We are having our wedding at a church that only does 2 p.m. ceremonies on Saturdays. Our reception venue hasn't been finalized yet but most of the venues we are looking at won't be available until 5 p.m. or so.
So if you have time in between your ceremony and reception, what are you doing? What are you suggesting your guests do? I don't think I like this big space of time!
We are in a similar boat. Our ceremony starts at 3pm and cocktail hour does not start until 6pm.
At first I was all upset running around worried about my guest but in the end I have just decided that there really isn't much I can do. I have actully decided that it is a good thing b/c we will be able to get all of our pics done and we will be able to participate in cocktail hour!
My Aunt has offered to host family and friends at my fathers house and becasue my parents are divorced and my mom is refusing to grasp the concept of her family or my Step-dad's family going to my Dad's house we will also be direcrting people to the lobby/bar of the hotel where we have rooms blocked. I am also going to include some local attrations...national park, mall, outlets!
This info is on our website and I will either include it in the program or in another packet of papers to be distributed as guest leave the ceremony. Plus, I am having the Mom's inform their respective families of the time gap!
Do what you can to accomadate your guest but don't stress over it!
I've seen a few posts about this. I have not been to a wedding where this happened (the gap between ceremony and reception)
So just out of curiousity has anyone gone to wedding that this happened? Did you skip the ceremony? What do you do between events? I'd be at a loss as to what to do.....
I personally don't think it's a big deal. Every wedding that I've been to has had this gap (anywhere from an hour to 3.5 hours). Many guests, esp Catholic ones, will be used to this. I always used the time to go back to the hotel room, relax and change. If the reception is fancy, then often women esp like to wear a different more elegant dress to the reception than to church (ie more of a "church" dress to the ceremony). I think people may enjoy having the down time. Our ceremony starts at 2:30 and our cocktail hour isn't until 7pm. We'll give people lists or ideas of things to do in the area, but I bet most people will just go back and hang out at their hotels.
Also, I've never known anyone who explicitly skips the ceremony or reception simply because of the time gap. HTH! :)
ive been to one wedding with the gap (catholic), and the grooms mom hosted a party in between at her house. the bridal party went to do their pics & maybe it was 2 hours, and it was fine. a lot of driving here & then there in between but whatever, most people are used to driving and it ate up some time. it was also super nice that day, so we were all outside at the moms house, and it was a cousin so i knew everyone. i wouldnt want a gap- but if there isnt anything to do about it, then id suggest some "activity" they can do inbetween.
I've been to loads of Catholic weddings (grew up in a predominatley Irish, Italian, Polish & Puerto Rican city) and worst case scenario, you might get a handful of people who skip the ceremony.
2 pm isn't really too bad of a gap anyway. How long is your ceremony? Are you having a full mass?
We had didn't have a full mass and it was still almost an hour by the time it was officially over, and then we did a recieving line, which probably took up almost another hour.
So I wouldn't worry too much about it. People will find a way to entertain themselves.
Radish--my fiance is not Catholic so we are not having a full mass. I was estimating the ceremony and receiving line to take an hour total but maybe I need to figure in more time?
I guess the upside is that instead of not being around during the reception because I'm taking photos, the photos will be done and I can enjoy the reception with my guests! Except then we wouldn't have a grand entrance. Hmm.
If only I had enough money to transport all my guests to a winery tour during the gap...that'd be great!
Boothbride -- I figured our actual ceremony would only be about 30 minutes long, but it was more like 40-45. We probably started about 5-10 minutes late because I wanted to make sure everyone was seated, etc.
It can depend on a few factors though, like the length of the aisle, the length of the sermon, how big your wedding party is, etc.
Our church had a 100 foot aisle, and we had 6 bridemaids & groomsmen, 2 flowergirls, 2 rinbearers, and 2 "banner boys." (there are a lot of kids in our family that we needed to include) So it probably took a good 10 minutes each for the processional and recessionals.
We also did the unity candle ceremony with our mothers, which was optional. Probably another 5 minutes added there.
We had 2 readings. I don't remember if we had to have at least 2 or if we chose that.
I don't remember how long the priest's little sermon was. That's probably the biggest variable. I've been to wedding before where they keep it short and sweet... and I've been to others where they ramble on forever. You never really know what he's gonna say until the time comes!
How many guests are you expecting? That will make a difference in how long to plan for if you do a receiving line.
Radish, We expect about 175 guests and will have 6 bridesmaids/groomsmen. We don't have many kids in our family so we are still unsure if we even have any ringbearer and flower girl candidates!
I think we will do a receiving line...we certainly have the time!
