Afternoon Reception Food/Entertainment

Knottie1427079022

We are planning to have an afternoon wedding so we can save some money on food.. etc. We were thinking of serving just let finger foods but I wasn't sure what would be good to have. We are planning on having an ice cream bar ( because my fiance and I are known for our love of it) and was wondering what kind of "finger foods" would go well with that.

Since we are having an afternoon wedding, we were planning to skip the dance which would also save money on the DJ. We just don't know how we could keep things flowing at the reception.. we plan to have music playing in the background so it's not dead quiet and just people visiting but will it be boring? What are some ideas to keep guests entertained and would it be better to have a DJ just to keep things flowing... like announcing when we cut the cake etc?

CMGragain

Your wedding sounds lovely!  Very traditional!

I recommend trays of tea sandwiches, veggies, cake and punch, coffee and tea, 

I HATE DJs.   Have the best man announce the cake cutting.   You might consider hiring a string quartet to play live music.  Check with your local high school.  Sometimes you can get students for cheap.   You might also consider a pianist playing cocktail style music.  I used to do that, myself.
The guests will keep themselves entertained with good conversation.  They won't have to raise their voices over the loud music and obnoxious DJ!

I would expect the reception to last about an hour and a half, tops.

climbingsingle

I had an afternoon wedding. Ceremony started at 12pm and cocktail hour began right after. I served a full meal, as you should during a meal time. People could choose between chicken, steak and salmon. 

You can skip a DJ, but you don't have to skip dancing. I did have a DJ and after everyone ate, our dance floor was packed the rest of the day. 

We also skipped the bouquet/garter toss and the cake cutting, so we didn't have any of that announced. 

southernbelle0915

Your plan sounds lovely! But if you don't want to serve a full meal, just make sure you avoid meal time.

I'd suggest starting the ceremony at 2pm, the reception from 2:30-5pm.