Different reception Idea

adencker

Would it be tacky to have an evening wedding and just have snacks and cotails at the reception??

adencker

what if the ceremony was at 7pm?

lyndausvi

its not tacky as much as it is inappropriate  for that time of day. 

the time of day dictates what and how much food you should provide.

adencker

if it was a late ceremony though would it still be inapropriate?

Peavy

7PM is still mealtime.  People have to get ready, drive to the ceremony, find parking, arrive early, and most ceremonies don't start on time.  They don't have time for dinner.  If you want to serve just snacks and cocktails, have your ceremony at 2P, 230P or 3P.  Anything that starts later than that runs into dinner time.

adencker

if the ceremony was anywhere from 1 to 3 i would still expect dinner at 5

adencker

no but the guest would still be at the reception by dinner time

Peavy

If the ceremony were at 1PM, it would be followed by a lunch reception, and would be over by dinner time. If the ceremony starts at 3PM, the reception would be over by six or six-thirty, and people would go get their own dinner.  Receptions where no meal is served typically don't last as long.

adencker

this one will last long reguardless of the time it started

Peavy

You seem to have an answer to refute every point, so I'll just answer your original question. 

Yes, it's tacky to only serve snacks and cocktails in the evening.

lyndausvi

In my world, 7 pm is peak dinner time.

If you only want to serve snacks and cocktails have a wedding during the day (1-3) or later at night say 8.  Although in my world 8-9 is also dinner time, but that is not the case with everyone.

divinemsbee

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_reception-ideas_different-reception-idea?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:5Discussion:2a9b95d2-ab5c-4c60-8232-266bb1dbbfedPost:5b912739-246b-4921-8e5b-e34eba5bfe7d">Re: Different reception Idea</a>:
[QUOTE]this one will last long reguardless of the time it started
Posted by adencker[/QUOTE]

<div>
</div><div>If you're really sure it's going to "last long" then you need to have enough food anyway. </div><div>
</div><div>My wedding ceremony starts at 2pm, we're getting married in the Catholic Church, but without a Mass it'll still probably run half and hour or so. Plus a receiving line, people leaving the church, we're looking at the reception really starting around 3pm, and then us getting there by 3:30 or so after pictures. The reception will last until 6:30 or 7. I figure after that if people want dinner, they can go and get it, because that's not too late. We are offering a buffet of really heavy hors d'oeuvres as well as beer and wine. If we had the people or money for it to go later then we would have to have some sort of dinner. </div><div>
</div><div>Also, if you start the wedding later in the day, you're going to have to talk to your venue about how long you can be there. At mine, because it's in a residential area, music has to stop by 9pm and people have to be gone at 11. If you start a wedding late enough to just serve snacks and dessert (and I agree with PP that to do this you really can't start earlier than 8) then how long can your reception really be? </div><div>
</div><div>Also, if there's not food, people probably won't stick around if they're hungry. I went to a lunchtime wedding (the ceremony was at 11 or 12 on a Saturday) where they just had a few bowls of snacks and the reception was over in about 30-45 minutes. People will leave to get food after they say hello. </div>

DisneyAsh

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_reception-ideas_different-reception-idea?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:5Discussion:2a9b95d2-ab5c-4c60-8232-266bb1dbbfedPost:b4bd6208-96fd-4c86-9037-2b051ef669ac">Different reception Idea</a>:
[QUOTE]Would it be tacky to have an evening wedding and just have snacks and cotails at the reception??
Posted by adencker[/QUOTE]

Yes, I think it would be.

SKPM

As a guest, I wouldn't consider you to be "tacky" but I would likely leave after 45 minutes or so when I realized there was no dinner. ETA: Especially if you're serving cocktails. I love a good drink but not on a near empty stomach.

pink34562000

You may want to indicate lite fare and cocktail reception on your invitations, so your guests know to eat beforehand. If I was invited to a wedding at 7pm, I would expect dinner unless it was indicated otherwise on the invitation.

AllisaurusRex

I think it partly depends on what's common in your area/circle, because I know here on The Knot, people will tell you that a 2 or 3 pm ceremony is okay to not serve a meal (and it is, I'm not disagreeing with that) but where I am most weddings start at that time, and usually the reception still goes to midnight, one or two, so obviously there is a meal served at some point. Because of how common this is, people tend to expect that meal even when the ceremony is set for a "non-meal time".

For what it's worth though, I would not expect a meal at an 8pm ceremony, but I would at a 7pm ceremony because to me, dinner is anywhere from 5-9pm. I know 8pm is within that window but I would assume the reception wouldn't be under way until after 9, and that's what makes the difference for me. I think you'd be safe to serve just cocktails and hors d'oeuvres at that time.

adencker

thanx to all of you that were helpful. I wish rude poeple would keep to themselves

Maggie0829

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_reception-ideas_different-reception-idea?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:5Discussion:2a9b95d2-ab5c-4c60-8232-266bb1dbbfedPost:141c9cb1-2629-479b-b0f0-e1ee2cc77ae5">Re: Different reception Idea</a>:
[QUOTE]thanx to all of you that were helpful. I wish rude poeple would keep to themselves
Posted by adencker[/QUOTE]

No one was rude to you.  Everyone gave you valid advice to your question.  You just didn't liked what you read.

And I agree with pretty much everyone.  If you have your wedding around a meal time you have to serve a meal.  If I went to your wedding around dinner time and all that was available to eat were some light apps and drinks you bet your butt I would leaving to go to a McD's or Chic-Fil-A to get myself a substantial dinner or just have a pizza delivered and then, if I was in the mood, would come back to party some more.

adencker

people were rude cause I had answers to their questions and they didnt like that I had an answer for them. thats rude. And I would think a dinner at 9 at night is not nessesary.

Peavy

No one was rude to you, you just didn't like the answers, so you kept putting qualifiers on the queston which was " Would it be tacky to have an evening wedding and just have snacks and cotails at the reception??"  Tacky is your word, not ours.  Receptions without enough food don't last very long, because people get hungry.  If you're not going to feed them, then they are going to leave to get something to eat.  And if you think that your reception will be the exception, and that everyone will stay for five or six hours with only snacks and drinks, then go ahead and plan whatever you want at whatever time you want.  Who knows, your reception may be the exception....but I doubt it.  And you are correct, a meal at 9PM is not expected...but nobody said it was. 

alithebride

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_reception-ideas_different-reception-idea?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:5Discussion:2a9b95d2-ab5c-4c60-8232-266bb1dbbfedPost:aabbbd8c-4945-4bdf-b4e1-0e8ae8b0f11a">Re: Different reception Idea</a>:
[QUOTE]people were rude cause I had answers to their questions and they didnt like that I had an answer for them. thats rude. <strong>And I would think a dinner at 9 at night is not nessesary.
</strong>Posted by adencker[/QUOTE]

you would be wrong. your ceremony starts earlier-and that's during dinner time. THAT is the part that makes it necessary. you're in prime meal time then.

gurrlballa10

You should just serve them water and bread.  That'll show your guests who's really in charge!