Did you guys join in on your reception? Or did you make a grand entrance to signal the end of the reception? Just curious about your reception timing :)
I've been to a lot of weddings that have a gap (my whole family is Catholic) and I actually enjoy it that way. We usually went back to the hotel just to relax and hang out, and when I was a kid we would get to go swimming in the pool. I think it's really nice for the bride and groom because you have plenty of time to get pictures taken. The wedding that I was a bridesmaid in still did a grand entrance; the bride and groom just joined us at a sports bar before it was time to go to the reception. We had a great time!
I'm confused here...you are saying reception, as in you'll miss your reception if you do a grand entrance. Do you mean cocktail hour? Or the whole thing?
As far as the gap, the plan of giving people a place/bar to hang in between sounds ok. I personally would probably skip the ceremony if I was an in-town guest, but if I was an out-of-town guest, I would do both and just hang out some place in between.
KateMW--Yep, reception=cocktail hour. Being a former event planner, I'm used to thinking about events as reception, then dinner, then dance. I've got to get this wedding terminology down!
Thanks for the input on the gap between the ceremony and reception!
I went to an Indian wedding that had a big gap between ceremony & reception. We went bowling :) In full wedding attire. It was lots of fun! I'd suggest that.It was perfect because you don't really work too hard and it's in AC so you're not getting all sweaty and hot. You might need to reserve a few lanes in advance though.
I went to an Indian wedding that had a big gap between ceremony & reception. We went bowling :) In full wedding attire. It was lots of fun! I'd suggest that.It was perfect because you don't really work too hard and it's in AC so you're not getting all sweaty and hot. You might need to reserve a few lanes in advance though.
We had a 2pm ceremony, receiving line, 20 minute ride to the reception...and just got started! We had a 1.5 hour cocktail "hour" and early dinner and lots of dancing. It was a long wedding but people were partying until our venue kicked us out at 10:30. I didn't want a gap and it's NOT common in our group friends or relatives.
I don't think you should worry about it. The "gap" is pretty normal, and I know we've always found something to do.. catch a game at a sports bar, stop at a friend's house that lives near by, etc. Bowling was a great idea!
As I mentioned previously, we're having a fairly significant gap. Since most of our guests will be from out of town, we're offering a tour of Newport to our guests. We're using a huge shuttle bus (big 55 passenger motorcoach) to ferry people from their hotels to the church and back, but for those that want to, there will also be a narrated 1.5 hour tour of Newport. By the time it's over, and the bus stops back by the hotels to pick up the guests who didn't go on the tour, it should be time for our reception!
If you're interested in doing something like this, it was only $150 extra for us to add the tour. We already had to rent the bus in 4 hour increments, so it seemed better to us to at least make them be doing something instead of just waiting around! :)
I am getting married at 1 pm and a dessert buffet follows until 4 then a dance/cocktails starts at 7 pm. with a hor' dourve buffet. We have alot of family from out of town that will be leaving at 3 am to catch flights home so we wanted some quality time with them to say good-bye and we are also having photos finished. i was at a wedding that we waited 3 hours for the pictures being done! We were so hungry everyone ran to get in the food line when it was time!LOL! We also have adults only for the dance so this allows familys to take kids home etc. we have alot of older people also so this allows them to get home early.
wow I guess I'm the lone dissenter here. I personally think it's kind of thoughtless when there is a big gap between the ceremony and the reception. Now I'm not catholic and have never been to a catholic wedding so this might be a norm just not in my circle.
If you're an out of town guess and the hotel is near by I guess you can just go to your hotel and hang out. But what about the people who are too close to get a hotel but too far to drive back home, (like an hour and a half away)? THis happened to me this summer at a wedding I went to which was all around poorly planned. There were sooo many guest just kind of wondering around and milling about the reception site for like an hour before it opened. I also noticed that A LOT of people skipped the ceremony and just went to the reception, (which i think is kind of rude). I think maybe if there is a definite plan for quests in between, somewhere for them to relax, (like a hospitality room at a hotel or a parents' house), then it might be ok.
Hey all!
We are having our wedding at a church that only does 2 p.m. ceremonies on Saturdays. Our reception venue hasn't been finalized yet but most of the venues we are looking at won't be available until 5 p.m. or so.
So if you have time in between your ceremony and reception, what are you doing? What are you suggesting your guests do? I don't think I like this big space of time!
posted by boothbride 20 posts 6 months agoWe are in a similar boat. Our ceremony starts at 3pm and cocktail hour does not start until 6pm.
