How Long Should Lunch Receptions Be?

"How long should lunch receptions be?" This is a question that normally arises in every body’s mind while planning for a wedding reception. The wedding reception can be scheduled at any time of the day based upon the time of the wedding ceremony or individual convenience. Depending upon the budget and the preference one can decide on the reception they wish to have which may be a morning reception, mid-day reception, dinner reception or tea reception.

Other types of reception include buffet reception, stand-up reception. Lunch receptions are mostly preferred, when the marriage ceremony is planned in the morning. The guests can proceed for the reception soon after the wedding with no time to waste.

The lunch reception ceremonies can start at any time generally, past 10.30am and gets concluded maximum by 4.00pm. The normal duration of lunch receptions are four hours where as that of evening receptions are five hours. In general, no reception will take place for more than 51/2 hours. In a lunch reception’s menu, one can find only one kind of appetizer. Next to that the meals will be served. Following the meals desert and wedding cake are served. The arrangement for lunch reception ceremonies usually costs less than the receptions organized during other times of the day. Also in this time limit you should hand out your wedding reception favors.

A preferable schedule that can be followed by those who still wonder how long lunch receptions should be can be given as follows. By 12.00 pm, the lunch reception can be started and by 12.30 pm, the guest will arrive. Later by 1.15 pm, the lunch can be served. The time for toasts can be fixed as 2.00 pm. Then by 2.15 pm desserts can be served. From 2.30 pm onwards, time can be utilized for showing appreciation, chatting etc. By 3.00 pm, the ceremony can be concluded.

The schedule may need some alteration if there is more number of guests than average. It will consume more time even if it is a sit down meal or a buffet. The serving of the meals for a large crowd itself will take more time. Then extra time may need to be allocated for clearing the plates. And as the mass is big greeting them all and taking the pictures will also take more time. Extra time need to be fixed for the clearing up after all the guests have left the hall.