance and Farewell
The dancing begins again after dinner, although you may find that some guests start to leave after dinner.
The end time depends on the time you have to return the hall to the venue. Your caterers will start cleaning after dinner. Give the other suppliers at least 1 hour for teardown and clean-up before the hall is returned. You may have allocated a family member or friend to oversee the clean-up so that you can your partner can bid farewell to the guests as the evening ends.
If you hire a wedding planner or coordinator, they will manage the whole day for your without you having to worry about managing timelines, suppliers, teardown, clean-up or any other tasks.
Tips for Staying on Schedule
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Communicate the timeline to your suppliers (DJ, caterer, photographer) so that they can plan accordingly. You can also communicate the timeline to guests through an event program. This helps to set expectations and encourages promptness which can help the event run on time.
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Consider your guests’ comfort – do not let any one part drag on too long.
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Allow some buffer time. There will inevitably be some unexpected delays.
