Lunch reception: timeline and logistics

CaitlinLoiko

Hi ladies,

This is my first thread so forgive me if I do anything wrong!

I am having trouble thinking of a timeline for my lunch reception. My ceremony will take place in a lovely old church-- which is in the middle of nowhere! It will be at 10:30am. Our reception site is a hotel in a bigger town 1 hour away, where guests will stay the night before and my fiance and I will spend our wedding night. I am happy with these arragements but I'm a little worried that people will get hungry waiting for the lunch.

Here are my first thoughts for the timeline:
11:30 ceremony ends. No recieving line, guests get outta there and wedding party takes photos.
12:30 Photographer's time ends, by contract. Wedding party leaves for reception. Guests just now arriving at reception.
1:30 Bride and groom arrive at reception.

From there I am stuck... Even though there will be cocktails and apps (mushroom caps and mini beef wellingtons) for that hour where the guests are there but we're not, I feel like we should serve lunch right away so people aren't waiting too long. But that means that the DJ, who starts at 12:30, is playing nothing but background music for at least an hour and a half! Should we dance and then eat, eat and then dance, or what? Could we do a first dance maybe while the guests are being served, then eat, then go back for more dancing?

Thanks for your input!
Caitlin

Maggie0829

Since you are having a cocktail hour for your guests while you and your wedding party take pictures your guests should be satisfied enough to wait and eat lunch if you would like to get your key dances out of the way.  This is what my H and I did at our wedding.  Once cocktail hour was over my H and I did our first dance, father/daughter and mother/son.  Then everyone made their way to their seats and dinner was served.

As for your music, it is perfectly fine to have background music playing during cocktail and dinner...having crazy dance music playing while people are eating is a bit much. 

CaitlinLoiko

Thanks Maggie! The dancing solution seems perfect.

The only problem abt the music is that by the hotel's regulations, the cocktails and the main reception will be in different rooms! (Right across the hall from each other, but still might be awkward. Like you have to chose b/t music and food!)

fallbride1109

Cocktails are usually held in a different location from the reception room.  I had my ceremony (string) musicians play during the cocktail hour and then the DJ took over once we were announced.  We went right into our first dance and then dinner was served, but you could also wait until after lunch to do your first dance.  In fact for a lunch reception, that might work better as it will "signal" people to dance which can be harder to do at a lunch reception.

QueerFemme

I think as long as you have plenty of appetizers out during the cocktail hour, you will be fine.  Maybe consider put some fresh fruit out or cheese and cracker platter as well as the hot apps you are already doing.  Just in case folks have growling tummies.

I also think that saving the first dance until after lunch is a good idea.  You can have lunch... and have your first dance, and that is a signal that the PARTY portion of the program is starting.  

We aren't having a lunch reception, but we have a similar timeline. Luckily, our ceremony and reception are at the same spot, but we are serving small appetizers while we are taking photos.  Then, going straight into serving late lunch/early dinner (at 4pm).  We are planning to wrap up food at 5, and then having our first dance at 5-5:15.   The DJ is going to play background music while we are eating and then pump it up to dance music after our first dance. 

I didn't want to have our first dance and then break up the dancing with eating.

CaitlinLoiko

Very good points. This is helping a lot. I thought that going straight to lunch after our introduction might be a bit anticlimactic, but that way our dancing can set off the "party" phase of the reception.

Thanks!!!