Timeframe between Ceremony and Reception

Hello, I am trying to get some information as I am a 2014 bride looking to have a day wedding. I want to have the ceremony at my parish which would begin at 11:00am. The Priest says that the ceremony would take a half hour and that with the bridal party walking down the ailse to add about 15-20 minutes to. So say the ceremony ends at 11:45/11:50, we have the reception beginning at 12:30 but have to go from the North Shore to the South Shore of Long Island, so about a 17/18 mile drive about a half hour per Mapquest. I have already asked both the church to move the time up to 10:30 and they reserve that time for funerals and the reception hall cannot push back to 1:00pm as another wedding will be in the evening.
Some people say that the bride and groom do not even go to the cocktail hour and its fine but some people are saying that I am cutting it too close. If I do alot of the pictures before hand (without my groom as I want to be traditional) and then take the remaining photos at the church and the reception, will I be okay? I really want to get married in my church and I really like this reception hall but I have never been married and am unsure if I am cutting this all too close. HELP!