At first I was all upset running around worried about my guest but in the end I have just decided that there really isn't much I can do. I have actully decided that it is a good thing b/c we will be able to get all of our pics done and we will be able to participate in cocktail hour!
My Aunt has offered to host family and friends at my fathers house and becasue my parents are divorced and my mom is refusing to grasp the concept of her family or my Step-dad's family going to my Dad's house we will also be direcrting people to the lobby/bar of the hotel where we have rooms blocked. I am also going to include some local attrations...national park, mall, outlets!
This info is on our website and I will either include it in the program or in another packet of papers to be distributed as guest leave the ceremony. Plus, I am having the Mom's inform their respective families of the time gap!
Do what you can to accomadate your guest but don't stress over it!
posted by NoveBride08 32 posts 6 months agoI've seen a few posts about this. I have not been to a wedding where this happened (the gap between ceremony and reception)
So just out of curiousity has anyone gone to wedding that this happened? Did you skip the ceremony? What do you do between events? I'd be at a loss as to what to do.....
posted by beesknees 274 posts 6 months agoI personally don't think it's a big deal. Every wedding that I've been to has had this gap (anywhere from an hour to 3.5 hours). Many guests, esp Catholic ones, will be used to this. I always used the time to go back to the hotel room, relax and change. If the reception is fancy, then often women esp like to wear a different more elegant dress to the reception than to church (ie more of a "church" dress to the ceremony). I think people may enjoy having the down time. Our ceremony starts at 2:30 and our cocktail hour isn't until 7pm. We'll give people lists or ideas of things to do in the area, but I bet most people will just go back and hang out at their hotels.
Also, I've never known anyone who explicitly skips the ceremony or reception simply because of the time gap. HTH! :)
posted by LNickle 76 posts 6 months agoive been to one wedding with the gap (catholic), and the grooms mom hosted a party in between at her house. the bridal party went to do their pics & maybe it was 2 hours, and it was fine. a lot of driving here & then there in between but whatever, most people are used to driving and it ate up some time. it was also super nice that day, so we were all outside at the moms house, and it was a cousin so i knew everyone. i wouldnt want a gap- but if there isnt anything to do about it, then id suggest some "activity" they can do inbetween.
posted by piperbenjamin 247 posts 6 months agoI've been to loads of Catholic weddings (grew up in a predominatley Irish, Italian, Polish & Puerto Rican city) and worst case scenario, you might get a handful of people who skip the ceremony.
2 pm isn't really too bad of a gap anyway. How long is your ceremony? Are you having a full mass?
We had didn't have a full mass and it was still almost an hour by the time it was officially over, and then we did a recieving line, which probably took up almost another hour.
So I wouldn't worry too much about it. People will find a way to entertain themselves.
posted by radish 156 posts 6 months agoThanks everyone!
Radish--my fiance is not Catholic so we are not having a full mass. I was estimating the ceremony and receiving line to take an hour total but maybe I need to figure in more time?
I guess the upside is that instead of not being around during the reception because I'm taking photos, the photos will be done and I can enjoy the reception with my guests! Except then we wouldn't have a grand entrance. Hmm.
If only I had enough money to transport all my guests to a winery tour during the gap...that'd be great!
posted by boothbride 20 posts 6 months agoBoothbride -- I figured our actual ceremony would only be about 30 minutes long, but it was more like 40-45. We probably started about 5-10 minutes late because I wanted to make sure everyone was seated, etc.
It can depend on a few factors though, like the length of the aisle, the length of the sermon, how big your wedding party is, etc.
Our church had a 100 foot aisle, and we had 6 bridemaids & groomsmen, 2 flowergirls, 2 rinbearers, and 2 "banner boys." (there are a lot of kids in our family that we needed to include) So it probably took a good 10 minutes each for the processional and recessionals.
We also did the unity candle ceremony with our mothers, which was optional. Probably another 5 minutes added there.
We had 2 readings. I don't remember if we had to have at least 2 or if we chose that.
I don't remember how long the priest's little sermon was. That's probably the biggest variable. I've been to wedding before where they keep it short and sweet... and I've been to others where they ramble on forever. You never really know what he's gonna say until the time comes!
How many guests are you expecting? That will make a difference in how long to plan for if you do a receiving line.
posted by radish 156 posts 6 months agoRadish, We expect about 175 guests and will have 6 bridesmaids/groomsmen. We don't have many kids in our family so we are still unsure if we even have any ringbearer and flower girl candidates!
I think we will do a receiving line...we certainly have the time!
