How Long Is A Wedding Ceremony

A Wedding Ceremony can last between 30 minutes to 6 hours. It depends on the activities that you plan on that day. The below graph consists of key actions that a wedding reception can have and the approximate time that those can take. 

ActivityTime
Church ( Catholic with mass)1 and 1/2 Hours
Church ( Catholic without mass)45 Minutes
Church (Anglican)1 Hour
Church (Orthodox)45 Minutes
Church of England30 -40 Minutes
Photographs45 Minutes – 1 Hour
Speeches 30 Minutes
Drinks / Cocktails1 – 1 1/2 Hours
Dinner2 Hours
Music / Dancing2 – 3 Hours

So when you look at the above list, you can see that a simple registration can be done within 30 minutes. A fully-fledged party will go for hours and hours. If you have booked a venue/hotel, you will have time restrictions that you need to adhere to, but you will have an extended period if you do your reception at your home. 

wedding ceremony timeline

How Long Is A Catholic Wedding Ceremony

Catholic wedding ceremonies will take at least a minimum 1 Hour. If it is associated with mass, then it will go beyond 1 and ½ hours. The given time is valid only if it is a church wedding, and when you add photography and refreshments, I would say it will take at least 3 hours. 

How Long Is A Jewish Wedding Ceremony

Jewish weddings have four parts: the Reception (Kabbalat Panim), The Ceremony ( Chuppah), Dinner & Dance. Dancing plays an integral part in Jewish weddings and will go for hours. So, on average, a Jewish wedding will last between 3 – 5 hours. Some ceremonies might go up to 6 hours.

How Long Is A Methodist Wedding Ceremony

The Church ceremony is short and will last for 30 – 45 minutes. And if you are only doing the church wedding, everything will be over within 30 minutes. But most weddings will have a reception to follow, which will add additional hours depending on the activities lined up.

How Long Is A Traditional Hindu Wedding Ceremony

Traditional Hindu wedding consists of multiple events that lead to several days. Traditional Hindu wedding ceremonies will last between 3 – 5 days. The reception/ party will happen on the last day, which will go on for more than 5 hours. The activities in the first few days are all traditional religious stuff where only the close relations of the bride and groom participate. As a guest, you need to be prepared to stay for a long time if you plan to attend a traditional Hindu wedding.

How Long Is A Greek Orthodox Wedding Ceremony

A traditional Greek wedding reception in the church will last between 45 minutes to 1 hour. But with modern traditions coming in, Greek weddings go beyond this threshold and sometimes go on for hours with drinks/ music and dancing happening after the church ceremony.

How Long Is A Traditional Irish Wedding Ceremony 

The church function with communion will last for 60 minutes, and without communion, everything will be over within 30 minutes. But most weddings will follow a wedding reception which will go on for several hours. 

How Long Is A Traditional Chinese Wedding Ceremony 

Like Hindu weddings, the Chinese wedding procession practices a long process of traditions. A typical Chinese wedding will go up to 3 days. Still, most modern weddings will be completed within one day with a limited number of traditions practiced. But still, it will take more than 4 hours to complete. So, if you are planning to go to a Chinese wedding, make sure that you leave at least half a day aside. 

How Long Is A Japanese Wedding Ceremony 

A Japanese wedding ceremony will last for 20 -30 minutes, but it will follow up with a reception which will last for around 2 hours.

Given above are some examples from different countries and how long is a wedding ceremony. But with globalization, all traditional ceremonial activities are being modernized and updated so that things can be done in the most efficient way.

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