Unique gap between ceremony and reception

Knottie1439915494

My ideal venue is a small, cute studio downtown in the city in which I live. I want to have both the ceremony and reception there because FH and I are somewhat new to the area and don't have a church that we belong to yet and this city is too expensive for us to reserve two places. The issue is that the space is so small that we can't have both the ceremony set up and the reception set up at the same time. The time it would take to tear down the ceremony setup and set up the reception is relatively quick but I think it's cheesy/awkward to have my guests hanging out during this time. 

Does anyone have any ideas for what to do with that time? Or where to send my guests? We are looking at hosting a cocktail hour at a restaurant/bar about a half of a block away. Unfortunately it is downtown without any outdoor space for games. 

STARMOON44

Instead of the awkward gap or flip, what about having everything set up for your reception to start, and your guests sit at their seats at their tables for the ceremony? Lots of people do it, and then you can segue right into things without a big production.

I don't think making your guests leave and walk some place else in the middle is an acceptable option.

huskypuppy14

You don't need games; I don't know why that would be a priority. Either have the ceremony with everyone at their tables, or set it up after the ceremony. 

I've been to a wedding where they had the chairs set up so there was an aisle, and then the staff put everything back while we were mingling. It wasn't a big deal. 

southernbelle0915

STARMOON44 said:

Instead of the awkward gap or flip, what about having everything set up for your reception to start, and your guests sit at their seats at their tables for the ceremony? Lots of people do it, and then you can segue right into things without a big production.

I don't think making your guests leave and walk some place else in the middle is an acceptable option.

This. Exactly.

photokitty

How long do they need to flip the space? We all went outside to take a group photo with all the guests immediately following the ceremony while the staff flipped the venue. They said they would need 15 mins max, but were done in 10. I love the photo, is one of my favorites.

Jen4948

This isn't a "unique" gap.

As posters above note, I would simply have the room set up for the reception and then have the ceremony take place at the center or one end of the room while the guests are seated at their tables.

AddieCake

I, too, was wondering what was "unique" about this gap.

SP29

If it's only 15 mins for a change over it shouldn't be too big of an issue. Is there another room that can be used? A rooftop balcony or other type of outdoor space?

We had our ceremony and reception in the same room. The ceremony was set up traditionally with rows of chairs and they had the tables for the reception already set up but stored snugged up at the back of the room. The chairs used for the ceremony were the reception chairs. Other tables used for things like the cake, gifts and candy bar were already set up along the room walls.

Change over took 15 mins. The venue had a covered veranda, so when we recessed from the ceremony we had our officiant ask our guests to meet us outside. This is where we did our receiving "line" and we also did a group photo. The room was ready before we were.

So as long as there is a physical place you and your guests can go and the change over is quick, I don't think you need to find another space to make a cocktail hour from. 

lyndausvi

guest potentionally watching  ::gasp:: chairs moved around for 15 mins is not as tacky as kicking people out for an hour and them return TO THE EXACT SAME SPACE.

OliveOilsMom

Knottie1439915494 said:

My ideal venue is a small, cute studio downtown in the city in which I live. I want to have both the ceremony and reception there because FH and I are somewhat new to the area and don't have a church that we belong to yet and this city is too expensive for us to reserve two places. The issue is that the space is so small that we can't have both the ceremony set up and the reception set up at the same time. The time it would take to tear down the ceremony setup and set up the reception is relatively quick but I think it's cheesy/awkward to have my guests hanging out during this time. 

Does anyone have any ideas for what to do with that time? Or where to send my guests? We are looking at hosting a cocktail hour at a restaurant/bar about a half of a block away. Unfortunately it is downtown without any outdoor space for games. 

This gap isn't new or unique.  You just need to know how to work around it.  As PP said, have the reception already set up and your guests can sit at their seats during the ceremony.

MesmrEwe

As a guest - I'd rather sit at a table for the ceremony/reception than to have to get up, go out somewhere (remember - it might rain that day - if you're thinking outside for everyone)..  Then come back in. 

Unless your tables aren't going to have any centerpieces or place settings (which take time to move around), it's going to take a bit longer than 15 minutes. It's one thing to change around the ceremony area into a head table type space than it is the entire room.  You can still do a receiving line during that time but it's less congested than trying to move everyone out and then back in.  Your situation isn't unique, you're just looking at a venue that's on the small side for your guests and considering your options. 

Also, do a little more checking around and pricing things out (don't rely on bridal magazines for venue recommendations, google "Meeting space for ___" and/or "Convention space for ___" or community centers nearby. There are ALWAYS affordable options out there if you're willing to think outside the box.  Go ahead and do some "church shopping" as you never know, you may find a church home that would allow you to rent their hall for everything for less than the venue you're considering. 

I totally understand the wanting to have the more traditional wedding space with the chairs in a perfect row, the aisle you can walk down, etc.  But, it's also about guest experience and what happens in case of rain if you're considering outdoors at all. 

anjemon

My cousin had her wedding in a space similar to what you describe. The dinner tables were setup to the side of the ceremony space. She actually didn't do centerpieces or anything like that would add setup time - and I didn't notice until right now when I was thinking about logistics. It was a buffet and I think we had to grab our own silverware etc so there wasn't anything that needed to be setup.

There ended up being a small amount of time after the ceremony when the venue staff were moving chairs around. I think I went to the buffet (setup in another area) during that time and by the time I returned there were tables for me to sit at.

But honestly, the setup time didn't bother me. I actually barely remember it. I do remember how tightly packed the tables were and the difficulty we had moving around the space to see all the family, so I'd be more aware of that when planning then having your guests need to kill a few minutes. Just make sure drinks are available during the changeover and you'll be good.