Edition 02 | How Long Should My Event Be?

The best events don't end. They gently come to a close.

An event should finish while people still wish it hadn't.

Too short, and it never quite gets going. Too long, and you feel the room begin to empty.

There is no single perfect event length. The right duration depends on what you're asking your guests to do, and how you want the event to feel. But we do have a few guidelines to get you started.

Cocktail & Canapé Events

5½–6 hours

For an evening cocktail event, 7pm–12.30am is a good guide.

It gives guests time to arrive without feeling rushed, allows food and drinks to move naturally through the evening and leaves enough time for the event to build into something more celebratory later.

Seated Events

4–5 hours

A seated dinner generally needs less time.

Something like 6.30pm–11pm gives you time for arrival drinks, dinner, speeches or formalities and some time afterwards without stretching the evening unnecessarily.

Weddings

6–10 hours

Weddings are different because you're often asking guests to move through several distinct parts of the day.

Ceremony. Drinks. Photos. Dinner. Speeches. Dancing.

The more chapters you add, the more time the event needs.

Daytime Events

3–4 hours

For lunches, showers, birthdays and other daytime celebrations, 1pm–5pm is often plenty.

Daytime events don't usually need the same long arc as an evening event.

Don't Forget the Ending

One of the most overlooked parts of event planning is how the event finishes.

You don't want five hours of beautifully considered hosting followed by:

Music off. Lights on. Everybody out.

It feels abrupt because it is.

Instead, build the final 30–45 minutes into your plan.

Last drinks.

Softer music.

A subtle change in lighting.

People finishing conversations.

Unhurried goodbyes.

The room should begin telling people the evening is ending before anyone has to tell them.

Think About the Transitions

Duration isn't just about choosing a start and finish time.

It's about what happens between them.

How long will guests spend arriving before food begins?

When does dinner finish? speeches happen? music change?

When does the dance floor begin? When do you serve the final drinks?

Once those transitions are mapped out, you'll usually know whether you've given the event enough time, or far too much.

The goal isn't to make an event last as long as possible. It's to make it feel as though it lasted exactly as long as it should have.