Dessert party worth shorter reception?

[SusieQ79]

I've already decided to have a dessert party, so I guess I'm just looking for reassurance since I feel a bit hung up on one thing.

Here's how our day shapes up:

2:30 ceremony
3:30/4ish Cocktail hour
5-8 Reception
8 depart for Epcot
9-10 Illuminations Dessert Party

I have to keep reminding myself that the dessert party is an extension of the reception, because I'm afraid that 5-8 is going to feel incredibly short since we're losing an hour.

Is there anyone out there who had a similar schedule, and if so, did the reception feel rushed?

 

[princesswendy720]

I guess it depends on what kind of reception you're having. Is it just dinner/toasts/first dances? Or are you planning on having a DJ? If you're not planning on having a dance party, then I don't think you'd feel rushed at 3/3.5 hours.

 

[DVC Bride 2011]

If I could do it over, I'd probably shorten my reception to the length you are thinking about. We had 32 people, DJ, and all the traditional dances, but we would have been absolutely fine with an hour less. As it was, we started a bit early b/c the cocktail hour didn't need the full hour, so our reception ended up ending early too. I think you'll be fine. We had a dessert party afterwards and it really is an extension of the reception. Our guests talk more about that than the "reception"...it really is a cool experience for them.

 

[erin.w]

Absolutely worth having a shorter reception so you can have a dp!!!

(can you tell my dp was one of my favorite wedding events?)

 

[FloridaDreaming]

You're having the same timeline as we are. I would say it's worth it. At least for us. One of the unique things about a Disney wedding is having a dessert party for the fireworks.

 

[FutureMrsF]

Hi that's the same timeline we are going for so I think it sounds great

Can I ask where you are planning on having your ceremony and reception?

 

[MrsDuck]

I'd definitely shorten it up a bit to be able to go to the DP!

 

[DoomBuggy0922]

I definitely would shorten it too--- however! Maybe for your DP, don't go too overboard with the desserts? From what people have said, if the DP is right after the reception, people are too stuffed to eat and a lot of food gets wasted. So, just do a couple and not a massive amount? Just a thought!

 

[SusieQ79]

Ladies, thank you so much for all the reassurance! I feel loads better....yeah we're not huge dancing people. We're having a DJ and such, but just the typical first dance, mother/son, father/daughter, buffet, cake, and if we had an hour or so for dancing I think that would be fine.

That's interesting too about the cocktail hour ending early...I hadn't really considered that, but we have a small bridal party and small family, so I don't think we're going to have a ton of photos post-ceremony.

Oh, and FutureMrsF, we're doing WP, Whitehall Reception, St. Augustine reception, and UK Lochside for Illuminations.

 

[lurkyloo]

If you take your photos before the ceremony, you can pretty much eliminate the cocktail hour altogether (and save some money!). I'm still not sure why we had one—we'd already done all our couple photos before the ceremony, after the ceremony we did photos with all of our 32 guests, and we all traveled to the cocktail hour & reception together. In fact, I think most people didn't even know it was supposed to be a cocktail hour and were just standing around wondering why the meal hadn't started yet!