Gap between wedding and reception

lurkergirl

I don't see a huge gap problem here (as long as you don't mind missing your own cocktail hour), but I always caution people against visiting relatives in hospitals or assisted living facilities. Is the facility prepared to deal with a bride, groom, and their photographer? What about the other residents? Is there any way you could spend time with her by yourself before the wedding? What about skyping her in for the ceremony and calling her afterward? I just feel like that's one of those things that sounds sweet in theory, but you have to talk to the facility because it could be a nightmare. Plusalso, I'm sure you want to limit any traveling between everything so you won't be late to your own reception.

ETA: I FAIL AT READING AND POSTING!

MollyandD

lurkergirl said:

I don't see a huge gap problem here (as long as you don't mind missing your own cocktail hour), but I always caution people against visiting relatives in hospitals or assisted living facilities. Is the facility prepared to deal with a bride, groom, and their photographer? What about the other residents? Is there any way you could spend time with her by yourself before the wedding? What about skyping her in for the ceremony and calling her afterward? I just feel like that's one of those things that sounds sweet in theory, but you have to talk to the facility because it could be a nightmare. Plusalso, I'm sure you want to limit any traveling between everything so you won't be late to your own reception.

I must suck at skimming when I read. What did I just miss about assisted living and hospitals? I may go back and check. 

lurkergirl

Molly&Domenic said:

lurkergirl said:

I don't see a huge gap problem here (as long as you don't mind missing your own cocktail hour), but I always caution people against visiting relatives in hospitals or assisted living facilities. Is the facility prepared to deal with a bride, groom, and their photographer? What about the other residents? Is there any way you could spend time with her by yourself before the wedding? What about skyping her in for the ceremony and calling her afterward? I just feel like that's one of those things that sounds sweet in theory, but you have to talk to the facility because it could be a nightmare. Plusalso, I'm sure you want to limit any traveling between everything so you won't be late to your own reception.

I must suck at skimming when I read. What did I just miss about assisted living and hospitals? I may go back and check. 

Nope, I'm the one who fails at reading!  Definitely meant that for another thread!   I won't DD, but I'll go back and edit so people know I meant it to be elsewhere.  Thank you!!

beachyone15

novella1186 said:

We figured this out for another poster in a similar thread a few months ago, I think. Are you having plated dinners with multiple courses? Cocktail hour? What's the travel time between the church and reception site?

Here's a potential solution: Let's assume you have to have the ceremony at 3. It ends by about 3:30. People are arriving at the reception venue by 4.
You have cocktail hour till about 5.
Serve the salad course by 5:30 (assuming between 5 and 5:30 guests are still being hosted, mingling, and making their way to their seats for dinner)
It takes some time to get the food out to each person and takes some time to eat it.
So dinner will end up being served around 6. Pretty normal dinner time.
After dinner is the typical dancing and whatnot, so there's your evening reception.

If your ceremony has to be at 2, cocktail hour will be an hour earlier than the above schedule.
To prevent dinner from being served too early, do your spotlight dance, toasts, and whatever just before dinner is served. Proceed as above.

No gap, evening reception, Catholic service, no problem. I hope this is helpful to you!


BOXES...

This was our timeline and I loved it! Plus, the party was over by 9pm so my new H and I had time to go relax and enjoy cake in our hotel room before passing out.

dcbride86

I once went to a wedding with a gap.  It was the first wedding I had ever attended and I knew nothing about wedding ettiquette.  My (now ex) boyfriend was a groomsman, so I drove to the ceremony and sat with his fraternity brother.  After the ceremony, we went back, and had nothing to do, so we kind of awkwardly hung out in my hotel room for an hour.  It wasn;t a big deal, and I never mentioned it, but it was awkward.  Even people who don't know anything about weddings or wedding etiquette will feel awkward.

mrsk616

All the weddings I have gone to have had a gap. honestly I dont and never saw something wrong with it, well ok 1 we did find wrong with it. The wedding and reception were at the same place a 45 minute drive for most of the family and a 2 hour gap. that left all of us no where to go. i dont see a problem as long as people are near by so they have a place to go during the gap. i never wear the samething to the ceremony to the reception (i usually end up wearing a dress to the reception and dress pants and a nice top to the ceremony)

if you end up doing a gap take inconsideration of travel distances for guest and what they can do to kill time or if they can go back home and freshen up.

yes i understand this is not correct etiquette but that is what i have personally seen from weddings i have gone too  

lovegood90

mrsk616 said:

All the weddings I have gone to have had a gap. honestly I dont and never saw something wrong with it, well ok 1 we did find wrong with it. The wedding and reception were at the same place a 45 minute drive for most of the family and a 2 hour gap. that left all of us no where to go. i dont see a problem as long as people are near by so they have a place to go during the gap. i never wear the samething to the ceremony to the reception (i usually end up wearing a dress to the reception and dress pants and a nice top to the ceremony)

if you end up doing a gap take inconsideration of travel distances for guest and what they can do to kill time or if they can go back home and freshen up.

yes i understand this is not correct etiquette but that is what i have personally seen from weddings i have gone too  

Yeah but just because it's what you're used to and you're personally okay with it, doesn't mean it's not a rude thing to do.

flantastic

mrsk616 said:

All the weddings I have gone to have had a gap. honestly I dont and never saw something wrong with it, well ok 1 we did find wrong with it. The wedding and reception were at the same place a 45 minute drive for most of the family and a 2 hour gap. that left all of us no where to go. i dont see a problem as long as people are near by so they have a place to go during the gap. i never wear the samething to the ceremony to the reception (i usually end up wearing a dress to the reception and dress pants and a nice top to the ceremony)

if you end up doing a gap take inconsideration of travel distances for guest and what they can do to kill time or if they can go back home and freshen up.

yes i understand this is not correct etiquette but that is what i have personally seen from weddings i have gone too  

I was very used to gaps. I'm pretty sure everyone expected me to solve the "2 PM wedding issue" with a gap, because everyone else did. Wouldn't have made it the right thing to do to my friends and family.