ceremony, reception times

Re: ceremony, reception times

• Kristen625 member

  

  November 2013

  Hmm, that is a tough situation.  Cause as sweet as it is for her to offer to do that (especially if it is someone you want to officiate the wedding) your wedding should be the only thing she has going that day.  I'm assuming she would have been invited regardless, so I'm wondering what it is she has going on that doesn't allow her to officiate any time that day.  I would still keep your options open on officiant or find out why she can't do a later time.  Maybe you could explain to her why you would like a later ceremony time due to dinner time.  I don't know.  If you're okay having an early dinner for your guests (cause to me that sounds really early) then by all means go for it, its your day.  But if you really want dinner at a typical dinner time then you'll need to see if you can talk to her about either changing her schedule, or finding someone else to officiate.  Hope this helps a little, and I didn't make things worse for you!  And good luck! Let us know how it goes!
  

  

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• kellibastien member

  

  November 2013

  Maybe you should think about what kind of friend she is. Is she a super close friend? One that you would really want to be a part of your special day? Because if she is, I would really consider taking her up on her offer. Otherwise it sounds like you won't be seeing her at all that day.

  Could you maybe do a cocktail hour starting at 3:30, and have some hor d'oeuvres maybe out at 4:00? And push dinner back until 5:00? Just a thought, to maybe have dinner a LITTLE later.

  Otherwise if she's not that close of a friend, I agree that you keep your options open at this time. It does stink, because that is a really nice gift!... and something else you wouldn't need to stress about

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• tammym1001 member

  

  November 2013

  Why do you want your reception to start 2 hours after your ceremony ends? Are you going to have refreshments available during that time? That's a long time for your guests to have to wait and not everyone is going to want to take a tour of a museum. Some people also may not be able to walk around for that long. If you want a later reception then I think you should find someone else to be your officiant so you can have a later ceremony start time and not make your guests wait 2 hours for your reception to start. 

  
  

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• dluberts member

  

  November 2013

  We want it approx two hours after so we have time to take pictures and so people can take the tour if they want.were not pushing our guests to stay and tour the museum. It's to my understanding that 1 to 2 hours is an appropriate time for a cocktail hour anyway. Havent decided if well be doing finger foods. We are going to go ahead and use her since it is such a generous gift that we appreciate so much!. our reception may be around 330 then instead. I figure it's the middle of May, itll just be colder later in the afternoon and it's probably smart to have it earlier anyway(our ceremony will be outside). If our guests leave the reception earlier and it ends sooner, well just take our party elsewhere! I have no problem hitting the bars up afterwords for an after party! WOOT WOOT!lol.. 

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• tammym1001 member

  

  November 2013

  I would cut the cocktail down to 90 minutes at the most. It's called a cocktail hour because it's only supposed to be an hour. If you are considering it a cocktail hour though then you also definitely need to have apps and drinks. Here's the breakdown:

  
  

  Cocktail = apps and drinks

  Hour = 60 minutes 

  Cocktail hour = 60 minutes of food and drinks. 

  
  

  Without those things it's not a cocktail hour, it's just a gap. 

  
  

  Back to your original question, our ceremony will be at 2:30. Cocktail hour will start at 3:00 and the reception will start at 4:00. I don't think there's anything wrong with having an earlier reception start time. Since our reception will probably end around 8:00 we are doing an after party. I think that's a perfectly acceptable way to handle yours so that your friend can officiate.

  
  

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• dluberts member

  

  November 2013

  I may have confused and did not mean too..instead of cocktail hour the guests have the oppurtunity to tour the museum as part of our gift to them. This is instead of favors. Well still do candy and nuts and such but the big favor, aside from the reception, is the tour. We have alot of family with kids and it was a unique way for us to make it more enjoyable for the kiddos too. Something not everyone has done

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• tammym1001 member

  

  November 2013

  I understand what you  mean. I'm just saying a tour of the museum doesn't count as a cocktail hour. Those are two very different things. I guess if you know all your guests will like that then you can take pictures while they're doing it, but what about older guests who maybe can't walk around for an hour and a half or people who aren't interested in the museum? What are they going to do? 

  
  

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• tammym1001 member

  

  November 2013

  Also, because I see you are kind of new to the boards I wanted to tell you that the ladies on the May 2014 board are really nice, but I would caution against posting this question on the main board because they will tear you apart for even considering having a gap between your ceremony and reception.

  
  

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• dluberts member

  

  November 2013

  yeah I've noticed how awful a lot of other brides can be.!Some can get pretty ugly. But I don't let their opinions weigh me down. It's a happy and special day and not everything has to be perfect. I have made my choices based on my family and customs and traditions. The things I've decided on are what I think is going to be best because I know my family best. I like to ask opinions, so i can go over different scenarios in my head to come to the best conclusion about things. They can't get this bride down! lol. I welcome and appreciate all opinions.

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