If Dinner Service Takes 2+ Hours, Your Dancing Time will get Cut Short! Ideally, Dinner should be 60 - 90 Minutes.
Remember What the Research Shows: The Thing that Guests Remember the Most about Weddings is the Music & Dancing. Did they have the Time of their Life Dancing? The Truth is a Year After the Wedding, Hardly Anyone Remembers what they ate! For Most Guests, dinner is a CheckMark: Was it Good?
If you don’t make Dancing a Priority in Your Planning with your Banquet Manager or Catering Manager or Wedding Planner,then How Would They Know What Your Priorities Are? While Dinner is an important part of the Wedding Reception, too often we’ve seen the dinner turn into a 2+ Hour affair which the Cuts the Dancing Short. If a Typical Wedding Reception runs 5 hours, here’s how this Slow Dinner Service would play into Your Wedding:
Here’s what you Want to Avoid:
5pm - 6pm: Cocktail Hour
6pm - 6:30pm: Introductions of the Wedding Party, First Dance,Toasts
6:30pm - 8:30pm: 2 Hours of Eating, Eating, and more Eating...Very Slow Dinner Service
8:30pm - 8:45pm: Cake-Cutting, Parent Dances, Other Special Dances
8:45pm - 10pm: Only 1:15 of total Dancing time is Available...Not Good!
Wouldn’t this plan be a Lot More FUN?:
5pm - 6pm: Cocktail Hour
6pm - 6:30pm: Introductions of the Wedding Party, First Dance,Toasts
6:30pm - 7:30pm: Excellent Dinner Service for a 2-Course Meal for 100 Guests or less
7:30pm - 7:45pm: Cake-Cutting, Parent Dances, Other Special Dances
7:45pm - 10pm: 2 hours, 15 minutes of total Dancing time is available! Much Better!
INSIDER TIP #1:
How Much Dancing Time Will Your Guests Need to “Get Their Fill”?
If you have a "Below Average" Dance Crowd, Plan for 1 1/2 Hours of Dancing
If you have an "Average" Dance Crowd, Plan for 2 Hours of Dancing
If you have an "Above Average" Dance Crowd, Plan for 2 1/2 Hours of Dancing
If you have a "Young & Wild" Dance Crowd (Early 20s Age Group), Plan for 3 Hours of Dancing
SOLUTION: When Shopping Around for Your Reception Site or Catering Company, Be Clear About Your Priorities and that you would like the dinner service to proceed along because You & Your Friends are Really Looking Forward to Maximizing Dancing! Ask The Site Manager to Walk thru a Rough Time Outline (like above) of Your Day-Of Reception Schedule. Ask them for Realistic Estimates (so it’s not just a Sales Job!)
INSIDER TIP #2:
Some Reception Sites will Allow you to Have 6 Hour Receptions (Instead of 5 Hours). Some Charge Reasonable Fees for that & others are Rip-offs.
