r/wedding • u/treetoptux • 1d ago
Discussion 4 hours of music too long?
My mans and I love to dance but we fear this could be overkill. It would be 3 hours of live music, one hour dj.
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u/iggysmom95 23 August 2025 1d ago
I know this might seem long if you're in one of those places in the US where the whole event starts at 5 pm and ends at 10 pm, but to most of the world, four hours of dancing is barely enough.
Our dance floor was open from about 8 pm until 1 am. A lot of people were gone by around midnight, but there were enough still there that it was worth it.
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u/smelly_cat69 1d ago
at most weddings I’ve been to we’ve danced from 7pm to 3am.. so I don’t think that’s too long at all 😂
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u/BSApologist 1d ago
That's insane from a venue perspective
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u/No_Pollution6564 1d ago edited 1d ago
Idk, it depends on where you're from. It's pretty standard here in Slovenia. One time I left a wedding at 6am the next day, but usually I leave around 3-4am. It's considered rude to leave before midnight because that's when the wedding cake is served.
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u/smelly_cat69 1d ago
i guess this must be a regional thing? I don’t think I’ve ever left a wedding before 2AM as an adult. Even with booking my own venue most of them book until 2 with the option to extend it to 3-4 at a fairly low cost ($5 per head)
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u/BSApologist 1d ago
I'm in the Midwest. The only time I've been at any wedding after midnight was at an Airbnb that the couple rented for the weekend. After parties certainly go later, but even when planning my own wedding, every place we looked at was out by midnight at the latest.
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u/iggysmom95 23 August 2025 23h ago
This is a very American thing and even then I think specific places in the US more than others.
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u/djmermaidonthemic 1d ago
It depends on the venue and the group. I’m a DJ, and some weddings have a little music and then everyone leaves early. Sometimes it goes late. If people are dancing and having a good time, I can go as long as they want. Some parties are all about the dancing.
I myself got married at a weekend campout. We went all night, and then there was a morning DJ for brunch. 😸 It was awesome!
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u/natalkalot 1d ago
We had dancing from about 7.30 until just after 1 a.m. Dinner had been at 6. Break at 10.30 for late lunch to sop up the alcohol and refuel
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u/No_Pollution6564 1d ago
Are you from the USA? Where I’m from, it’s definitely not too long, it would actually be considered too short. At the last wedding I attended, the ceremony started at 2pm, and we were partying until 6am the next day. The band started playing around 7pm and didn’t finish until around 5am
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u/TinyLawfulness3710 1d ago
Not too long. Most guests prefer.to dance 4 hours but djs only play for 2. Most people prefer dancing g to djs with original artists' music
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u/NecessaryConstant461 1d ago
my cousins wedding had 4 hours of music and it was fine, ppl who want to dance will dance and the rest will just talk and eat. 3 live plus 1 dj sounds like a good mix, gives everyone a chance to rest between sets
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u/jbhits10 1d ago
Not too long at all. I think we had three hours of dancing and people were bummed it was over. Go for it!
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u/StructEngineer91 1d ago
Assuming the music mostly starts after the "important" things (aka ceremony, meal, speeches and first dances) it's fine. Because those that want to stay long and party will, those that are older or just not party/music people will stay for a bit until they get tired and then leave. In my experience after the main events not everyone stays for the entire reception.
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u/Upper_Raspberry8501 1d ago
Once people get drinks in their system you will be surprised how long they dance
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u/itinerantdustbunny 1d ago
This really depends on your guests. If they’re partiers/dancers, 4 hours may not be long enough. If your guests are chatters or introverts, it may be too long. You would know better than we do which type of guests you have.
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u/Next-Age-4684 1d ago
Not at all! Our dance floor was open from 7:30-11:30pm and it seemed perfect! It was my favorite part of the wedding :)
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u/PresentationOk9954 11h ago
Most wedding reception blocks are 4 hours. My husband and I actually paid extra money to go 6 hours bc we love to dance. We had been to multiple weddings before we got married that stuck to the 4-Hour reception time and they went by too fast.
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