Wedding reception order of events, with timings

By Forever Farrah Published 2026-09-12.

The usual order of a wedding reception from grand entrance to last dance, how long each part takes, and the common variations for speeches and dancing.

A typical reception runs: guests find their seats, grand entrance, welcome and first dance, dinner, speeches, parent dances, cake cutting, open dancing, and a last dance and send-off. Allow about four to five hours from the grand entrance to the end. Most of the variation is in when speeches happen and whether the first dance comes before or after dinner.

The order at a glance

A typical wedding reception order of events

Order	Moment	Typical length	Notes
1	Guests find their seats	10–15 min	Right after cocktail hour; the seating chart or QR lookup does the work
2	Grand entrance	5 min	Wedding party, then the couple
3	Welcome and first dance	5–10 min	Some couples dance straight after the entrance, while everyone is watching
4	Blessing or welcome toast	2–5 min	Optional; often a parent or the host
5	Dinner	60–90 min	Plated is faster than family-style or a buffet
6	Speeches	15–30 min	Before, during or after dinner (see below)
7	Parent dances	5–10 min	Can be combined into one song
8	Cake cutting	5–10 min	Signals to older guests that they can leave soon after
9	Open dancing	2–3 hours	The longest part of the night
10	Bouquet or garter toss	5 min	Optional, and increasingly skipped
11	Last dance and send-off	10 min	A private last dance with just the two of you is another option

Timings for a 6pm grand entrance

Sample reception timeline starting at 6pm

Time	Moment
5:45	Guests seated
6:00	Grand entrance and first dance
6:10	Welcome toast
6:15	Dinner served
7:15	Speeches
7:40	Parent dances
7:50	Cake cutting
8:00	Dancing opens
10:45	Last dance
11:00	Send-off

When to do the speeches

• Before dinner: everyone is listening and nobody is eating, but hungry guests are less patient. Keep them short.
• Between courses: the most common choice. It breaks up dinner and gives the kitchen time to plate the next course. Check the timing with your caterer.
• After dinner: guests are relaxed and fed, but the energy can dip before dancing. Follow the last speech straight into a dance.

However you order them, agree a length with each speaker in advance. Three to five minutes each is plenty.

First dance before or after dinner?

Straight after the grand entrance is the popular choice: the room is already watching, the photographer has you in good light, and you can relax for the rest of the evening. After dinner works when you want the first dance to open the dancing, so the floor fills straight away. Either is fine. Just make sure the photographer and DJ know which.

Keeping the evening moving

• Give the DJ or MC a written order with times, names and pronunciations, and who to find for each moment.
• Brief the speakers and the parents on when they're up, so nobody is at the bar at the wrong moment.
• Plan the photos. If you want sunset portraits, find out the sunset time for your date and fit a 15-minute break into the timeline.
• Feed your vendors when guests eat so they're ready for the speeches. Do you have to feed wedding vendors?
• Count the songs. Once you know how long dinner and dancing run, the wedding song calculator tells you how many songs the night needs.

Frequently asked questions

What order do things happen at a wedding reception?

Grand entrance, first dance, welcome toast, dinner, speeches, parent dances, cake cutting, open dancing, then the last dance and send-off. Speeches and the first dance are the parts couples most often move around.

How long is a wedding reception?

About four to five hours from the grand entrance to the send-off, not counting cocktail hour. Dinner takes 60 to 90 minutes and dancing usually runs two to three hours.

When do you cut the cake at a wedding reception?

Usually after dinner and the speeches, before dancing gets going. It also signals to older guests that they can leave without missing anything.