Did you guys join in on your reception? Or did you make a grand entrance to signal the end of the reception? Just curious about your reception timing :)
posted by boothbride 20 posts 6 months agoI've been to a lot of weddings that have a gap (my whole family is Catholic) and I actually enjoy it that way. We usually went back to the hotel just to relax and hang out, and when I was a kid we would get to go swimming in the pool. I think it's really nice for the bride and groom because you have plenty of time to get pictures taken. The wedding that I was a bridesmaid in still did a grand entrance; the bride and groom just joined us at a sports bar before it was time to go to the reception. We had a great time!
posted by cricketpe 36 posts 6 months agoI'm confused here...you are saying reception, as in you'll miss your reception if you do a grand entrance. Do you mean cocktail hour? Or the whole thing?
As far as the gap, the plan of giving people a place/bar to hang in between sounds ok. I personally would probably skip the ceremony if I was an in-town guest, but if I was an out-of-town guest, I would do both and just hang out some place in between.
posted by KateMW 483 posts 6 months agoBoothbride --
We weren't there for the cocktail hour. But we did make a grand entrance after the cocktail hour.
posted by radish 156 posts 6 months agoKateMW--Yep, reception=cocktail hour. Being a former event planner, I'm used to thinking about events as reception, then dinner, then dance. I've got to get this wedding terminology down!
Thanks for the input on the gap between the ceremony and reception!
posted by boothbride 20 posts 6 months agoI went to an Indian wedding that had a big gap between ceremony & reception. We went bowling :) In full wedding attire. It was lots of fun! I'd suggest that.It was perfect because you don't really work too hard and it's in AC so you're not getting all sweaty and hot. You might need to reserve a few lanes in advance though.
posted by LisaL 56 posts 5 months agoI went to an Indian wedding that had a big gap between ceremony & reception. We went bowling :) In full wedding attire. It was lots of fun! I'd suggest that.It was perfect because you don't really work too hard and it's in AC so you're not getting all sweaty and hot. You might need to reserve a few lanes in advance though.
posted by LisaL 56 posts 5 months agoWe had a 2pm ceremony, receiving line, 20 minute ride to the reception...and just got started! We had a 1.5 hour cocktail "hour" and early dinner and lots of dancing. It was a long wedding but people were partying until our venue kicked us out at 10:30. I didn't want a gap and it's NOT common in our group friends or relatives.
posted by MissPearls 42 posts 5 months agoI don't think you should worry about it. The "gap" is pretty normal, and I know we've always found something to do.. catch a game at a sports bar, stop at a friend's house that lives near by, etc. Bowling was a great idea!
posted by wizard 34 posts 5 months agoAs I mentioned previously, we're having a fairly significant gap. Since most of our guests will be from out of town, we're offering a tour of Newport to our guests. We're using a huge shuttle bus (big 55 passenger motorcoach) to ferry people from their hotels to the church and back, but for those that want to, there will also be a narrated 1.5 hour tour of Newport. By the time it's over, and the bus stops back by the hotels to pick up the guests who didn't go on the tour, it should be time for our reception!
If you're interested in doing something like this, it was only $150 extra for us to add the tour. We already had to rent the bus in 4 hour increments, so it seemed better to us to at least make them be doing something instead of just waiting around! :)
posted by LNickle 76 posts 5 months agoI am getting married at 1 pm and a dessert buffet follows until 4 then a dance/cocktails starts at 7 pm. with a hor' dourve buffet. We have alot of family from out of town that will be leaving at 3 am to catch flights home so we wanted some quality time with them to say good-bye and we are also having photos finished. i was at a wedding that we waited 3 hours for the pictures being done! We were so hungry everyone ran to get in the food line when it was time!LOL! We also have adults only for the dance so this allows familys to take kids home etc. we have alot of older people also so this allows them to get home early.
posted by ajdzone 3 posts 4 months agowow I guess I'm the lone dissenter here. I personally think it's kind of thoughtless when there is a big gap between the ceremony and the reception. Now I'm not catholic and have never been to a catholic wedding so this might be a norm just not in my circle.
If you're an out of town guess and the hotel is near by I guess you can just go to your hotel and hang out. But what about the people who are too close to get a hotel but too far to drive back home, (like an hour and a half away)? THis happened to me this summer at a wedding I went to which was all around poorly planned. There were sooo many guest just kind of wondering around and milling about the reception site for like an hour before it opened. I also noticed that A LOT of people skipped the ceremony and just went to the reception, (which i think is kind of rude). I think maybe if there is a definite plan for quests in between, somewhere for them to relax, (like a hospitality room at a hotel or a parents' house), then it might be ok.
posted by MissEsq 41 posts 4 months ago