IS this ok?

choirchick22

Is it strange to have a small out door ceremony at around 430 and then have a reception at like.. 700 that night or would it be strange to have such a big break in between?  We cant afford to serve dinner so we were thinking of doing this. Any advice is greatly appreciated!

gottahavashorti

You could have your ceremony and reception in the 2-5pm or 8-12pm timeslots and serve light hors d'oeuvres, cake and punch or desserts intead of a meal. 

Also look into BBQ caterers, restaurants with private rooms or a brunch/lunch reception if you want to have your wedding at a meal time, since those things can be less expensive than a catered dinner.

I'm not a fan of gaps.

choirchick22

hmm good idea! I will look into it! Thank you.

Lasairiona

A gap of more than 30 mins that does not include driving time to the reception is incredibly rude. You either need to make the ceremony later or the reception earlier so there is no gap. But if you do not want to serve dinner, you need to have your ceremony and reception earlier in the day between 2-4pm for the entire event.

golden1215

IMO it depends on how small and the location.  Are all the guests local family that could go home for a bit?  Can you plan a fun/cheap walking tour of the neighborhood that you're getting married in to fill the gap?  If you really cant afford dinner, and you cant change your ceremony time, think outside the box for things to do.

The gap is horrible, but people do it all the time.  Im in a wedding 2 weeks before mine where the ceremony is at 11:00 and no dinner until 6:00!

choirchick22

hmm I didnt think about it being rude. I will see what I can do to move it to earlier in the day. that way the reception could end before dinner.

lyndausvi

7pm is still dinner time.  So yes I would find it rude to have a break and then not serve a full meal (either a true meal or enough hors d'oeuvres to count as a meal).

It would never occur to me to eat in between the 2 events since I eat dinner after 8pm on a regular basis.

I think you need to pick a non-meal to have your ceremony reception.

banana468

Ditto - you need to get married at a non-meal time.  A 2 PM wedding with a reception immediately is fine just as a 7:30 or 8 wedding with a reception following would be.  In those cases though, make sure you specify "cocktail reception". 

MyNameIsNot

A gap is not ok.  7 is dinner time.  If you don't want to serve a meal, do the whole thing during a non-meal time.  Typically, 2-5 works best.  You can get away with a dessert reception in the late evening, but you'd have to push your ceremony late.  Even at 8, most people would be expecting dinner.  

Blueyed228

A big gap and no dinner?  I would be upset.

I have seen alot of people doing no dinner receptions (its foreign to me, I never heard of it till I joined TK).  The girls doing it are doing it before or after meal time. 

Have you thought of cutting costs elsewhere to be able to serve a dinner?  Also, since you are not serving a meal, please go heavy on the app's.

Amymarie_MILLER

I would be upset if there was a big gap & no dinner too.....
Some of the advice above is GREAT.
BBQ caterers tend to be cheaper,
do an early ceremony and punch/cake reception
drinks & apps only (heavy on the apps)
Those were all good ideas to think about.

homediva

You might consider a morning ceremony as well, with a coffee/brunch reception afterwards. That would be inexpensive, and unique!