Invitation Time Question

MrandMrsMCO

Hi all,

I am having my ceremony and reception at the same location. The venue provides a champagne cocktail and fresh berries for guests as they arrive. Due to this, the start time listed on the contract is 6:30 with a 7pm ceremony start. Would it me rude to put 6:30 on the invites so guests can partake, or should I just put 7 and those that show up early will have champagne?

Thanks!

charlotte989875

I would put a timeline on your website (if you're having one) or a note on the invitation that mentions cocktails from 6:30-7:00 and ceremony at 7. For many people if you put 6:30 as the start time they will show up 15-20 minutes early, to make sure they're there on time. So then you're having people show up at 6:15 or earlier with nothing to do. Have the correct ceremony time on the invitations then spread the 6:30 cocktails by word of mouth, on an insert, or on the website. 

Also, friends of mine did this and everyone loved the champagne before the ceremony. 

SP29

I agree with the above.

The purpose of the invitation is to provide information on the who, what, when, where of an event, so *I* think it would be fine if you included on the invite (if you have space):

You are invite to the wedding of...
At X location...
On Y date....

Cocktail reception at 6:30
Ceremony at 7:00
Dinner to follow.

CMGragain

I agree with SP29.  Since your wedding is not following the usual schedule, you should provide for information for your guests.  I would call it a "Champagne reception", though.

MrandMrsMCO

Thanks everyone. I should clarify that there is a cocktail hour immediately following the ceremony, followed by a seated dinner. The champagne is more like a welcome and thanks for coming drink. 

6:30 champagne
7:00 ceremony
7:30 cocktail hour
8:30 dinner

The wedding is on a Friday so we tried to push the start time later for those that may be working on that day. 

Also, another question that has popped into my mind. We have decided to provide an on-site babysitter of sorts. It will be optional as I would love the kids there. That being said, I know that the reception is later and that parents may want a night w/o little ones. We have rented out a meeting space just upstairs from the reception and will be providing couches, sleeping bags, games and crafts. Would it be appropriate to put an insert in the invitation expressing this or would you do word of mouth?

Jen4948

MrandMrsMCO said:

Thanks everyone. I should clarify that there is a cocktail hour immediately following the ceremony, followed by a seated dinner. The champagne is more like a welcome and thanks for coming drink. 

6:30 champagne
7:00 ceremony
7:30 cocktail hour
8:30 dinner

The wedding is on a Friday so we tried to push the start time later for those that may be working on that day. 

Also, another question that has popped into my mind. We have decided to provide an on-site babysitter of sorts. It will be optional as I would love the kids there. That being said, I know that the reception is later and that parents may want a night w/o little ones. We have rented out a meeting space just upstairs from the reception and will be providing couches, sleeping bags, games and crafts. Would it be appropriate to put an insert in the invitation expressing this or would you do word of mouth?

Stuck in box

I think several posters will tell you not to bother getting a babysitter and to just let parents either keep their kids with them and figure out how to entertain them or make their own babysitting arrangements because they would not trust strangers to take care of their children, and what if the kids want to be with their parents -- how will you stop the kids from joining their parents? Ad nauseam.

But if you want to do this, I think you can use word of mouth to convey that there will be a babysitter.

MrandMrsMCO

Hmm. I see your point. Perhaps it will be a better use of my budget to set up a "kids table". They will of course be seated with their parents during the reception, but having an extra table set up with the crafts and games for them to use would be better. I really have no problem with the kids being there for the entire thing, we are a family oriented group. 

I will invite all the kids and provide them entertainment and if parents choose to leave them home they can. 

Thanks again! I love all of the advice on these forums  

MobKaz

MrandMrsMCO said:

Thanks everyone. I should clarify that there is a cocktail hour immediately following the ceremony, followed by a seated dinner. The champagne is more like a welcome and thanks for coming drink. 

6:30 champagne
7:00 ceremony
7:30 cocktail hour
8:30 dinner

The wedding is on a Friday so we tried to push the start time later for those that may be working on that day. 

Also, another question that has popped into my mind. We have decided to provide an on-site babysitter of sorts. It will be optional as I would love the kids there. That being said, I know that the reception is later and that parents may want a night w/o little ones. We have rented out a meeting space just upstairs from the reception and will be providing couches, sleeping bags, games and crafts. Would it be appropriate to put an insert in the invitation expressing this or would you do word of mouth?

Champagne Welcome or Champagne Greeting

CMGragain

I would put "half after six o'clock on your invitations, and put an insert with all this other information.  It is just too much to put on the actual invitation.  In your case, a reception card would work well, even though your reception is in the same location as your ceremony.  The important thing is to provide the information to your guests.

madamerwin

Just wanted to share my experience with a wedding babysitter: We had a bunch of kids under 10 at our wedding. We mentioned to some friends that we were thinking of having a sitter on-site, and they offered to bring and pay for their sitter to keep an eye on kids, as a wedding gift. We let all the parents know that Suzie (don't remember her actual name) was there to be an extra set of eyes and ears, since our venue was three floors and pretty spread out. 

Most kids were running around the venue all night, and the sitter was really just acting as a spare, sober adult in case she saw any kids trying to leave the venue or being too rowdy. It was good to have her, but it was not like she was actually in charge of all 15 kids.

It was nice to have that extra person whose job it was to keep an eye on kids, but in reality, I am sure we could have done without it. Most of the kids were checking in with their parents once in a while anyway, and there were adults everywhere, so it's not like they could get into that much trouble.

SP29

On one of the episodes of Rich Bride, Poor Bride that I watched, the B&G had quite the extensive guest list with number children in attendance. The children ate their meals with their parents, but there was also a room right off the main ballroom where they hired a babysitter and had tables and chairs set up with games, crafts, balloons, etc (there may have also been a clown with face paint and balloon animals involved). The children were free to come and go (likewise with the parents), but many of the children were in there playing.

I don't think something like that is a bad idea, where there is an optional sitter in a location directly connected to the main reception, with activities. But I think you'd need to have a lot of children in attendance to make the cost worth it. I also think only a couple of kids would be less inclined to hang out in a playroom by them self, vs. a large group of kids playing together.

ahoywedding

What a lovely thing for your venue to provide before your ceremony!

I think listing the ceremony start time on your invitation, but putting the 6:30 start on your wedding website and also on any sort of insert you include with the invitations would be helpful. Hopefully most people plan on arriving early, so if they go by the 7 pm start time, they could be pleasantly surprised to be welcomed with a drink and light snacks.

As far as the babysitter...my venue has kids' play area that will be near the dance floor. I've been verbally telling this information to friends with kids, so they a. know their kids will be invited and b. they also know there will be a kid-friendly space. (And funnily enough, most of them have said they were looking forward to a child free night!).